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Three men standing on a path in a park

Teamwork: Strengths and Differences at Work

Read Time
2 minutes
Published:
Fall 2023
Author
Andrew Wheeler
Category

Teamwork: Strengths and Differences at Work

As flies  nipped at my legs at dusk on a humid summer evening, I spent time with my good friend Rich posting flyers in West Philadelphia to promote a festival in Cobbs Creek Park. I held the posters in place as Rich stapled. Rich and I have enjoyed this camaraderie since 2018 when we began leading the Cobbs Creek Ambassadors. Teamwork has guided our efforts and contributed to our success.

Our journey began in late December 2017. After cleaning up a local bird sanctuary, Rich and I wanted to tackle another project. We headed to Cobbs Creek Park, an 851-acre park that separates Philadelphia from Delaware County to the west and started cleaning a section of the park. Five years later, we have 900 volunteers and ten dedicated Ambassadors. We collected over 12 tons of trash last year, and we hosted an all-day community festival in the park in September 2023. 

As we worked together, our strengths and differences emerged. An engineer by training and a retired high school math teacher, Rich is organized, disciplined, and process-driven. By contrast, I am big picture, creative, and relationship-driven. Rich is tactical and loves the details while I prefer spending time with people, leaving the details to Rich. My communication style is less direct than Rich’s. We both are community-minded and motivated by making a sustainable impact. We make a good team because we recognize our respective skills and gifts and tolerate our differences. 

Take a moment to look around your workplace and your home life. Teammates are part of your journey. How can you contribute your strengths and appreciate their unique skills the way Rich and I have for five years?