Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

By Ryan Stoops

The Villanova Wildcats won the 2016 NCAA men’s basketball championship, led by Ryan Arcidiacono, who was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. But after that game, everyone was talking about Kris Jenkins, who hit the buzzer-beating shot to win the game.

The real story is actually about who set up the shot for Jenkins — Arcidiacono. Arcidiacono had been waiting his entire life for the chance to hit the game-winning shot in the final seconds. The team had practiced that play over and over again, and according to Jenkins’ interview on ESPN Radio, Arcidiacono took the final shot 80% of the time in practice. So as a true leader and servant, in the closing seconds of that championship game, he made the best decision and passed the ball to his teammate. As Arcidiacono said in a postgame interview, “Nope, you don’t ever dream about making the pass.”

But Arcidiacono heard Jenkins call his name, and Arcidiacono saw that Jenkins had an open shot. That pass, in the words of The New York Times, “set up one of the most stunning moments in NCAA tournament history.” As Jenkins said after the game, “Arch was supposed to shoot it because he’s a senior, and that’s what seniors do when the final game is on the line. But he gave it to me, and I really can’t believe it. It just shows what kind of person he is. All my teammates do a great job in giving me confidence. We don’t care who gets the credit, don’t care who shines.”

The Power of a Team

Looking at this amazing story of selflessness, we see the power of a team and the unlimited potential that it holds. The first rule to team building is to establish your leadership within the team through a relationship of trust and loyalty. This begs the question: Does your team feel safe and valuable with you as the leader?

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“How many times has a greedy moment robbed a legacy?”

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It was interesting to hear Jenkins articulate that he knew Arcidiacono was the leader of the team, but, when he received the ball, it spoke so much more and went light years for Jenkins and the mission of the team. Arcidiacono’s pass was the ultimate display of trust, telling his teammates and the world that Arcidiacono was more concerned about his legacy than he was his moment. It makes you wonder: How many times has a greedy moment robbed a legacy? The best teams thrive on great setups of trust and loyalty from their leader.

Like any great shepherd, the leader is not only looking out ahead, but the leader is also listening to the voices of their own team. Arcidiacono made the statement that he never dreamed of making a game-winning pass, but, like so many young athletes, he dreamed his entire life of the moment where the game-winning shot was coming from his hands. How many times did he visualize the release of the ball, watching it soar through the air ending in a nothing-but-net buzzer beater with the crowd and teammates storming the court and hoisting him to their shoulders as they chant his name?

There’s certainly nothing wrong with dreaming and looking ahead for moments of success and glory, but far too often we can get such tunnel vision that we don’t hear our teammates calling our name. How does he lay down a lifelong dream only to pick up a voice? The answer must be that Arcidiacono had an even bigger dream than a single moment of success. Yes, he — like so many — dreamed of scoring the winning shot, but he clearly had a bigger dream to win the championship with his team. It makes you wonder: What solitary dreams do leaders cling so tightly to that end up becoming a hindrance to them hearing the voices of their teammates and ultimately success? The best teams have a voice, and the best leaders hear those voices.

Achieving More Together

The great leadership guru John Maxwell coined the phrase: “Teamwork makes the dream work.” In this statement, Maxwell was saying that effective teamwork achieves much more than any one person could ever imagine. Things could have gone so differently for that 2016 Villanova basketball team if its leader had not fully appreciated this great truth. It makes you wonder: How many Cinderella stories never came to fruition because of leaders who knew this principle to be true, yet they couldn’t lay down their fear and/or pride to invite those around them to join them for the journey and the mission?

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“The importance of teamwork has been emphasized for a millennium, and it sure seems like that’s a God thing.”

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Whether we are raising children or raising a church, the future is riding on our ability to work together better. The importance of teamwork has been emphasized for a millennium, and it sure seems like that’s a God thing. In fact, the Bible is full of teamwork: Our faith is built upon the teamwork of the Holy Trinity. Our first mandate to be fruitful and multiply requires a team (Genesis 1:28). Solomon wisely said, “Two are better than one” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). Jesus Christ chose a team of 12 and 72. Paul equates the body of Christ as one made up of many parts (1 Corinthians 12:12). Everyone has the opportunity to run this race solo, but if we really want to be a part of a Spirit-fueled movement of taking this gospel to the ends of the earth, it’s time to get on the teamwork train. All aboard!

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