The world would be a wonderful place if everyone got along.
I know that I would love it if no one ever got on my nerves but, alas, that is
simply not the case. There are some people in this world that one just will not
mesh well with, and that is completely natural. But, what happens when that
person is a teammate?
I
am no stranger to this situation, and this has happened to me a few times over
my years of athletics. One girl in
particular sticks out in my mind who, in being blunt, flat out got on my
nerves. She was not at all a bad person, but we undeniably had clashing
personalities and values, and she certainly was not someone I would have chose
to spend time with if we had not been on the same team. While this would have
been a difficult situation no matter what since we had to spend time together,
as a leader, it made it an even trickier position to be in.
If
I was not a leader on the team, I probably would not have worried as much about
our lack of common ground. But, since I was a leader and therefore an example
to the rest of the team, it was important to make an effort and be a good
teammate to her. Therefore, even though it was difficult at times, I made extra
effort to get to know her. I would ask her to get lunch, text her good luck
when I knew she had a test, and pray for her every night.
This definitely was not easy, and I
am not going to say that I enjoyed doing it, especially at first. However, it
unquestionably helped not only my relationship with her, but also my attitude
towards her in general. I stopped realizing how much we clashed and instead,
focused on caring for her as a teammate. It did not matter how little we had in
common off the court because, as teammates, it is important that we had common
ground and cared for each other in that way.
It is not easy to reach out to
someone one does not get along with. And I am certainly not saying I did it
perfectly. There were countless times when acted poorly towards this teammate
by rolling my eyes, snapping at her, or just completely blowing her off. Nonetheless,
it is essential to try to get along with all teammates, especially as a leader,
for a team that selflessly cares for each other is a team that has success and no
regrets.
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