B-Sides 2

What is a team? It is a group of people working together towards a goal. However, you can’t call a team, a “team” unless there is a certain bond or chemistry with the individuals in the group.

This goes out to any group or team out there, may it be academics, orgs, productions, athletics, and any other fields wherein you will work with a team. It is not about how many good students there are in your group or if you have the best businessmen or media people to do your job, or if you have all the best players in your team. It was never about that and never will it be. That is why I go nuts when people hear about a newly formed team which is considered to be a powerhouse (namely the Miami Heat) will go all the way, they only see the external appeal, what they don’t see is the bits that are required for that team to succeed. You can’t call Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh as a team, they need nine more guys out there to help them out.

In our TV production class last AY 2009-2010, our group did not exactly have what you call a “leader”, rather we all looked for our strengths and from there we flourished as a team. Media Cool productions was composed of Jancy Nicolas as our vocal leader and was the best writer along with Ronn Esguerra. While, Jocel Felarco handled the financial work, Chiara Salazar and Aldwin Cruz did the talent searching and Ericka Manansala as our mother figure. Alex Punzalan is our utility guy (from writer to cameraman to cook to production assistant) and James Latonio is James Latonio, a presence, always count on him to do what you asked him to do. The art department was composed of “techie guy” Nathaniel Lopez, Me, the versatile Jazz Rosende and the “as goofy as he may look, talk and act” Geomar Triño, who is a very talented man indeed. That was a team out there, sure there were other groups that were stronger in paper, what made Media Cool special is that we made each other stronger through prayers, bondings, fights and setting team goals.

This may be the best example I can think of what a good team is. Remember the name, it is MEDIA COOL.

The Los Angeles Lakers is another example and I will never pick the Heat over them maybe the Celtics can get my vote. The Lakers have a superstar in Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, who will flourish even without dominating the ball. That is the primary reason he fits with a Bryant-led team. You add a young and full of potential big man out there in Andrew Bynum and a versatile Lamar Odom it’s already done. Kobe will always talk, we know that, but Derek Fisher will always be the captain to that team.

Now, you look at the Heat, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, all-world talents, multi-time All-Stars playing in teams completely revolving around them. Now what is the problem when the three of them wear the same uniform? EGO, they are superstars and best of friends as they may say, but it is different out there on the court when you all feel limited despite knowing you can do more. Hey, the game only has one ball so who gets it every possession, and for NBA fans out there, if you have noticed all point guards that teamed with James technically got wasted since LeBron will play the playmaker and the scorer. Same with Wade, he’ll have that ball 18 of the 24 second clock. Now, you add Bosh, he’ll need the ball to. So, who gets the touches? Lastly, James and Bosh are not widely known as great leaders often having a world on their own. Wade, how can he get the two mammoths to bow down and listen.

Now, what am I saying after that long talk? A team is not about a guy or two, it is not about doing what you do but doing it in the terms of the team not the tyrant or the so-called leader. And if there is an established leader, he or she should have the touch to be able to motivate the other members into being member and to work towards a common goal. He or she should also not be sitting a level higher, because we still are on equal footing despite the titles, the other guys may have strengths that the leader may have, therefore he or she should respect their talents and opinions.

You can all take a look on how Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo struggled to get respect because of her arrogance or how Kobe Bryant became a swell-head and started losing not until Pau Gasol and the rest of the team, gave him what he can truly call a “team.”