He was mad! As I sat in the darkened theater drinking my Coke and eating my buttered popcorn, I felt the excitement flow through me as I waited for the 20th Century Fox movie “Drumline.” I nod and was carried away by the sounds, movements and competition in the movie. I enjoyed a stress-free and entertaining afternoon watching Nick Cannon, Orlando Jones, Leonard Roberts, Zoe Saldana, Jason Weaver and J. Anthony Brown demonstrate what life is like as a fit “marching to the beat of his own drum” kid. . in an environment that required her to keep pace with his team.

It took Nick Cannon a moment to connect with his marching band’s “one band, one sound” philosophy. In fact, he thought that his character had been cut from the band before realizing that the essence of the “one band, one sound” philosophy was really based on teamwork.

I really liked that movie! It was a feel-good movie that not only entertained, but also taught great lessons. I moved away from “Drumline” internalizing the “one band, one sound” philosophy. It had such an impact on me that I recorded it in my diary in 2005 and now focus my article on it today.

“One Band, One Sound” was a clever way of showing us all the importance and benefits of teamwork. It can be applied to each and every one of the situations in which teamwork is essential in our lives.

“One Band, One Sound” reminds us that teamwork is the concept of people working together cooperatively to achieve a desired goal.

“One Band, One Sound” illuminates the importance of the following characteristics that must be present for teamwork to work successfully, such as:

1) Vision

2) Communication skills

3) Listening skills

4) Initiative

5) Support

6) Focus

7) Trust

8) Cooperation

9) Respect

It takes vision to move our teams from where they are to where we want them to be. Understanding the vision of our team, company or project helps us get going and complete our necessary tasks to manifest our dreams into reality.

Communication skills allow our teams to convey information that is easily received and understood. Sharing ideas, providing opinions, and giving feedback gives us an opportunity to get our message out there so it’s clearly received by our teammates.

Listening skills are important because they allow us to show genuine interest in what is being communicated. Whether reporting, updating, coaching, demonstrating, or acknowledging, listening skills actively engage us in our teams, which in turn helps us stay more connected to the team’s vision.

Initiative is the energy that moves our teams forward and allows the strengths and abilities of individual team members to become apparent to the team as a whole. Support is the assistance that our team members give to each other that helps build bonds within our teams. Focus is necessary to optimize the energy and effort of team members towards the ultimate vision of our team, project or company.

Trust helps team members break free of inhibitions and communicate openly with each other. It’s the motivation behind teams moving forward in unison. Collaboration connects our team members with each other for a common goal. When trust and vision are present, collaboration brings us together to produce positive results for the team.

Respect carries our teams through challenges and conflicts. It gives us “an objective and impartial consideration for the rights, values, beliefs and property” of our team members. No matter if there are personality conflicts or timing challenges, our team’s mutual respect and purpose helps us to be “one band, one sound.”

Susan M. Heathfield, human resources author for About.com states that “teamwork is something you do every day.”

I agree. What we need to consider is that not only the above characteristics are necessary for effective teamwork and we don’t just do teamwork every day; but we must remember to uphold the “one band, one sound” philosophy by:

o Provide ongoing training to teach our teams systematic methods to expend energy on a project, task, or duty;

o Hold regular team meetings to review the progress of our projects;

o Host fun events in addition to business meetings as a way to promote positive connections among our team members; Y

o Celebrate the success of our teams in public, so others know and see it.

It’s not easy working with people who are different from you, especially when there are personality conflicts. As shown in the movie “Drumline,” personalities can play a role in keeping team members apart. However, those differences can also serve as the hidden power for effective teamwork.

Just keep in mind that although personalities may clash and differences may exist, as long as vision, communication skills, listening skills, initiative, support, focus, trust, collaboration and respect are present. , the team members will become “one band, one sound”.