Leaders in the Making Teamwork – Lesson 15 Dependable

Consider This: Even a goat and an ox must keep in step if they are going to plough together. Ernest Bramah

Review: 1.The enthusiastic person creates ______________, believes in ______________ and hangs out with ______________. 2.The adaptable person is ______________ and _____________, thinks of ______________, and welcomes __________________. 3.The competent person is committed to ___________, never settles for __________, believes that ______________, and consistently _________________.

Being Dependable Means: Having a willingness to take on responsibility Being consistently responsible Using good judgment Putting the team’s needs before your own

Making it Through the Tough Times I really didn’t think of myself as being dependable until one day my mom pointed it out to me. It all started during the last school year. My mom had been in the hospital for two days recovering from some surgery. When she came home she didn’t feel very well; she didn’t look very well either. My dad took two days off work to stay home and take care of her while my sisters and I went to school. But the third day, my dad had to go back to work; there were bills to pay. I volunteered to stay home and take care of Mom. This turned out to be much harder than I thought it would. First off, she was in so much pain that she could hardly walk. She needed help with everything. This morning she desperately wanted to take a shower. I helped her get to the bathroom. She took her shower; then she needed to give herself some shots in the stomach. I helped with those, too.

Tough Times, cont. By this time, even though all she’d really done was take a shower, my mom was exhausted. I got the medicine she needed, she took it and then fell asleep. While she was sleeping, I did some quiet things around the house. I watched TV, did some latch hooking, and read. While I was reading I heard a whistle. I ran upstairs to where my mom was and found her in worse pain than she had been that morning. I ran to get her the medication that she needed. She took it. I took her temperature. It was high. She had a fever. I was scared. She said that I should give her a half hour and if nothing changed than I should call the doctor. She fell back asleep. It was the longest half hour of my life. I watched her breathing. She seemed okay. When about forty minutes were up I woke her up to take her temperature. It was almost back down to normal. She went back to sleep.

Tough Times, cont. A couple of hours later she woke up. Her fever was gone. I made her something to eat and we watched a couple of videos. She seemed okay. My sisters came home from school and soon my dad came home from work. I was so glad to see him. I told him everything that had happened. He hugged me and thanked me for being so responsible. I sat down to watch a movie with my sisters while my mom and dad talked. It wasn’t long before I fell asleep. It had been a long day. Brittany Harkiewicz

Dependable? 1. Did Brittany have a willingness to take on responsibility? 2. Was she consistently responsible? 3. How many times does it take for you to prove that you are consistently responsible? 4. Did Brittany use good judgment? 5. Did she put the team’s needs before her own? 6. What could she have done differently? 7. Have you ever been in a similar situation? 8. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, how would you rate Brittany’s level of dependability? Why?

Try Your Hand At It: Briefing: In this activity you will have a chance to practice the flip-side of being dependable. You’ll have a chance to be dependent. Being dependent means you rely on someone else. The dependable person is able to be relied upon. Everyone will need to be blindfolded. Before getting started talk about trust and its relationship to being blindfolded. Activity: Once everyone is blindfolded, stand in a circle holding onto the rope. No one may take their hands off the rope for more than five seconds at a time. While blindfolded, players will create a square with the rope. Consensus must be reached to determine that the square has been created. When it is agreed that the square is complete, the team can remove their blindfold and examine their work. Now switch places. Put your blindfold back on, and try a right triangle, a trapezoid, etc.

Reflecting 1.How did it go? 2.What worked well? 3.What could you have done better? 4.How did it feel to be blindfolded? 5.How did it feel to be dependent on someone else? 6.Was it hard to determine who to listen to? 7.How did you decide who to listen to? 8.What does it take for you to depend on someone? 9.What does it take to be dependable? 10.Who do you know who is dependable? 11.How could you be more dependable?

Journal #18 In your journal, rate yourself just like you rated Brittany. On a scale of 1–10, with 10 being the highest, rate your dependability. Then answer these questions: Why did you give yourself the score you did? What do you do that makes you dependable? What could you do to become more dependable? Is it important to be dependable? Why or why not? Think of a time when you showed dependability. Write about it.

A Closing Thought... Do what’s right. Do it right. Do it right now. B.C. Forbes