Share What You Know

I'm on a men's softball team at church. And in case you were wondering, I'm not very good.We have about 12 guys on the team. They make up almost the whole spectrum of individuals, from talent level to background to current career. And before we lost Monday night, we were tied for first place in the league.We are about halfway through the season now, but something about our team didn't hit me until this past Monday night. There are several guys on the team who either played baseball in high school or have been coaches in recent years. Because of those experiences, they know to look for certain things during the game. And once they see something that will impact all of us, they tell somebody.I can never remember who hit the ball where in their last at bat, but some guys can. So they make sure to inform the outfield as to where the batter is likely to hit the ball. One guy noticed Monday night that if the pitcher threw a strike on the first pitch, the next pitch would have some spin on it. And the spin would affect how the ball is hit. Thankfully, the guy who noticed it shared it with all of us, so we were able to adjust.Whenever we are on a team or have to work with other people, we aren't always willing to share what we know. We don't trust the other people to use our knowledge for the good of the team. We fear that they may use it for their own personal gain. This could be true.If you have that fear and you are the leader of the group, then I think you haven't done a great job at casting vision. Remind everyone on the team about the purpose. Keep sharing the common goal of the team, the desired outcome for everyone on the team. The more you remind people of the common purpose, the more likely they are to buy in.And once they buy in, they'll share what they know. Not for their own good, but for the good of the whole team.