Views in Verse: Teamwork

Showing posts with label Teamwork. Show all posts

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

Views in verse on "the old fashioned way"

Image result for image hunter pence giants

The Gaints - an 'old fashioned' baseball team!

The Giants this week stormed into the World Series under the inspiration of their 'old fashioned' right fielder Hunter Pence. After the Wild Card game that got them into the play-offs, Pence not only wound up his team to "go all the way" but he even grabbed the public address and included the fans to do all they could to see that the Giants win 'the ring' again this year.

They won in 2010 and 2012 - Pence was a key player in these games. But more than that he is their informal leader. In this knee high socks and his untrained swing he looks every bit the boy next door coming up to bat. But last night in what ended a dry spell for him (batting-wise) he posted a (3 run) home run that set up the Giants to a convincing 7-1 win in game one against the Kansas City Royals.

The manager Bruce Bochy also likes to stick to traditional baseball. He adopts a style nearly gone in these 'media mad', 'hit the ball over the fence', image that we have seen in recent decades. The Cardinals in their 4-1 series loss to San Francisco last week hit overall 10 home runs to the Giants 3. The Bochy style is that you bat for the lead runner - he is always the one in the best position to score. And score they do!

The whole Giants team appears somewhat unconventional against the hard core finely tuned professionals of the age. But this makes them very interesting. And given the fact that they can dominate (...when they want to) it makes them a lot of fun to watch. Their 3rd baseman 'the Panda' is worth the entry ticket alone too - great fielder - great batter - great entertainer!

The enthusiasm of the team shows at this time of year. They only had a 60/40 win ratio in the season but here they are! Another World Series win beckons.

Watch out for the World Series this week (7 games planned)!

Take me out to the ballgame

Take me out to the ballgame
Take me out with the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks
I don't care if I ever get back

'Cause it's root, root, root for the home team
If they don't win it's a shame
'Cause it's one, two, three strikes you're out
At the old ballgame

'Cause it's one, two, three strikes you're out
At the old ballgame

Friday, 10 October 2014

Views in Verse on achievement

This guy is one of the really impressive Australians of our generation...Ric Charlesworth.

Perhaps the pinnacle of his career has now come as an author in the passing on of the knowledge that he has acquired as a high achiever in his career, sport and politics. His profile as a team leader, arguably, unsurpassed in our time.

In his book 'The Coach' he shares with us 10 KEY ELEMENTS that champion teams depend upon to achieve the highest level of success. Ric sees these factors as being equally applicable in business!

Ric is a doctor of medicine, a former captain of the Australian Hockey Team, the WA State Hockey Team and the WA State Cricket Team. He was also in Federal parliament for 10 years. He then 'retired' to take up the position of National Coach of the Australian Women's Hockey Team and then the Men's Hockey team. It goes without saying that these Australian hockey teams have taken all before them over these past twenty years - he has been without doubt the cornerstone of this great success.

The 10 KEY ELEMENTS that champion teams depend upon to achieve the highest level of success Ric defines as being : quality, work ethic, flexibility,growth through adversity,breadth of leadership, continuous learning, a team first attitude, common goals, honesty, ...humility.

The last being somewhat the key, as it recognises that: today's raw performance alone is, of its own, just not good enough. As without always recognising that 'what you don't know about yourself' today is the biggest threat to still being the best tomorrow. There must be an accepted mantra within the team for constant 'performance improvement'.

Views in Verse on achievement

Life is jelly-bean colours,
Fireworks in the sky.
A silvery beam is shining...
Out of a wondering eye...

They say in truth we set our goals
far short of what we presume
Instead if we were to 'shoot for the stars'
We might just 'hit the moon'

(Extract from the poem 'serendipity')

Forwarded from my Iphone - Grahame J Flynn

Saturday, 23 August 2014

views in verse on 'the team'

Jarryd Hayne the best player in world rugby league today. A pacesetter with both the Australian and NSW teams but needed to consistently carry his NRL side till yesterday...Parramatta ... down 12-0 at half time needing to win to remain in semi finals race:

Parramatta 22 Manly 12

Parramatta, once the pride of Australian Rugby League with the most committed supporters in the game, has a heritage that includes some of the greatest players the game has seen : Thornett, O'Reilly, Lynch, Sterling, Kenny, Cronin, Price, Grothe, Ella, Hindmarsh. But of recent times, they have struggled to say the least.

But not their superstar fullback Jarryd Hayne. And, when he plays really well, they usually win. The rest of the side though to say the kindest thing one can ...do their best to try and keep up with him.

Yesterday, facing elimination from the finals race 'the team' appeared down and out at half time. Even their most ardent supporters would've said - "they haven't turned up today". Manly, are of course, one of the leading sides this year and have always 'done their darndest' whenever facing 'Parra'. Given that they were the greatest of rivals throughout the 70's and 80's. The competitiveness is always there still.

Whatever happened yesterday, we now know that every player who came out for the second half played with the level of commitment that was required. The same commitment that Hayne (who some say to be perhaps the most complete player to ever play the game) showed in recently re-signing with the club that had given him his start. A rare thing today given the level of professionalism needed in this game.

The crowd also rewarded the team in turning up in record numbers for the last home game and they roared, and roared, as Parra mounted their comeback; with memories of the old Cumberland Oval warmly rekindled where once all the great players before Hayne worked their magic in decades gone by.

'Oft-seen faces'

Sitting on this craggy ridge...

Gazing at my fallen bridge...

The weather's hit me hard this year...

Not sure where to go from here?

Take this rambling road, our sole traverse

Has a mind of its own and a devils curse

Some days I have what it takes I'm sure

but others...

Well ...I'm not so sure

When it's not the floods

it's the constant sun

40 plus brings you right undone

Just reaching the cattle's often tough

Priming them ...I can't do well enough

Can I take this another year?

What will the banker say I fear?

These are times that stop you dead

And cop-outs nag

So deep in your head:

Is there a fortune to be had?

Would my life be rich and glad...?

In shiny cars in far off places?

Save this farm and these 'oft-seen faces'?

(but you know...)

Surrender is for mugs & fools...

What use downing trusted tools

Where barriers may block our way

Belief arrives with the coming day

And although life can torment you

these 'oft-seen faces' see you through

They will always sustain you

The ones you love will see you through

Grahame J Flynn - Sent from my iPhone

Tuesday, 14 January 2014

Views in verse on teamwork

Why do we try so hard to succeed on our own?

'Oft-seen faces'