TEAM MOSAIC

We've all heard the buzz acronym:

TOGETHER
EACH
ACCOMPLISHES
MORE

Whether football huddles or board room muddles or problems that befuddle, working as a team usually accomplishes more than any one individual's efforts.   Whether a thousand employees, one hundred volunteers, or even two bicyclists that pedal long distance, teamwork is critical to its success.

On Tuesday afternoon, June 16th, we had climbed six miles and had summited a mountaintop and were descending when Rick's front tire blew out, throwing the entire bike into chaotic, horrifying crash mode.  I watched the entire disaster as if in slow motion.  Within seconds Rick was catapulted into the pavement and tumbling across the rumble strip into a pile of loose stones.

The scraped skin and abrasive wounds would have challenged even the strongest stomachs.  That's when I would have gotten a one-way bus ticket and headed home. Yet something remarkable happened.  During that dark night after the accident, Rick kept thinking of how he could keep the team together, how we could go on.

Early the next day Rick became a guy of action.  Together we tried to hitch a ride for Rick to return to Flagstaff where he could rent a car.  Amazingly, one car in Flagstaff was available and by early afternoon, Rick was back in the game now serving as the chief navigator, head engineer, and official car driver.

In the past two days with all my saddle bags in the car (four bags), I have been able to pedal over 160 miles.  And throughout the day, I see that white Ford thing waiting for me to get a sandwich or drink or sit in the car's air conditioning for a few minutes..

I have been astonished at how nimbly my colleage could shift roles and continue the tour.  I have been moved deeply by the level of teamwork that has been modeled on this tour.

So keep your team tight, valued, and appreciated.  For TogetherEachAchievesMore.