Power of teamwork

9. Power of teamwork

A good leader has to make sound plans and strategies. But they are useless, without sufficient power to translate them into action. Power is essential for any achievement. That power is achieved through teamwork.

The method by which Gandhiji attained his stupendous power may be explained in a few words. He accumulated power by inducing millions of people to work, with single mind and body, in a spirit of harmony, for a definite purpose. Gandhiji accomplished which many people believe is a miracle that could not be done by any other human being.

During the years that Gandhiji stayed in South Africa he made contacts with many Indians, Africans and the British who actively helped him in his efforts to fight racism. Through Natal Indian Congress he fought for the rights of Indians living in Natal. He conducted regular meetings for free exchange of ideas. His participation in Boer war also enabled him to gain association of many British friends. His friendship with people of various religions gave him a chance to understand thoroughly his own religion.

After Gandhiji moved back to India in 1915 he made acquaintance with many freedom fighters such as Gopala Krishna Gokhale, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Sardar Vallabhbai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and continued his efforts in Indian freedom struggle. Through their help he conducted many movements such as Indigo movement at Champaran and Kheda Sathyagraha. It was his association with great minds that helped him to reach public through newspapers and publications such as Indian Opinion, Young India and Navajivan.

Gandhiji’s real journey in Indian freedom struggle started in Champaran district of Bihar. European plantation owners used to pressurize local farmers to grow indigo against their wishes. If local farmers refuse to grow indigo their lands were seized and had to undergo severe hardships. Gandhiji  camped in Champaran for several months studying the difficulties of farmers and this experience helped Gandhiji in several ways.

1. Until then Gandhiji was limited by his European education, habits and contacts in upper class. His touring in Champaran district enabled him to understand the daily life of Indian farmers.
2. He got acquainted with many associates such as Rajendra Prasad, J. B. Kripalani who would work with him in Indian freedom struggle.
3. He could obtain the confidence of Biharis who reside far away from his home state Gujarat. He refused to bow down to British orders that he should stay out of Bihar. This in turn had great impact on his followers in Gujarat.
4. Gandhiji used to frequently meet British administrators and discuss with them about the issues of Champaran farmers. His acquaintance with those administrators helped him in later years in events such as Irvin pact, London round table conference, and so on.

Teamwork is not mere idle gathering of few people for time pass or entertainment. Teamwork is “coordination of efforts, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.” According to this principle the combined energy of two or more like-minded persons is several times greater than the sum total of their individual energies.

Teamwork meetings may be conducted in a home, business place, or any other agreed-upon location that provides a certain amount of quiet and privacy. Usually it is sufficient to meet once a week. In fact, there are no strict rules and the meetings can be conducted during morning or evening walks or anytime or anywhere through technological means such as cell phones and internet.

One member serves as the leader and conducts the meeting with the help of the agenda, which may vary based on the intended purpose. Establish an atmosphere of excitement by encouraging the teammates to discuss progress reports, goals achieved, experiences, future plans etc.

Every human brain is both sending and receiving instrument for the vibration of thoughts, emotions and inspirations. Through space, in a manner similar to that employed by the cell phone messaging principle, every human brain is capable of picking up vibrations of thought which are being released by other brains.

In connection with the statement in the preceding paragraph consider the power of imagination, as outlined in the chapter on ‘thinking outside the box’. The imagination is the “receiving set” of the brain, which receives thoughts, released by the brains of others.

When stimulated or “stepped up” to a high rate of vibration, the mind becomes more receptive to the vibration of thought which reaches it through space from outside sources. This “stepping up” process takes place through either positive emotions or negative emotions.

Vibrations of an exceedingly high rate are the only vibrations picked up and carried, through space, from one brain to another. Thought is energy travelling at an exceedingly high rate of vibration. Thought, which has been modified or “stepped up” by any of the major emotions, vibrates at a much higher rate than ordinary thought, and it is this type of thought which passes from one brain to another.

Thus, you will see that the broadcasting principle is the factor through which you mix emotions with your thoughts and pass them on to your subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is the “sending station” of the brain, through which vibrations of thought are broadcast.

Whether a person believes in electricity or not, it yields its power. Similarly, the greatest forces in the universe are intangible. They cannot be perceived through the sense organs or mind. It would be suffice for now to accept that there may be powers that are beyond our comprehension. They can be tapped into through what we will call Cosmic Mind or the Source.

There are two characteristics of the Cosmic Mind principle, one of which is economic in nature, and the other spiritual.

Economic advantages may be created by any person who surrounds himself with the advice and cooperation of a group of men by compensating for their time‘s worth. This form of cooperative alliance has been the basis of nearly every great business success.

The spiritual phase of the Cosmic Mind principle is much more abstract and difficult to comprehend, because it has reference to the spiritual forces with which we are not yet well acquainted. You may catch a significant suggestion from the statement ‘when two minds come together, an invisible, intangible force which may be compared to a third mind is created’.

Cosmic Mind enables a person to gain access to knowledge, experience, time money and resources of other associates. When two or more people coordinate in a spirit of harmony, and work toward a definite objective, they place themselves in position to absorb power directly from the great universal storehouse of God. This is the greatest of all sources of power. It is the source to which every great person turns (whether he may be conscious of the fact or not). Make a list of all your relatives, friends, colleagues and all other acquaintances who can help you in your endeavors. You can also ask them to refer other people who can help you. You will be surprised to see how many people are kind hearted and happy to lend you a helping hand. But they also might be skeptical that you might cause troubles for them. So you need to address their concerns and prove worthy of their alliance.