The essence of any successful team, family, organization, is the concept of the more you give the more you receive. Band is no exception! Being on a team is about sharing and giving to one another and in the process we all gain, grow, and enjoy our time together. Pat Riley refers to this as the Core Covenant where everyone commits all of his or her energies to the collective good. In this situation, the team member pledges to give his/her very best all of the time and always keep in the forefront of their thinking, "What is in the best interest of the team?" These people realize that when I give to the team, the team benefits and therefore I benefit. They can see the cause and effect relationship. Although the rewards are often delayed in coming, i. e., a major accomplishment, a championship, a significant recognition, etc… They understand that the greatest rewards demand the greatest effort and also the greatest risk. The sum of the parts is greater than the whole.

It is very easy to slip into the rationalized mindset of "Why should I give 100% when the people around me are not?" The problem with this thinking is that it lowers the group to the lowest common denominator. In other words, our weakest member becomes the standard to which we will all work. Is it possible to reach any significant goal where everyone does the minimum and only works as hard as the weakest member is? On a great team, everyone gives 100%, but not everyone’s 100% is the same. The stronger members must give of their talents, energies, and enthusiasm to help elevate those around them, and NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

The opposite of the Core Covenant is the Disease of ME. What is in this for me? This disease runs contrary to the key principle of the Core Covenant. You are no longer considering what can I do to help the team, you are only concerned with yourself. In this case, you are less likely to help someone else, they might get an advantage, recognition, or reward that you might receive. You are less likely to sacrifice for the team unless you can see immediate gain, which is rarely the case with major accomplishments. You are more likely to point out faults in others and hide your own faults. You become more excuse-focused and less result-driven. In the end, the internal dynamic becomes competitive, combative, and destructive. Big goals go unfulfilled, and failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. YOU CANNOT SUCCESSFULLY LEAD OR FOLLOW IF YOU ARE ONLY FOCUSED ON YOURSELF.

Which column do you belong to? We all have moments in both columns, but if we are to truly enjoy the process of building a successful band program we need to be more to the right than the left.