It's All About Teamwork

The success of Steve Jobs and his impact on modern technology is well-documented. I explained to students that Apple’s first personal computer, the Apple II, was designed and built by Steve Wozniak; Jobs was responsible for marketing the product. The recently released film Steve Jobs offers some insight into this partnership and the conflicting views over assigning credit for Apple’s remarkable success. As the film makes clear, despite Wozniak’s objections, Jobs' preference was to have people believe that he alone was responsible for Apple’s achievements.

The election of Justin Trudeau on Monday and the remarkable season of the Toronto Blue Jays offer our students an alternative approach to teamwork. In his victory speech on Monday night, Trudeau emphasized that his success was the result of many advisers, friends and family who had supported him over the past several years. After Game 4 of the Blue Jays' comeback victory in the American League playoffs with Texas, pitcher R.A. Dickey, when asked if he was upset at being removed from the game, observed that the team win is more important than getting credit for the win.

The examples of Justin Trudeau and the Blue Jays can serve as excellent models for our students as leaders and team members.