Why Do We Exist

By: Maureen Corbett

Today in our intern meeting, Lisa continued to teach about the four disciplines of Patrick Lenioni's organizational health model. We talk about how to build a cohesive leadership team last week, and today we advanced on to learning how to create clarity among team members. This occurs in healthy organizations and is a way to minimize the possibility of confusion among group members.

Throughout her lesson, Lisa always came back to the question, "why do we exist?" She was talking about the reasons why teams exist, leaders exist, and specific roles among individuals exist. The point was that everyone involved in a team has a specific role or purpose, and if that role is clearly defined then team members can work together more efficiently.

This got me thinking about why I, Maureen, exist and what different roles I play in life. First and foremost, I am a student. I chose to attend college in order to gain knowledge and skills that will help me advance in the future. With my internship I play many more roles as well. I am a leader, because I have previous experience with this internship before. I am also a collaborator, teammate, and colleague to the other interns, and I have the responsibility to assist them with their projects and let them lead me. My social roles also make up a part of who I am as well, such as a friend, a sister, and a companion. These roles help me connect with people on personal levels, and allow me to create deeper connections with others.

Knowing  the different roles you play can be very influential in your professional life. It helps you understand how you must conduct yourself, and how you are going to be successful. Clarity  in this realm of your life will help you realize what is important to you and to others you work with. When we all understand that each person on a team has a specific purpose, it enables us to work together more efficiently towards common goals and drive us towards success.