team: A group of men acting together towards a shared common purpose.
Teams have the following attributes and functions1:
Encourage and promote mature masculine behavior by all members.
This mainly involves identifying shadow archetype
qualities and using appropriate strategies to get the men to manifest
the corresponding mature character.
With regards to the Magician (the most
difficult to distinguish from its shadows) roles of the team include:
* Honor the truth with regards to what a member is saying. If
it doesn't seem right, say so.
* Respect confidentiality, but without using confidentiality as
a barrier to progress.
* Avoid politics, unspoken agreements ("gentleman's agreements")
and anything that interferes with the team accomplishing the other
things described here.
Agree upon, and periodically reconsider, a
statement of purpose that the men can all stand behind.
Endeavor to pursue and serve that purpose.
Respect and support the well-being of the members.
Be a supportive and active contributor to the members' lives in
each of the several different levels of ogranization.
When in need, reach out to help others outside the team.
Exhibit unconditional trust, respect, etc. for its members
and those outside the team.
Practice committed listening to each other, and develops
clarity and agreement on common issues.
Set itself to projects and goals that are challenging or even
beyond its reach.
Keep team ego in check, exhibit good sportsmanship, etc.
Agree upon, and periodically reconsider, a list of
core values that the men can all stand behind. The core
values should inform statement of moral principle, and provide
guidance for decisions. Refinement of principle and experience gained
through decisions should influence changes to the core values.
Accepts responsibility and accountability for its own successes and
failures.
Where applicable, the team as an entity should be a team player
within the division or larger organization. Particular attention will
often be needed to the political process.
Exhibit exemplary behavior, whatever that means in your
culture.
Teams can fall victim to various team diseases,
even despite exceptional wisdom and experience on the part of members
and their best intentions. For this reason it is good for the team to
have relationships with other teams. Such relationships can be
implemented through joint meetings, shared goals and projects, and
membership in a "team-of-teams" (which in these pages is referred to
as a division to extend the sports analogy).
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: NOTE: It is not suggested that all of these qualities are
only applicable to men, or even that they are more applicable to
men — but hundreds of men in my life have found that a combination of
most of the above is sufficient to make the team uniquely beneficial
to men.