The first goodbyes: Labball 2006
This past week I said my first goodbyes as we prepare to move to Dauphin, Manitoba next June. For eight years, I played a variant of softball most accurately called “recreational, sexist three-pitch”, because it’s six pitches for women. When I first joined the team, it was a rag-tag bunch. There was plenty of enthusiasm, but not much knowledge or experience, so I taught a bunch of them how to play, starting with 90-minute seminars explaining the rules of the game. (No joke. “The objective of baseball…”)
Those first few years, we were horrible. The kind of horrible that gives you nightmares, if you sleep at all. A few years of losing heavily gave us time to develop our skills, inject some more talent and gel as a team. After seasons of 1-11 or 2-10, the last three seasons we finished third, second and third, respectively, after regular seasons winning at least 75% of our games. In the meantime, we had plenty of turnover, but we had a core group of people dedicated to giving a strong effort, improving their skills and learning how to play the game well. Only the rain stopped us from our best chance at a championship in 2005.
Reflecting on this time of my life, not only am I reminded of the ups and downs, specific moments of pain and trimuph, but I also see that this has been the only real team in my life. Referring to Patrick Lencioni’s five dysfunctions of a team, I can honestly state that, for the most part, we have trusted each other, engaged in healthy conflict, come through on our commitments, held one another accountable and cared more deeply about the team’s results than our own. I see it in little things, like accepting responsibility for poor play to big things, like rearranging one’s personal schedule to be available to play for the team. Everyone on the team has grown, as players, as leaders. This is the experience I wish I could have on software projects. If I did, I think I’d look forward to them as eagerly as I looked forward to each May and the start of Labball season.
Here’s wishing you find a team like that someday.
