Putting the Team Back into Team Player

In a recent blog post I asked/answered the question: If you could choose one word that sets apart a successful realtor from an unsuccessful one, what would it be? The word I offered was: H-E-A-R-T. H-onesty; E-xcellence in service; A-ttitude; R-esolve; T-eam player. (CLICK HERE to read.) Playing off that post now, I was thinking of the five qualities just described, the first four have a lot to do with the clients a real estate professional serves, while the last quality has more to do (at least as I see it) with how a real estate professional interacts with fellow real estate professionals. The truth is there is a high level of competition in the real estate business. And when you add to that challenging economic times, let alone human personality and ego (do I dare suggest?), oftentimes the result can be tension, suspicion, separation, frustration. This type of environment stifles the opportunity for success for every one in real estate. It takes nothing short of a team player to turn back the tide. And so how does one put the team back into team player as far as it concerns them? I think the following story from Charles Osgood does well to offer an answer: "Two ladies lived in a convalescent center. Each had suffered an incapacitating stroke. Margaret's stroke left her left side restricted, while Ruth's stroke damaged her right side. Both of these ladies were accomplished pianists, but had given up hope of ever playing again. The director of the center sat them down at a piano and encouraged them to play solo pieces together. They did, and a beautiful friendship developed." (Don Higginbotham; from crosswalk.com) Now whether or not you're Margaret or Ruth (and I'm the director of the center writing this post) isn't the point. But what is is this: In business or in life, we really do do better side-by-side. What can you do today as a team player on the team?