Kamis, 13 Agustus 2009

Determination

DETERMINATON

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.


"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

From:email

Selasa, 11 Agustus 2009

Team Work Synergy

TEAM WORK SYNERGY

TAK SEORANGPUN YANG BISA JADI SUPERMAN

Almarhum Christopher Reeve menjadi sangat terkenal ketika ia memerankan tokoh Superman. Superman tokoh fantasi idola anak-anak sedunia karena kehebatan dan kekuatannya yang tak terkalahkan. Ia digambarkan senang menolong dan selalu menang atas berbagai kejahatan.

Namun, di akhir hidupnya Reeve mengalami kecelakaan hebat yang mengakibatkan ia lumpuh total. Namun, semangatnya tak terpadamkan. Dengan bantuan istri, keluarga, rekan-rekan dan peralatan medis, ia sanggup menjadi sutradara film. Apa yang dapat kita simak dari peristiwa ini? Sungguh tak seorangpun yang benar-benar bisa menjadi superman. Kita semua ternyata saling membutuhkan. Sebuah kekuatan dan kehebatan terletak dari kerja sama dan sinergi yang harmonis.

KEGAGALAN THE LONE RANGER

Memang benar ada orang yang memiliki banyak talenta dan sanggup mengerjakan berbagai pekerjaan sekaligus (multitasking), namun ia tidak memiliki segalanya. Ia tetap membutuhkan orang lain. Untuk sementara ia kelihatan unggul, tapi sesungguhnya ia tak akan mampu ber-saing menghadapi kekuatan sebuah tim.

Pernah ada seorang pemilik perusahaan yang bermaksud mencari rekanan untuk jasa training di kantornya. Ia menghubungi sebuah perusahaan training dan melakukan interview pada sang trainer. Si pengusaha menanyakan perihal kompetensi sang trainer. Dengan bangga sang trainer menjawab bahwa ia sanggup mengajarkan semua bidang keahlian yang diinginkan pemilik perusahaan. Harapannya, ia pasti memperoleh pekerjaan tersebut. Namun ia harus kecewa, karena ternyata si bos mencari trainer yang expert pada bidang tertentu dan bukan yang bisa segalanya.

DI TENGAH ERA GLOBALISASI, KITA MEMERLUKAN SPESIALISASI

Apa yang dilakukan Yesus ketika Ia siap memulai pelayanan? Yesus tidak sekadar berkhotbah, melakukan mukjizat, dan mengajar orang banyak. Tapi, Ia juga memanggil murid-murid-Nya yang pertama. Yesus membangun teamwork. Ia menyadari tugas mahapenting yang harus dilakukan, karena tidak untuk selama-lamanya Ia berada di dunia ini.

Ada hal yang menarik ketika Yesus memanggil para rasul-Nya. Yang merupakan prinsip-prinsip utama dari sebuah teamwork :

Spesifik - Mereka berasal dari latar belakang dan profesi yang berbeda. Yesus memanggil nelayan, pemungut cukai, dokter, pejuang kaum Zelot, dan lain-lainnya untuk menjadi rasul-rasul. Keragaman memperkaya khazanah dan kompetensi teamwork.

Network - Mereka dipanggil untuk menjadi penjala bukan pemancing.Sebuah jala berbeda dengan pancing. Pancing adalah usaha perorangan. Sedangkan jala berbicara tentang kerja sama. Saling mengisi, mendukung, dan menolong satu sama lain.

Delegasi - Mereka dipercayai melakukan tanggung jawab masing-masing. Secara mendadak murid-murid pernah diperintahkan untuk memberi makan 5.000 orang. Filipus segera menghitung anggaran biaya. Andreas bagian humas menemukan seorang anak dengan bekal roti dan ikan. Yesus memberkati dan murid-murid membagikannya. Mukjizat dan kuasa ada pada Yesus, namun teamwork yang ada selalu berfungsi sebagai pelaksana andal.

MEMBIASAKAN DIRI BEKERJA SECARA TEAM WORK

Tidak banyak yang memiliki bakat alamiah sebagai pemimpin. Namun sebagian besar pemimpin sulit mendelegasikan atau bekerja sama dengan orang lain. Ego yang kuat dan sulit memercayai merupakan halangan terbesar dalam teamwork. Namun hal ini dapat dikelola dan dilatih agar kita tidak terjebak dalam kegagalan the lone ranger.

Seperti halnya seorang pemimpin tidak dilahirkan, melainkan dibentuk. Demikian pula sebuah teamwork harus dibangun dengan melewati berbagai proses pembentukan. Diawali dengan tahap pengenalan pribadi dan sesama anggota, lalu ada tahap konflik dan perbedaan pendapat. Kemudian terjadi proses saling memahami dan penyesuaian pribadi yang dilanjutkan dengan kemampuan untuk saling mengisi dan sinergi. Ketika seorang merasa lemah, maka anggota tim yang lain akan dapat menolong. Itulah keunggulan sebuah sinergi teamwork.

From:email