Camaraderie key for many who faced battle

As an international leadership speaker I am sometimes asked to comment on my perspective of teams.

Why do people join teams and what keeps them in that team?

A while ago I was reflecting on the proverb which says there is no I in team and was playing around with the letters of the word team when I discovered something. While there is no I in team, there are the words me and mate.

Many years ago the United States conducted a survey on their soldiers who were fighting overseas and the results surprised the researchers. They discovered that their soldiers' main reason for fighting was not actually the American flag. Neither was it their country or even their whanau and relatives back in their homeland.

The main reason these young men were prepared to go into battle and place their own lives on the line was because of their mates that they were fighting next to.

When these soldiers were faced with life threatening situations they were prepared to do whatever it took to save their mate next to them.

I believe the first question people ask themselves whenever they join a team, relationship, club, organisation or whanau is what is in this for me? What will I get out of this and how will this improve my journey.

For many people who join the armed forces I am sure they are keen to defend their flags, country and people.

However they also join for what is in it for them.

Aspects such as learning a new trade, travelling, becoming a stronger and better person, getting paid to do something they enjoy and belonging to a specialised group of experts. The armed forces answers the question, what is in it for me very well.

I also believe that people will stay in a team, relationship, club, organisation or armed force if they find a mate. I don't know how many times I have heard people complain about their job but when I have queried why they are still there, they reply that they have good mates there. People will stay in a team and face all kinds of difficulties if they have a mate.

ANZAC day is not only about mates turning up to remember the mates they fought alongside. It is also about the mates and whanau of those mates turning up to remember them. ANZAC day is a very significant day when we acknowledge those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their flag, country and whanau. It is a day when we remember that these people not only joined the armed forces for what was in it for them, they also joined the armed forces for what was in it for you and me.

We often wish people a happy New Year and a merry Christmas. I wish you a memorable ANZAC day.

My whanau and I will be attending the dawn service as well as the services at Whakarewarewa school and at the memorial at the Whakarewarewa village bridge.

We will then head out to the 10am service at Awahou marae which I invite you to attend. What's in it for you? Well you can be guaranteed a nice cup of tea or coffee with a biscuit and maybe a cake, but you might even meet a mate as well.

Ngahihi o te ra is from Arawa and is an international speaker, author and consultant. His website can be viewed at www.ngahibidois.com.