March Madness is sweeping the country and brackets are blowing apart with every round. As the swish of balls through hoops is heard, all the “experts” are asking how the unlikeliest of teams are achieving such amazing success. My personal opinion is that few people in life are successful unless a lot of other people want them to be. Think about what this statement really means. Interdependence can often be a difficult thing to grasp as we so often see people being rewarded for their individual accomplishments. Yet in truth, almost every successful individual has a lot of others wanting them to be. Parents, friends, work associates, personal coaches, teachers, and teammates have all played an important role in their success.

I am keenly aware that my success is dependent upon the collective efforts of my fellow members from everywhere… supportive chapter and field staff, health care providers and family. Let’s consider just one of these groups; my fellow members. When they are receptive and responsive to the fundamental values of holding each other accountable and learning what works best for each of us to lose, we are more successful. If, on the other hand, they choose to be inattentive to those very same values, the result can be devastating. The challenge as a leader is to communicate the importance of support in a manner which will address personal needs, as well as the needs of the group. Our aim is to create an interdependent group which will allow not just me, but all of us to be successful. Each of us not only has a need but a role to play and a responsibility to perform to the very best of our abilities. We need to know and show that we can count on each other.

Chapters succeed or fail based on the way the members support each other. As March Madness concludes, the baseball season begins and I am reminded by Babe Ruth that “the way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” I hope I am wise enough to convey to my fellow members how important they are to everyone’s success. You are priceless!

I Care, Barb