This was essential for Roman soldiers as they had to trust that the soldier next to them would guard them with their shield. “When team members trust each other, they will go above and beyond for the good of the team, because they trust the person next to them to do the same.” Well-known author and inspirational speaker Simon Sinek once said, “a team is not a group of people who work together, but rather, a group of people who trust each other.” Regardless of each individual’s strength or the strength of the leaders, a team may be weak if the team members do not trust each other. “The strength of a team is determined by a unique component-Trust.” However, I want to propose something different: All these answers are not wrong, and each plays a vital role within teamwork. (We have likely all heard the “you’re only as strong as your weakest link” mantra.) Others would point to established goals and vision as the key to team strength. What is the core strength of a team? Some would say it’s the leader or the individual abilities of each team member. What can I do well, what are my strengths, and what do I bring to the team? Although this does play an important role, I want to focus on strength as it relates to a team. When we think about strength, we tend to think of it in terms of personal strength. So, let’s start off with the first one–strength.
![strength honor conji strength honor conji](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/5c/7f/0c/5c7f0c5de7c0ab082ad0eebb9fe360f1.jpg)
Your team may not be preparing for a battle against invading armies (although it may feel like that sometimes), but your team would likely benefit from incorporating these two fundamental values into the building blocks of your organization’s cultural infrastructures. In this series, I would like to take a closer look at these two words and discuss their significance in team-building.
![strength honor conji strength honor conji](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2UxMpa4M5Ug/UUk2OF6LTgI/AAAAAAAAADQ/QjQfI9IMgwI/s1600/facebook-hero-kanjistrength.png)
For these soldiers, strength and honor was more than just a cool thing to say before rushing into battle it was a code that they lived and died by-I think there is something profound about that. For many, these were their last words before ultimately losing their lives. The main character played by Russell Crowe is a General in the Roman army, and in several scenes, Roman soldiers would greet him and recite “strength and honor” amongst one another before stepping onto the battlefield. “Strength and honor.” I can remember these two words shared repeatedly amongst Roman soldiers in the 2001 Academy Award Winning film, Gladiator. So, what exactly is ‘strength’ within the modern team setting? And, since you’re most likely not charging into a battlefield with a sword anytime soon, how does the first component of this ancient Roman war code apply to you? Let’s dive in. Strength can take on many forms, both individually and collectively. Tony Garza discusses the significance behind the first word of this code: strength. From 161 BCE to 180 CE, these soldiers were unified under the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius by a code, “strength and honor.” Who knows, we’ve probably even seen the Japanese kanji symbols for strength, and maybe we’ve never even realized.The Ancient Roman military, famed for its organization and tactical brilliance, revolutionized warfare through teamwork. On taking a close look, most people would notice that they are more familiar with what this script looks like, because knowingly or unknowingly, we’ve all seen people with Kanji tattoos. It is possible that one of the main reasons for that is the increasing popularity of tattoos in that script. When it comes to oriental script, the Kanji script is perhaps one of the most popularly known. For now, how about looking at the Japanese signs and symbol for strength… Japanese Letter Script for Strength and Courage Symbols such as peace, love, hope, life, and strength, are just a few of the extremely common examples. What’s also turning into a major trend these days is the love for getting inked with all such symbols. Truth be told, I think it is the most important thing for most people today, because without strength, there is no survival.Īs a matter of fact, the Celtic warriors, who were perhaps the greatest warriors ever, were almost like a defining force of the word, and if anything, it definitely shows in the various interpretations of the Celtic symbols for strength. The Japanese would most certainly agree, for it has always been one of the largest and most important parts of the Japanese culture. Now, whether it is physical or emotional, it doesn’t matter, being strong is a great attribute to possess. There is hardly a person in the world who’d say having strength is not a good thing. It’d shock me to hear people say no to that. If there’s one thing that everybody strives for, it is power and strength.