Mount Vernon High School

May 17, 2024 Your Rights vs. Your Responsibilities One of the biggest challenges that comes with being part of a team is managing your priorities. It’s a battle each of us face every time we step into that team environment - in sports, at work, or at home. The simple question we’re required to answer there is always the same: will I focus today on my rights or on my responsibilities? How you answer that question says a lot about you, and a lot about your commitment to winning. Choosing to focus on your rights means showing up primarily with “me” in mind. It means prioritizing what you think you’re owed, what you think you deserve, and what you think you're entitled to. It means routinely looking around and asking yourself, “What more can I get here?” Because we are naturally hard-wired to look out for, take care of, and protect ourselves, focusing on our rights is our default setting. As the member of a team, it’s the easiest and most selfish choice you can make. Choosing to focus on your responsibilities, on the other hand, is harder. That means showing up and choosing to think more about "we" than "me." It means focusing less on what you think you deserve from your team and focusing more on how you can serve your team. It means routinely looking around and asking yourself, “What more can I give here?” Because we are naturally hard-wired to look out for, take care of, and protect ourselves, focusing on our responsibilities takes effort and discipline and intention. It’s a selfless choice that rarely comes easy. Even though these are choices each individual member makes on the inside, the collective priorities of the team are usually evident on the outside. It’s not that hard to spot the difference between teams focused on their rights and those focused on their responsibilities. “Rights” teams usually don’t look like they’re having much fun. Because so much of what happens in a team environment doesn’t cater to their individual desires, the people who are only focused on themselves are understandably miserable. You can try to fake it, but at some point your entitlement becomes evident for everyone to see. Meanwhile, “responsibility” teams are usually having a lot of fun. There’s a palpable, positive energy that permeates their experience with one another. There’s a sense of underlying gratitude for the part they have the opportunity to play in something bigger than themselves. Being on this team isn’t something they have to do. It’s something they get to do! That doesn’t mean they don’t care about their own desires or their own performance, but it does mean they’ve mustered up the effort, the discipline, and the intention it takes to put the team’s pursuit above their own. Don't get me wrong. As the member of a team, you do have rights. There are certain things you deserve and are entitled to...but winning isn’t one of them. That's because winning isn't given, it's earned. Rights-focused individuals make up teams that usually underachieve because even though they don't want to admit it, winning isn't the priority. On the other hand, responsibility-focused individuals make up teams that regularly overachieve because the team’s success is what matters most. They are like the fingers on a hand that come together to form a fist. Yes, they give up something of their own, but they recognize that what they can do together is far more powerful than what they can do alone. The truth is, as part of a team, nobody else gets to choose what you prioritize. That right belongs to you and you alone. And while you don’t get to make that choice for your other team members, it is important to recognize the powerful influence your choice can have. If you're serious about your team's success, quit dwelling on what you think you deserve and start focusing more on how you can serve. Quit worrying about getting more and find ways to start giving more. Muster up the effort, the discipline, and the intention it takes to put the team’s pursuit above your own. That's proof you've made winning your number one responsibility. -Travis