In this month in which we honor Hispanic Heritage, I am going to take a slight detour from my usual topics.  I want to talk about “Team Work”.  Whether your team consists of two, ten or two hundred players, team work is needed in virtually every relationship; friendships, families, business, organizations and of course sports.

Teams usually have the same goal in mind, win the championship, make money, purchase a home etc…  They usually have talent that is more or less equal.  Sports have taught us that it is not always the team with the stars or the highest payroll that wins the championship.  So why is it that only a few truly succeed?

My opinion, “Team Work,” in every sense of both words often times are not taken seriously. They may all work together towards the same goal, but they also need to work together to strengthen one another.

Relationships of all types fall apart due to the “if he/she won’t I won’t syndrome”.  We see this in marriages, office relationships and amongst entrepreneurs, one party feels slighted by the other and then the preverbal snow ball effect takes place, where neither party gives in or the situation is not resolved, eventually the team suffers.  In many cases much worse.  Examples:

v      Home: Honey take out the trash, sure dear I’ll do it in a minute, two hours later it is not done, the person agreed and did not perform, resentment builds.

v      Work: After a meeting colleagues agreed to perform certain tasks, one party does not do as promised, hurting the team’s performance, causing others to pick up the slack, once again, resentment builds.

The most important thing in building a strong team is having strong teammates.

Spend time taking care of your teammates.  If he or she makes a request “get it done”, if you disagree with the request or think it is unreasonable, discuss it and offer a suggestion that makes sense, otherwise resentment will build.  It is better to disagree and discuss then to ignore (which will be the topic of another story). Do not prioritize based on your needs, timeline or opinion, if you agree to do it, “get it done”.  Honor his or her requests; it says you are important to me; this builds trust, respect, admiration and a mutual bond that will not be broken.  It says to your teammate if you fall I will catch you. 

So what does this have to do with Latino Lifestyle or Hispanic Heritage? Nada and yet everything!!!  Imagine all of us “Working Together”, strengthening our relationships at home, socially or at work.  What a strong Latino Team we will build.

Recently a very good childhood friend invited me to his parent’s house for a good old fashion pig roast. Upon accepting his invitation I did what a normal Latino would do, invite a few more family and friends.

You see we grew up thinking if you brought a friend of yours to a party, then by default he was immediately a friend of the host and thus welcomed with hugs and kisses. We brought people home to become friends, it was after we were friends that we went out to dinner etc… Doesn’t that make more sense? How can you can create a greater bond than by sharing your home and as my niece would say “BTW Tio” why would you want to be seen with someone you don’t know! OK, I am getting off point.

I realized that becoming Americanisado has its price!  When bringing guests to an Anglo get together it is necessary to register the guest, pass the background check with both spouses, have a recalculated accounting of the entire menu and arrangements must be made for the gifts that each guest will bring. 

So, when the SIX of us (in two separate cars) arrived, I was a little nervous to say the least.  Immediately I inquired if this was an issue, “is it too many people?” I asked, of course it IS said my friend’s dad, did you bring food or at least a check to cover the expenses?  Like a good Latino American I brought lots of wine, he was satisfied with my answer.

As the afternoon rolled on so did the pig. Food and drink of every sort, the music played, people talked and danced and the kids played. Latinos from many countries shared in what was a great day.

The next day my friend called me and said, “My mom and dad were so happy you brought your family and friends, they were so nice and we had such a good time”. Sometimes you just forget how good it is to be Latino, how our ways REALLY are good!!!  So as we strive to achieve the American dream lets not forget!!!

Argentina to Venezuela and everything in between, I love being Latino, we can enjoy 21 flavors. The people, food, music, language and the individual culture each country has to offer. I guess what I like the most is that we can do it in Spanglish, in America. We can walk into any Latino store or restaurant, wedding or birthday party and have one thing in common, Spanish. We have one more thing in common, English. Most of us (and I’ll spare you the digits) have embraced America. We love this country and the people.

We have contributed greatly to its armed services, work force, economy, culture, and politics and to its diverse development, particularly in the last 40 years. We are lovers of life; we enjoy music and laughter, a joy that is contagious. That is evident in trends throughout the U.S. Restaurants and clubs featuring Latin fusion cuisine and music have sprouted up even in the most unsuspecting communities. The #1 second language everyone wants to speak is Spanish! You cannot call a major company without hearing the press # for Espanol. And yet with all of this, I believe the single most important attribute, is not that we feel comfortable with each other, actually that is quite common, but that we feel comfortable with every American. I have friends or acquaintances from virtually every Latin country, as well as friends from Albanians to African Americans. What a gift, to have the ability to feel at home with such a wide array of people and them with you. I truly feel that this ability to interact (while personal to some degree) is a result of our Latin heritage. A warm, kind and inviting disposition which allows us to appreciate and focus on the positive attributes of a person. So the fusion is not just in food, it’s in the way we greet each other, our dance, and our sense of loyalty, our work ethic and our zest for life. We are having an impact on this country as never seen before. As my niece would say “It’s all good”.