The Eye of the World - Chapters 3 & 4 [#100Days, Day 6]

Team Dynamics

    Part of choosing a team is selecting individuals who have traits that work well together.  We see this tale repeatedly told in sports: one side has extremely talented individuals, spending lots of money and effort in recruiting that high level talent; the other has fewer superstars, but rocks the fundamentals and behaves as a cohesive unit focused entirely on winning. More often than not, the team beats the group of individuals; ego is pushed aside for the strategic goal and everyone works to achieve it.

    In Chapter 3, we finally see the interaction of Rand, Mat and Perrin.  Perrin is introduced as deliberate and methodical; one end of the spectrum.  Mat, as we've seen previously, is impulsive and gregarious, at the other end of the spectrum.  Rand seems to float somewhere in between the two - depending on the situation, or his assessment on the matter, he'll maneuver towards one end or the other.'

    Another trait we see in the three, is a willingness to venture off into the unknown.  All are eager to sign up for patrols, "a few weeks of bordeom and sleeping rough." This is in stark contrast to the majority of their peers and community.  Emond's Field is a fairly isolated community, as such, the rarity of change breeds a certain amount of xenophobia and distrust of strangers; clearly evidenced by Cenn's assessment of Taren Ferry folk.

I will not be silent! I've no liking for this talk, either, but I won't hide my head under a basket till a Taren Ferry man comes to cut my throat.
Cenn Buie, The Eye of the World, p. 31

     A willingness to embrace the unknown is healthy in team dynamics; it facilitates outside-the-box thinking, driving towards change.  Conceptually, it's a challenge for most folks to move out on the idea that the end state may not be fully known; combined with the natural inclination to fear failure, such a path towards change can cause paralysis in large segments of the workforce.  As ledaers, it's up to us to navigate the untravelled path.