Teamwork Makes the Dream Work With Jeff Gerber

Leadership guru John Maxwell has written over 50 books that have sold over 30 million copies. Among his titles are “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, the “17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork”, and his 2002 volume entitled “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work”.

His books on the Laws of Leadership and Teamwork are popular textbooks in leadership classes at all levels of education. And the title of his 2002 book has gone on to become a rallying cry for people everywhere looking to work together and achieve their goals. 

One such group that exemplified the idea of “teamwork makes the dream work” was the crew of the Apollo 13 moon mission. On August 9, 2025 James Lovell, the commander of this now famous mission, passed away at age 97. Most people know the story from the hit movie “Apollo 13”, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks as Commander James Lovell. The movie won multiple Academy Awards telling the riveting story of the Apollo 13 moon mission.

Commander Lovell’s message to ground control after the explosion crippled their craft, “Houston, we’ve got a problem” has since passed into popular culture. With their oxygen supply dwindling and fuel cells damaged a lunar landing was out of reach. The mission turned into a desperate race against the clock to save the lives of the crew and return the capsule safely to earth. 

Using only the equipment they had on board, and aided by the instructions and experiments being done by NASA ground control, the crew had to conserve precious oxygen, maximize their remaining fuel, and determine a course of action to return safely to earth. 

As they worked together the Apollo crew and ground control exemplified many of Maxwell’s Laws of Teamwork. Focusing together on a single goal of getting the astronauts back to earth was an example of the Law of the Compass. Understanding that everyone was needed and it was not a time to worry about individual recognition embodies the Law of the Big Picture. And last but not least, being able to work together with so much at stake is what is meant by The Law of Mount Everest.

A key decision was ultimately made to abandon the command module and use the lunar module designed for moon landing as a “liferaft” to return to earth. Teamwork not only made the dream work, it saved the lives of the entire crew and provided the ultimate Hollywood ending.

While you and your student leadership team may not be involved in anything as dramatic as returning a crippled spacecraft to earth, your ability and willingness to work together will play a key role in the trajectory of your school community this school year! Remember in all that you do the singular goal, where your compass is pointed, is to help make your school a place where people want to be, where they are seen, heard, and valued, and where they are supported to achieve their goals. You will be able to do this so much more effectively if you don’t worry about who gets the credit and keep the main thing the main thing. There will be times of pressure, and mini-crisis along the way, but remember “as the challenge escalates, the need for team work elevates.”

All the best as your leadership crew blast off for the rest of the 2025-2026 school year! At the end of the year may you be able to look back and say “teamwork really did make the dream work!”