Last Thursday, I got a sneak peek at Disney World’s latest Epcot attraction—Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. The ride doesn’t officially open to the public until October 1, but my family and I were invited to an advanced preview.
In short, we loved it!
Based on the Disney/Pixar animated movie Ratatouille, the attraction “shrinks” guests down to the size of a rat and then scurries them on a 4D adventure through Gusteau’s bustling Parisian restaurant.
If you’re not familiar with the movie, the story revolves around an exceptional rat named Remy, who has the “gift of highly developed senses.” He can taste and smell what the rest of the rat colony cannot.
Remy dreams of using his unusual talent to become a gourmet chef. When an unexpected encounter with a shotgun-toting homeowner separates Remy from the rest of his colony, he finds himself wandering the backstreets of Paris.
Alone and rain-drenched, Remy eventually makes his way into the kitchen of Gusteau’s Restaurant, where he meets Linguini, the bistro’s lowly garbage boy. Together, the tandem creates culinary masterpieces.
By hiding under Linguini’s hat and guiding the garbage boy’s movements like a marionette, Remy helps Linguini gain the praise of a popular food critic. The restaurant thrives because of Remy and Linguini’s teamwork.
Riding Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure made me think about a commonly overlooked element to the art of being a good teammate: the ability to humble yourself and accept help…for the good of your team.
We typically think of a good teammate as being someone who uses their talents to help the other members of their team. In Ratatouille, Remy uses his talents to help his struggling teammate (Linguini) and his team (Gusteau’s Restaurant) achieve success. Without question, Remy is a good teammate.
But, in the above example, so is Linguini.
Linguini had to accept Remy’s help. He had to set his pride aside, recognize his need for help, and embrace the idea that accepting help was the best way to help his team.
Too many people let their pride keep them from accepting help. They are reluctant to acknowledge their shortcomings and that reluctancy holds them back, which prevents their team from moving forward.
Those people need to be reminded that stubbornness is not a virtue. Humility is. Caring enough about your team to swallow your pride and accept help is the mark of a good teammate and a mindset that leads to efficiency.
Teammates who help others as well as teammates who accept help should be equally revered because they both contribute to team success.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
