In Ellsworth, Wisconsin, Jon Anderson teaches timber framing on his 30-acre estate. Woodworking nerds from around the country gather to learn the tips and tricks of this obscure craft. I am one of these nerds. For five days, our team of eight students, along with our instructor, worked together to transform 8″x 8″ hunks of wood into the foundation of a timber-framed pergola. These are not the kind of cuts you can find at your local orange big-box hardware store. Transforming these beams requires precision, skill and patience. But above all, it requires teamwork.
Working with others has never been a natural strength of mine. I tend to approach projects with the mindset that if I just focus hard enough, I can carry the load myself. But timber framing is different. Its massive, 200-pound beams quickly humble even the most determined individualist. While someone can technically muscle through the movements alone, it’s awkward, exhausting, and inefficient. Sometimes, working as a team is not just an option—it’s mandatory.
There’s something undeniably powerful when the load you’ve been struggling with is suddenly shared by others. Tasks that seemed insurmountable alone become feasible, maybe even easy, when shared with others. In Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand asks, “If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders… his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength… What would you tell him?” I’d tell him he probably needs help. No matter how strong or skilled a person is, such a Herculean effort demands more than individual strength and determination. Alone, Atlas will collapse. But together? As a team? We can hold the world aloft.
It took all of us, working in unison and leveraging our combined strengths, to lift and fasten each beam. Teams amplify what’s possible. Each member of the group brought something unique to the table—whether it was technical expertise, creative problem-solving, or just plain brute strength. Together, we transformed a pile of raw materials into a tangible, cohesive structure.
Back in the real world, away from America’s dairyland, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that we can carry the weight of the world on our own—that if we just grit our teeth and power through the pain, success will come through sheer willpower. But this mindset is a recipe for burnout. True success—whether in the workplace, in life, or in building something as literal as a pergola—comes when we lean on the strengths of those around us.
When we embrace our teams and our communities, we unlock potential we didn’t even know existed. The truth is, no one can shoulder the weight alone. Together, we can lift more, build more, and achieve more than we ever could individually. Teamwork isn’t just about dividing the load—it’s about leveraging the strengths of the group to produce a value greater than our individual contributions.
