My name is Leslie Lam. Leslam Company Limited and myself personally are blessed with a close working relationship with Sunrise Medical Canada for decades.
I competed in wheelchair sports events ranging from basketball to table tennis to track for most of my life. I represented Hong Kong in the 1972 Paralympics and I represented Canada in the 1976, 1980, and 1984 Paralympics, earning silver medals in the table tennis event.
My favorite sport has always been basketball. I not only enjoy playing the game, but I also find that team sports like basketball have taught me a great deal about teamwork. This is especially true in wheelchair basketball. The rules of the game require the five players on the court to be composed of players with different levels of disability. This gives players who are more disabled an equal opportunity as players with minimal disabilities. Success of the team depends on players with different disability levels working together.
My most memorable match was when I was playing with the Spitfires against the Quebec Provincial team in a final game where everyone, including ourselves, expected us to be crushed by the Quebec team. The Spitfires only had six players altogether on the team, half of which were house league level players. Despite the odds, each player performed to their limit, utilizing one another's capabilities to the maximum and worked to compensate for each other's weaknesses. The spectators and televised audience, not to mention the opposing team, were utterly surprised when the Spitfires won the game. We felt as though we won the Super Bowl.
This unforgettable experience taught me that, even in my business, success of the operation depends solely on everyone working together as a team. No individual is good at everything but we are all good at something. By developing each member's individual talent and maximizing his or her contribution, the team flourishes both in morale and achievement.
In our operation, we call ourselves Team Leslam. Instead of titles like employer and employee, I am the team captain and my colleagues are teammates.
Furthermore I believe that this concept can be applied to our society as well. We are all surrounded by neighbors with different talents. Working with and helping each other by complementing instead of competing enables society to move forward as a whole, where people utilize each individual's strength to make up for the weakness of others in different areas. I truly believe this would take humanity to a new height where everyone is blessed.
About the Author
Leslie Lam is a University of Toronto graduate in the Faculty of Pharmacy, team captain, and former pharmacy owner. Born in Hong Kong, Leslie represented them in the 1972 Paralympics playing table tennis before immigrating to Canada in the following year and representing Canda in the following three Paralympic Games. Nowadays, he is an active member in his church and player on the Toronto Spitfires wheelchair basketball team.
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