Recently, my wife went out of town.
Her absence meant that my dog Harry and I were left to fend
for ourselves. My wife – who majored in “Being able to find everything in the
world” and “How to turn on major non-TV appliances,” – even left me with lists. This list included a few ridiculous
things.
First up: “Remember to feed the fish.” That is so dumb. I
mean, nobody sprinkles fish food in Lake Michigan, and they seem fine. They’re fish. So I crossed those losers
off the list.
Another one: “Water the potted plants.” Right. Like
something’s going to happen to them in the 106 degree Alabama heat. If they
can’t take it, they need to move to Iowa or become fake or something. Another
chore gone. The next one was more worrisome.
She’d written down something about laundry and dryers and
lint screens that I breezed over. That’s because of a previous terrifying encounter
with the washing machine. See, I had expected it to have the only essential buttons
to do its job: On. Off. That should be enough, right?
Noooo. It had settings for “Delicates” and “Spin speeds” and
some reference to a “Pre-rinse.” Are you kidding me? Pre-rinse? Is this so your “delicates” can get used to the water
temperature first? I’m convinced all these buttons actually do the exact same
thing: 1) Water 2) Soap 3) Slosh around. So, from sheer intimidation, laundry got
crossed off too. Man, this is getting easier!
Can you guess where this episode is going?
Over the 4 days, my hygiene slipped a little. Movies more
violent. My dog started smoking and stayed out once ‘til 2 am with no
explanation. I attempted to subsist off Pringles and mustard, but this got old quickly.
At the point when I considered a goldfish and dried camellia salad, I knew we
were in a maelstrom of maledom.
About mid-way into the trip, I received a phone call from my
wife. After I told her Harry and I were “fine” (though smelly and starving), she
mentioned, “How insane the airports were, the Rental Car people had tried to
double the rate without warning, the driving, navigation, luggage loading and
unloading was such a hassle.”
It occurred to me that these were all things I’d have handled if with them. She
completed that thought with, “I wish you were here.”
Me, the dog, the fish and a few crispy plants all repeated
that phrase back to her. “Awww,” said the clearly-moved audience. But it’s
true.
We all have our roles, jobs, specialties. We play our part
on the team. When you don’t play your
part on the team, the team fumbles, falls or fails entirely. When a team member
is out, that absence had better be felt or
somebody ain’t that valuable. Oh sure, I’m a fan of cross-training to cover
gaps, but it takes a trainer to do it, which is another gift entirely.
In our business you can take the ‘team’ conjecture to
individuals and entire departments. Their cooperation and mutual skill sets must
enmesh. But do they?
Seeds of Contention
Does your Accounting department assist the Sales department… or feel they’re a bunch of
irresponsible overpaid babies?
Does your Web Marketing department assist those in Traditional Marketing… or feel they’re outdated
has-beens trying to resurrect the stone-age?
Does your CSR assist the
technicians… or get sick of constantly having to make “excuses” for their
tardiness, sloppiness and call-back rate for which the CSRs indirectly get blamed?
And let’s go ahead and get brutal here: Does the boss assist all the team members in letting
them do their jobs well… or represent eternal task interference and complaint
on minor things while taking home a major paycheck?
Do you have cooperation or contention? And have you ever
asked? I’d consider either question as among the most valuable a team leader
can ever utter.
True Confession Time: A
couple of years ago, Hudson, Ink embarked on a new product/service line. As is
too often the case in my “Ready, Fire, Aim” mentality, there were some teething
pains. Skillsets were still forming. Roles were unclear. Some feelings got
hurt. A door or two got slammed. There were tough conversations.
Yet, in the depths of this learning curve and from our different vantage points, a
shared destination loomed into view. It’s as if we all began taking turns at
the wheel. One did the organizing, another the technical, another the
marketing, another the sales funnel, another the customer service…
Respect restored. Roles refined. Goals defined. It was
beautiful.
Midway through each year, I encourage you to look at your
company goals. Are you getting closer or farther away? To what team are they assigned,
and do they have the talent and drive to reach them? If they’re merely
ineffective bystanders giving you the false comfort of “Everything’s okay” as you
glance off the iceberg, put them in a rowboat. If they’re willing to make the
tough choices, and either admit or stretch their limits, keep ‘em.
No matter what, your role is calling.
Adams Hudson
