Today's Business Lessons
By Francis J. Kong
(The Philippine Star) Updated March 18, 2012
A
Chinese scholar was lecturing when all the lights in the auditorium
went out. He asked members of the audience to raise their hands. As
soon as they had all complied, the lights went on again. He then said,
“Proven wisdom of Old Chinese ‘Many hands make light work.’” This is the power of teamwork.
One of us is not as strong as all of us. The firefighter holding the ladder is as important as the firefighter holding the hose.
Have you ever wondered why certain teams could not function? Have
you ever found yourself totally frustrated with the people you work
with, and you just can’t find yourself making any progress in meeting your business objectives?
One thing you and I need to remember is this: IF YOU CANNOT WORK AS A TEAM, YOU ARE ONLY A GROUP.
Dr. John Maxwell says, “It takes team work to make the dream work.”
And then he follows it up with this thought, “The level of your team
should be equal to the level of your dream.”
In a scene from the movie Ben Hur, Judah Ben Hur was trying to get a
team of horses to pull a chariot. They were magnificent, high-spirited
animals, yet they were merely pawing the ground, balking at his
commands, and scarcely moving the chariot despite his strong voice and
the constant cracking of his whip. An old horse trainer approached them
and instantly put his finger on the problem. He told young Judah Ben
Hur, “They are not pulling together as a team!” The old man adjusted
the rig, carefully aligned the horses, and climbed into the chariot. He
cracked his whip, and instantly, the four horses started as one. Around
the track they went at breathtaking speed. As he handed the reins back
to Judah, the old man said, “They are beautiful babies, but you must
make them work together as a team.”
Trust lies at the heart of a functioning, cohesive team. Without it,
teamwork is impossible. The kind of trust that is characteristic of a
great team requires team members to make themselves vulnerable to one
another and to be confident that their respective vulnerabilities will
not be used against them. These vulnerabilities include weaknesses,
skill deficiencies, inter-personal shortcomings, mistakes and requests
for help.
Now let me point out one important thing: The leader of the team is the key to making this work.
The most important action that a leader must take to encourage the
building of trust on a team is to demonstrate vulnerability first. This
requires that the leader risk losing face in front of the team so that
subordinates will take the same risk themselves. Team leaders must
create an environment that doesn’t punish vulnerability.
Some leaders would never admit their mistakes, and would just put
the blame on everyone and everything except themselves. This is because
of the old antiquated thinking that has perverted the ranks of leaders:
that admission of being wrong and mistaken is a sign of weakness. This
is so untrue. The truth is that, it takes a lot of courage, honor and
character for the leader to admit his or her mistake. And this kind of
admission creates a culture of honesty and transparency within the
team. The authenticity on the part of the leader would for sure trickle
down to the team members.
In my seminars, I remind people that team members are more than
willing to forgive us for our mistakes as
long as we are honest enough
to admit them and rectify the mistakes. What people would not forgive
are leaders who pretend to be perfect.
Anyone who thinks he or she is, should be crucified on the cross. For no one else but Jesus Christ is Perfect.
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