What Hurricane Irma Taught Me About the Power of Teamwork
Harvey. Irma. Maria. Innocent names on the surface. For those who experienced any of these 2017 hurricanes, they will be names you would like to forget – but never will. Mine was Irma. At one point it was a Category 5 that packed winds of 185 mph -- the most intense Atlantic hurricane to strike the U.S. since Katrina. Fortunate is not even a word that does justice to describe how our family fared during this storm. In the end, we were relatively unscathed. Others have not been as fortunate. For those who experienced or are still experiencing the aftermath of one of these devastating hurricanes, my heartfelt best wishes go out to you, your families and your communities. If you have lived through a hurricane, you know that it is an event that tests you in many ways: ever-changing spaghetti plots; expected yet unpredictable landfalls; and even with all the information of modern science, still not knowing what's to come. It’s an emotional rollercoaster. The one consistent thing I heard from many people is they did not ride it out alone. What Hurricane Irma Taught Me About the Power of Teamwork Only align yourself with people of character and competence. ― John Mattone What made Irma easier for us was the support of our friends. We banded together as a team. We formed a tribe of six adults, four kids and two dogs. There is no question that together, we were stronger. Not perfect, but stronger. Now that I've had time to reflect after several weeks have passed, I realized Irma reinforced some value lessons to me about the power of effective teams. There was a collective purpose In some ways that goes without saying. Events like hurricanes put Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs into action. Your focus quickly becomes ensuring your physiological needs and safety. The track of the storm changed every day and the scenarios looked worse and worse where we live. There were times when we did not know if we would even have a home to come back to. It was easy and natural to focus on the “me.” Yet the members of our team shifted their focus to the collective purpose of the “we”– and that’s a powerful thing to experience. I was comforted by the selflessness demonstrated in the little things people did for each other. It gave me strength. Never lose hope. Storms make people stronger and never last forever. ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart We knew we each had an important contribution to make Each member of the team had a role to play, yet it’s not like we had a meeting to discuss roles and responsibilities, leveraging personality types or creating a set of ground rules. It just happened. And that was the beauty of it. I was amazed at how each person played to their strongest attributes, and how others allowed it to naturally happen. It gave me hope. When adversity strikes, that’s when you have to be the most calm. Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on. — LL Cool J We adjusted our plan as the situation changed Every day I woke up and immediately checked the weather report to track the storm. Every day a slight shift to the west coast of Florida. The nightmare scenario. Three days before landfall my plan was to still ride it out in Tampa. I believed I was prepared and was still hopeful the track would change. Others in our team did not feel that way. So we discussed, with none of us really knowing “the answer.” Many people were leaving south and central Florida to go north. I-75 was a parking lot and gas was practically nowhere to be found. But we kept our heads. No tension, no drama. We just shared our “best guesses.” We decided that if the track was worst case up the west coast, we would go east, and we booked a room in Orlando as “Plan B.” Saturday morning the track changed yet again and we quickly enabled Plan B. It was the right decision for many reasons. But would I have made that decision if left to my own devices? Probably not. I was humbled in the fact that group decision-making arrived at a better outcome. It gave me peace of mind. There is no education like adversity. — Benjamin Disraeli But the biggest lesson of all… … did not come from our newly formed team. We arrived at the hotel the day before the storm made landfall. We were tired, and a huge cloud of uncertainty still hung over whether we would have homes to return to, or what condition they would be in. And then we were greeted by the hotel staff. They were simply incredible. Each hotel staff member went out of their way to ensure we had anything we needed, all with a warm smile and genuine attentiveness. They even ensured our pets were okay when normally they don't accept them at all. It wasn't just one or two hotel staff members either. It was every. Single. Person. They had their own personal concerns, just like me. Their own friends, families and property. But you would never have known it. In the middle of everything, it was not lost on me that behind these staff members were leaders who set a tone of excellence and fostered their natural generosity of spirit. It was no accident. And it made all the difference. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about. — Haruki Murakami We're all in this together We live today in a volatile world where we are bombarded by messages of discord, dissention and human tragedy on what can seem like an everyday basis. Irma reminded me of the power of the human spirit. When we take the focus off of ourselves, when we acknowledge the innate contributions of others, when we drop the need to “be right” and learn to listen to other perspectives -- and when we step up to be a living example of the generosity we want from others -- humans make a powerful team. Don’t wait for a hurricane to teach you that invaluable lesson.
Unlock Your Leadership Potential By Choosing Love Over Fear
During my career in human resources I have had the opportunity to work with leaders at all levels, from the executive boardroom to the shop floor. During this time I have seen many displays of leadership. But it was a VP of HR early on in my career that showed me the most fundamental leadership lesson – that leadership at its core is a choice between love and fear. Unlock Your Leadership Potential By Choosing Love Over Fear If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams As my story begins, this VP was new to the company and had never held a position at such a high level. The company was in a difficult financial position. There was no getting past the fact revenues were declining and customers were leaving. The economy was bad. News stories of job losses and company closures were predominant. Fear, it seemed, was around every corner. Leading by fear was how this VP showed up every day. If you have ever read the Dilbert cartoons, she personified Catbert, “The Evil Director of Human Resources.” She would yell at employees and degrade their self-worth. She was self-serving and political with the executive team, and was always actively looking for ways to punish employees, especially hers. She even let out an evil cackle you could hear down the hallway as she leaned back in her chair, placed her palms together and wiggled her fingers. No exaggeration. At first it seemed hopeless. I believed I was stuck in a horrible job in a bad economy. Thankfully I was wrong. I didn’t report directly to her. I had another immediate manager who made the choice to lead with love. She believed in me and saw my potential more than I did in myself. She was always there to coach and guide me, and allowed me to learn and grow. She recognized my contributions and set me up for success, all during this difficult time for her as well. No doubt she sheltered me from the worst of it. Yet the truth is I will always be grateful to them both. They each taught me the same lesson. In the same company circumstances, one chose love and the other fear. I believe you can make that choice too. Recognize your emotions To be human is to experience emotions – and either love or fear is the primary emotion that governs our lives. The choice we make determines how we treat others, but it begins within each of us. At the root of every positive emotion is love. Not in the romantic sense of the word. It is leading from purpose. This love is predicated on fulfillment. This is your higher self. At the root of every negative emotion is fear. If you are angry, jealous, worried, upset, distrustful, anxious, hurt, insecure and so on, you are coming from a place of fear. That fear is predicated on a sense of loss -- loss of status, loss of possessions, loss of acceptance, loss of perceived control over circumstances, and so on. This is your lesser self. The latter feelings I call worldly feelings, the former feelings I call soul feelings. Lots of people gain the world and lose their soul. - Anthony de Mello In oour digital age and “always-on” culture, we are all guilty of sacrificing reflection for responsiveness. Turn off the cellphone and laptop for 5-10 minutes and give yourself the gift of quiet time to reflect. Ask yourself where you were at your best and your worst during the day. How did you feel in those moments? Which came from love, and which from fear? I believe each of us can make this time. You just need to start. Guard your thoughts Researchers have conducted many studies as to how many thoughts a person has in a day, with the numbers ranging anywhere between 12,000 and 70,000 per day. As many as 98% of them are exactly the same as we had the day before – and 80% of those thoughts are negative. Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. - Lao Tzu Your thoughts are a conscious or unconscious choice that come from love or fear. Your thoughts impact everyone you meet. Your thoughts shape your future, and can shape theirs as well. I am not suggesting a utopian existence. Life is complex and no one is perfect. There is both love and fear in our daily reality. The question is, where do you spend the majority of your thought time? I believe even a slight shift in the majority of our thinking can unlock a vast amount of potential. Shift your focus from “me” to “we” There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it. - Simon Sinek (more quotes) My former manager could have easily been concerned about how this toxic work environment was impacting her personally. Or she could have tried to manipulate the conditions to her political advantage, or gain the acceptance of the VP. At the very least she could have kept her head down until she was able to find another job. Many would say she had every right to do so. But she didn’t. She made a different choice. She took the focus off the “me” and shifted it to the “we.” She made the decision to show up as her highest self and do the best she could in the circumstances. She considered the needs of her team over her own. She stood up to the VP when terrible decisions impacting people were about to be made. She was determined to portray a sense of humor and optimism in the face of a bad situation. Whether she knew it at the time, her simple choice was an inspiration to me and to those around her. I made the determined decision to pay that love forward if I ever managed people. So did many of the other colleagues I worked with that I keep in touch with today. Although I will be the first to say I have been a far from perfect leader, she inspired me to be consciously aware of how I lead others – and where it comes from – as well as to consider the legacy I will leave. I believe many of you have a similar story to mine. I believe there are more people who fundamentally want to lead from their highest self than not. And I believe that leading at your highest potential starts with a simple decision – to choose love over fear. Will you believe with me?