I just discovered a new reflective thinker who happens to be one of my friendster – Papa Dexter. For those of you who got the chance to read John Maxwell’s “17 Indisputable Laws of TeamWork Workbook,” he tackled about the Law of Mt. Everest.
It requires teamwork to get to the top. Note that not everyone in the organization will get there but each one has a role in order for the organization to reach that goal. This is where the concept of shared success is built where internal teamwork must be fostered instead of internal competition.
However, a Mt. Everest team can’t just accept any skillful individual as a team-member. It requires maturity, with the 7 Habits instilled in such person. With the right people in the team, their strengths combined, can build a powerhouse of self-starters all committed to a single goal, lead by one with utmost credibility and empathy, for the organization to reach the top of Mt. Everest.
Trust among team members and having a scoreboard for monitoring must be fostered. This keep the team members’ feet on the ground and constantly having a reality-check as to where the team is. This transparency is important especially when managing several teams.
How would you know if you have the right team members? According to Jim Collin’s “Good to Great,” you can simply ask yourself, how would you feel if this person will leave the company now? If you feel relieved, then you know that you are not working with the right person as you are most likely compensating for that person’s weakness, by getting others to help out. If you feel sad and regretting the idea of letting that person go, then take the necessary steps to stop them from leaving.
Of course, there’s the factor also that if you have weak people now, you don’t just dump them. Give them a chance by developing their capabilities (like the 7 habits of Highly Effective People) and mentor them (8th habit). If unsuccessful, it will be unfair for both of you to keep each other. Better to let go by then.
As Filipinos are very relationship-oriented and personal, as much as there are a lot of positive side to it, the worst is there as well. (crab mentality, back-stabbing, power play, among others)
Working on our core values now and of our young generation will be vital to nation building. Not one of us is perfect but should take this challenge in changing ourselves for the better.