I am reminded time and again about the importance of two things, not necessarily related: Humour and teamwork. I suppose they could be related. It is always more fun to laugh with a group of people than by yourself.
This past week events highlighted the importance of both. The volunteer committee I am part of is going through some twists and turns. Originally our umbrella organization blessed our getting together to try to create a series of events that brought together the key decision makers in our industry to network and learn. As so often happens when the mandate is clear but not rigidly defined and the goals are lofty, the people attracted to the cause tend to be highly skilled, self motivated, and committed with heart and mind.
You do not tend to get the self-serving egotistical type since the venture could result in a lot of work and the payback may not be there. It’s risky. Those people also tend to be afraid of failure. As Sumner Redstone, the CEO and Chairman of Viacom repeatedly states in his autobiography, “Success does not breed success; failure does.” Those are not the people that can help you succeed anyway.
The people who do show up are not afraid to fail, and in large part because they are the ones that can pull themselves up by the bootstraps during critical moments and they therefore overcome and succeed. They also do not like things rigidly defined because they like to find out for themselves what works and what does not. And they get inspired by lofty goals so that failure typically does not compute in their minds.
This is the group of people, now gelled into a team, that I am fortunate to be able to lead. Time and time again, when we came to a critical moment (lack of sponsors, inability to secure speakers, potential shortage of invitees) they have come through and found extra sponsors, they have secured the best speakers, and the room was full. Teamwork. Whenever I approached them with a challenge we were faced with as a team, and thought the solutions were only either A, B, or C, they would discuss it and come up with D, E, and F, and the consensus would form around E!. Teamwork.
The trouble with successful teams, however, is that success attracts those self-serving types that initially were afraid of the work. The work that our team does is now recognized in our industry across the country. We attract high profile speakers and industry leaders. We attract quality sponsors. It is now prestigious to be part of our committee. And now certain members of our umbrella organization want to exert control.
How often have we all seen good teams destroyed by egotistical so-called leaders? On the surface it seems easy to lead a team of high functioning people. Keep the politics and administration to a minimum, support them wherever you can, and get out of their way so that they can do what they do best. I am perfectly happy to sit and help beyond the reach of the lime light. Just let them have their fun.
While these things are going on at least you can relieve the pressure through humour. There are times in your life that, no matter how much of an optimist you are, the glass is not just mostly empty, but it is bone dry. These are the times in your life when you have only two options: to laugh or to cry. I am an optimist. My glass is not quite dry yet, but the liquid is evaporating quickly.
This past week I spent way too much time on volunteer activities. The committee was one such time vacuum. Another was my involvement in a friend’s political campaign. As with all such activities they help you put structure in your entrepreneurial day, and they are welcome distractions to draw you out of your cocoon during slow times. They also make you feel useful, professional, and like a productive contributor.
But at other times they positively get in the way. If it is temporary, fine. But if it starts becoming a burden, you need to reassess. I am reassessing, and as usual finding it a little tough to distance or disengage. You get saddled with responsibilities.
So now, I am busy, on the wrong activities, money is in short supply and getting shorter, my wife is looking at me funny, my mother-in-law is in town, and there still are no short term prospects. The only thing I am grateful for is that by background I am part of a culture that has historically suffered so much hardship that the people know how to laugh at everything. The bleaker the situation, the more humour seems to come out. I just wish, at certain times, that my wife shared some of that cultural background too. In the meantime, I am just going to keep plugging away and smiling.
Peter Hadas has over 10 years consulting experience working for major national clients in the Biotech, Distribution, Retail, Financial Services, Professional Services, Energy & Utilities and Public Sector industries. Contact Peter Hadas Consulting at 905-470-7703.
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