Business life lesson - Business is a team sport
I am "CA" Atreya (PMP, MBA), the author of this blog. I help businesses in Atlantic Canada achieve their BHAG successfully. You may subscribe to this blog using a feed reader (RSS).
Dave Prouhet at Business Advice Daily tagged me for My Business Life Lessons. This is going to be a ten part series. For links to the rest of the series see the bottom of the post. Here is my fifth business lesson.
Business is a team sport. Or is it?
Or at least that’s what I thought - until I got a wakeup call. This is “lesson-in-progress” for me. Is this relevant in North America? I do not know. I hope you can share some insights.
Some do not see business as a team effort, especially in North America. It is not “we”; it is “I”. This view was presented to me today at a meeting with a former colleague. “I want to make more money than my colleagues”. “I am the best”. “Only I can do this task properly”. The emphasis is on “I”. Never mind if that is at the expense of the organization you are working in; never mind if you have to trod on your colleagues to further your goals; never mind if you are inappropriate with your employees.
I was aghast. With this perspective, I look back at some small businesses I know. I see their potential. I also see the bickering in some of them. And I see them wither - slowly. They will either die or just barely survive. Silos and politics creep in slowly eroding whatever good is left of its foundation. Good people leave. There comes a point where the business does not attract any competent people. The business coasts from one fire to the next. Customers are unhappy. They leave and so does the profits.
Selfishness defined
I work for profit too. I consider myself a selfish person - with a catch. The Oxford English Dictionary defines selfish as “concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure at the expense of consideration of others”. The catch I mentioned is, “at the expense of consideration of others.” I remove it from my definition. What’s left is my definition of selfishness; “concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure.” (I will collectively call profit and pleasure “profit”)
The reason my organization exists
Let me use this definition to explain my business perspective. I take up an assignment at an organization with the sole motive of making a profit. However, I always keep in mind the client is the reason my organization is in existence. I try very hard to ensure that I exceed my clients’ expectations. Isn’t it logical that if my client is making money my organization makes money and I, in turn, will make money?
That holds true for external clients holds true for internal clients. Internal clients, you ask? Sure. We are all vendors and clients of each other within an organization. The output of my work is an input for another in an organization. For example; the result of marketing efforts are leads that the sales team uses as its input. The result of the sales team is a sale, which the operations team uses as their input.
I make it a point to service internal customers with the same level of commitment that I give external customers. In short, it is in my interest to ensure I do my job so as to enable them to do their job efficiently. Now you see why I am selfish too?
Why am I selfish?
I realize that I can only profit if my organization profits. And I will do whatever it takes to ensure the organization profits. That is my motivation. I am unable to understand why such an elementary perspective is so difficult to comprehend. I thought employees were concerned about the continuity of their pay-cheques. How will the pay-cheques continue if customers leave?
Look at some of their actions: some just say what the boss wants to hear - right or wrong; some just keep mum and do what the boss says - right or wrong; while there are others who trod over everyone to climb the corporate ladder even though they may not contribute to the profits.
I am not saying you give up your ambition or your goals for the good of the company. No, I do not preach altruism. But I do encourage symbiosis. You will best serve the company if your profit goals are aligned with those of the company. In today’s fast paced business world, no one can do everything. Similarly business owners need good people. Each and every individual has a part to play in building your small business. If this isn’t a team effort, I do not know what is.
Do you disagree? I will gladly hear your side of the story. Let’s talk!
[Update: 10 June] If this post resonates your thoughts, you might want to read Top 3 things to look for when hiring
This post was featured in the following carnivals:
- Carnival of Career Intensity
- The Carnival of Entrepreneurs #23
- Carnival of Capitalists at The Marketing Whore
- Carnival of Leadership Growth
- The Personal Development Carnival
- 246th edition of Carnival of Vanities
- Carnival of Careers in Middle Age # 5
- Carnival of Project Management # 10
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Business a team sport?
One only has to look at the “professional teams in baseball, hockey, basketball and football to absolutely see the connection between team and success..both on the field and off.
Now that being said…building the right team that wins the championship is a continual exercise…how to build the team is the real debate..not if a team is necessary.
R
I was quite surprised about the number of businesses who do not get this little detail. I have worked with some companies where the “I” attitude is very much prevalent. In some the CEO becomes the company. But what you say is true - the real challenge is how to build a winning team.
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