Couple of days ago, I was invited to join a team that was celebrating its NY sales success. Location was serene on the backwaters with coconut trees all around, a distance of about 2 hours drive from the city. We crossed the backwaters in a little ferry to reach a private coconut garden and the scene was just perfect for a great party.
As I took a deep breath to enjoy mother nature, people were already on the dance floor - Hip shakes and zig zag leg twists to the tunes of the DJ. The quiet ones were content sitting down with their rocks glass or Hi-ball glass as the rest devoured on the delicious barbecued prawns and more food cooked at site. Awesome - there was choice for everyone.
As it got a bit dark, I decided to bid farewell to the group and leave early. We had to drive up a little sand hill and rather unfortunately the MD's 4-wheel drive which was in front got stuck in the sand and refused to climb. We knew now that there was work to do.
The following half an hour of action that I witnessed was a beautiful lesson about "TEAM WORK". Here's what I observed;
1. In the beginning, there were some individuals trying to be "Stars" - getting into the vehicle and using the horse power to its best. Higher the HP, more faster the wheels turned as the tyres plunged deeper into the sand. Soon, the individuals knew they were embarrassing themselves.
2. Now, it was everyone's turn to give ideas. With people shouting over each other's voices, someone who was senior in the hierarchy insisted that the vehicle be pushed back and drive it up a new route. Once gain, the idea did not work. Not enough HP :(
3. A handful of people were already drawing conclusions " An Impossible task - We neeed a Tow truck" and were giving up.
4. Those who believed and continued with their efforts knew 2 things:
(a) They needed one good idea to work this out.
(b) Together Everyone Achieves More and they needed to keep everyone motivated.
5. Eventually, they got it by lining up cocunut tree branches and leaves under the wheels, the vehicle's Horsepower (HP), combined Manpower (MP) and a slight deviation in route where the surface looked slightly harder.
When the vehicle was back up on road, I could hear screams of Joy, Pride and a Sense of achievement in the faces. For a moment, I felt there was more excitement and Happiness in the team than when they were on the dance floor. It's amazing what happens to us when we accomplish something, even better feel when in a TEAM.
Don't forget to celebrate when your team achieves something. No matter how simple you thought the task was - Just like the boys jumped up in joy when they pushed the car up the sand hill without a tow a truck.
Delight yourself first to delight people around you. Most importantly, make your choice NOW!
Meet me at: www.gettingtodelight.com
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