Working TogetherBy Dick O'Brien M.A.S.c
Every quality organization today knows the need to have employees work co-operatively as a team. Without teamwork the day gets longer, the work gets harder, the spirit gets lower and the service gets worse. These are difficult times for people to feel like a team. Continuous change, restructuring, uncertainty and doing more with less all combine to defeat personal motivation to yield to the good of the team.
Yet these very conditions require that we explore new ways of working together to not only survive these times but also even thrive on the opportunities.
There is an old saying that whenever you get more than one person in a group you are bound to have some problems. This is after all only human nature. People, personalities and attitudes clash creating a stressful and unhealthy working and living environment. We know this from the closest team we all live in, our families.
The following are some lessons of living that allow us to reflect on the health of our team and are worthy of consideration.
The lesson of Why (are we here)
and What (do we need to do)
We are here to provide the best possible service for our customers and this requires us to operate as a team.
The lesson of How
We will work as a team through mutual respect, personal encouragement and constructive disagreement to compensate for the human frailties that we all possess.
The lesson of the Farm
We will let go of the baggage of the past and not allow it to become the architect of our future.
The lesson of Who
Through self reflection we will recognize our own personal strengths and weaknesses and take ownership of the need to change in these areas.
The lesson of Listening
We will practice the art of true listening and strive to accurately capture what is said keeping in mind that we don't have "the truth" but only our own personal view on it.
The lesson of Trust
We will strive to be open, honest, clear and effective in all aspects of our communication for the good of this service, our customers, and our own personal and professional wellbeing.
The lesson of Purpose
We will continue to make the significant contributions in service, caring and assistance that we have always made regardless of the conditions that we may face now or in the future.
The lesson of Resiliency
We will weather the storms through personal resiliency, comradeship, belief in ourselves and the wisdom of our life experiences.
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