“Sometimes, You Need A Crisis”
by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist
Some organizations have a team of individuals who seem to share a common brain. They have a common sense of purpose, equal degree of motivation and enthusiasm, and are all pulling in the same direction.
The rest of us live in the real world.
We may even work in a highly productive, supportive, collegial environment, but many times each individual on the team has a slightly (or greatly) different agenda than what might be most beneficial to the good of the organization.
This all seems to change when there is a very real crisis which either (a) threatens the viability of the organization, and the security of the individuals, or (b) can easily be identified by all individuals as an opportunity for the organization to excel, leading to success and reward for each individual on the team.
That is when all parties involved, almost instinctively, begin to pull in the same direction. People we previously might have thought were disengaged begin asking very salient and probing, and productive, questions, and contribute volumes to understanding and development of solutions. An individual who might have previously had a reputation as an outsider or a contrarian begin to support the team emotionally and contribute to others’ successful efforts.
The crisis can be a negative thing, such as a down economy which requires organizational belt-tightening. But conversely, the crisis may be an opportunity, such as dramatically increased demand for products or services, which requires greater output and efficiency by each team member.
During good, or at least normal, times, we each chase after our own selfish, although productive and meaningful, agendas, somewhat (if not completely) oblivious to the goals and challenges of our colleagues. How sweet it is by comparison when some unforeseen crisis brings us together, all pulling in the same direction. That is the truest definition of team.