For the sharp-eyed who have been following my articles you may notice a familiar pattern with a previous one I have written. Familiar on two counts: one – it is the same patterned tablecloth; two, it is the delights of a café.
I was recently on my travels and enjoying an evening, and most of the following day with family. On the Friday I had organised a meeting with some fellow Master NLP Practitioners, so we could review some advanced strategy work. Now that was an interesting day! It has led to a discussion on aspects of Insights Deeper Discovery that will be the topic of a future day. I then journeyed on to stay with my brother-in-law and family.
Saturday morning was really sunny. My sister-in-law and I had a few errands to undertake, so off we walked and ended up at a café we both like. The late summer weather was kind, and whilst a little fresh, we were both suitably well dressed to enjoy sitting outside. Always such a pleasure – all too soon the bite of the wind will chase us inside.
I hasten to add, that whilst the tablecloth was the same as in the previous article, it was still fresh and clean. While ordering a couple of coffees I was taken by the appearance of the wonderful croissant that you can see sitting almost too proudly on the plate it was seated. It looked a delight. At the counter there was no apricot jam, yet the really helpful staff said that they knew they had some in the store. Not wishing to be a nuisance, on a busy day, I said that the raspberry would be fine, but no, the staff were so keen to help and please that they assured me it was no trouble.
And soon enough as we sat outside our cappuccinos and croissant arrived – served by a very cheery member of the team. I use the word ‘team’ intentionally as they all seemed to want to work together, helping each other and looking after our thirst and hunger.
So often I hear the word ‘team’ used in businesses, where the intention is to indicate that everyone is pulling in the same direction. Sadly, all too often, the reality is anything but the team spirit I found in this café. And whilst you may say that a café is very different from many larger businesses, or organisations, I truly believe that it does not matter.
Take the café – if one member of staff was not pulling in the same direction, or lacked the pride of their work, were not so customer focused, lacked the skill to do the job, did not respect their colleagues, it would all fall apart very quickly. Indeed, have you ever been to a café where you order, and then wonder what the heck is happening as the clock ticks casually by? I know I have.
I was in a large organisation recently, who are not a client, having a conversation with someone I know well; it was very clear that it was not a team. The person I was speaking with loves what they do, and yet I knew that they could have been happier. It seemed as if everyone was in a silo, focusing on their work yet unaware and uncaring of the impact on others in another silo. Was this organization working? Well almost everyone I spoke with told me how hard they worked. But in my opinion they could have been so much more effective, so much more productive…..and as I walked to the car park, keen to leave, I realised there was something missing – laughter. The laughter that eases tension, defuses tough issues, makes work more enjoyable and builds teams. Banter that is truly respectful and makes us laugh with not at ourselves and others.
Now when I went back into the café to order a second coffee as the first was so good, they were still busy, still working to get people served and orders ready for the table. And still the friendly and helpful team had time to….laugh. Now there’s a thought!
So a couple of simple questions:
- Is your team a real ‘team’ that is productive, respectful and effective – or are people merely working hard?
- Is there laughter of the right sort, if you have a team?
If you need some more thoughts, or help, do get in touch.
And yes, the second coffee was equally as good and served speedily with a wonderful smile.
My best wishes,
Peter
