The Common Thread

As the Member Services Manager for a trade organization, I am fortunate to enjoy an excellent working relationship with my Executive Director. As we enter our fifth year of working together, we have had a very fruitful, and successful, professional journey.

Although we have very different dispositions, I believe we function very well as a team. We are like peanut butter and jelly: different tastes and characteristics, but put us together, and we seem to complement one another. Like the jelly, she is sweet (I’m more acidic). Like the peanut butter, I can get a little nutty (she is much more calm). She likes to correspond via email, I prefer the telephone. She is an introvert, I am an extrovert.

But somehow, it works! Despite our very different personalities, we have a mutual respect for each other and, more importantly, we both possess a drive and a desire to do our very best to ensure optimum service and results for our client.

To quote Dr. Steven Covey, author of the best-selling book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, “ Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.” I believe that we have used that approach to build a very effective team. Our client has also benefited from our ability, and willingness, to work well together and produce results.

Now I don’t write this to blow my own horn (or hers, per procurationem). It is simply my opinion that a good professional partnership can achieve unlimited goals. When people share a similar work ethic, trust each other to get things done (and done right), work cohesively and appreciate each other for their strengths, as well as provide help where there is room to improve, the result is always going to be favourable.

So, hopefully you’ve found your peanut butter or jelly in the workplace. I hope so; it makes for a much happier, easier and productive professional life! It’s an awesome combination!