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!

If you have ever had the occasion to be around a small child, you’ll know how tiresome it can become when every answer you give them is followed by “why?” But think about it. As irritating as it may seem, that’s how they learn. Without that inquisitive streak, they would never acquire knowledge.

Unfortunately, as we progress into adulthood, our thirst for knowledge does not always seem so eager to be quenched. In an attempt to get through our busy work day, we sometimes just go through the motions in an attempt to get the job done, never stopping to question why we are undertaking these tasks in the first place or would it make sense to do anything differently.

Many moons ago, at the end of my first year of employment with the British Government, I received my annual review. My reporting officer commented that I always wanted to know why, not just how, I was to accomplish my assigned duties. Now, whether he meant this as a compliment, or if he was insinuating that I was as annoying to him as a two year old child, I didn’t have the nerve to ask. However, as I enter the fourth decade of my working life, I am thrilled to see that similar comments have continued to feature in my annual reviews. It indicates to me that I am interested and involved enough in my duties to want to know everything about the tasks that I am assigned. And, when it is clear why practices, or tasks, need to be executed in a certain way, or need to be consistent, it removes confusion, adds clarity, promotes understanding (and can even remove resentments). Often, when we ask why, better hows can be implemented, creating even more efficient best practices.

So next time you’re asked to take on a new set of duties, or you’re asked to do some on the job training, ask/explain why things are done in a certain manner, not just how. I believe that it makes for a more well-rounded employee!

Next month I’ll deal with “whatevvver”!