Team requires work

Okay, so I am guessing this is becoming a teamwork blog week.  What does Big Tex and the StateFair of Texas have to do with teamwork and three smiling faces.

 

I guess mostly it has to do with the idea that lots of bosses talk about pulling for the team and pulling in the team’s direction.  I do get the sentiment that players on a team pull in the same direction for a greater good, but sometimes managers talk the talk about pulling in the same direction and don’t do anything to help you pull in that direction.

 

Well, this week isn’t that.  I am up on the edge – perhaps ready for a fall or ready to start climbing the next hill in front of me.  I am trying not to be prideful because it is a safe statement that pride always walks in the room right before a fall in emergency medicine.  We will see where things go with this fork in the road, but I feel prepared, I feel ready, and I believe I can perform to expectation and beyond and I look forward to finding out where I am right…and where I am wrong, BUT…that has zero to do with teamwork.

 

What does have to do with teamwork though is the opportunity to see your family when you are away from them.  When work and family conflict, managers as often as not usually expect the family branch to bend in favor of work.  Not today.

Instead I am standing in front of the new Big Tex at the State Fair on Dallas ISD’s Fair Day with my three school age children and I am there in large part because my current preceptor who has been preparing me for my above mentioned fork in the road recognized the opportunity to make sure my head was clear, my mind relaxed; so I could walk into my challenges next week ready to go with the experience and preparation I need to be successful on these tests, but also in this career.

For those managers who are confused, let me ask if there is any question whether or not I am pulling in the direction my current manager is headed?  All I need to know is where to pull and for how long?  She has shown her loyalty to me just by taking care of her people.

Not every manager is courteous, thoughtful, judicious, and prudent with how they utilize their staffing.  The managers who don't possess those qualities we call managers and supervisors, but those who do ...are leaders.