#40. The Mechanics of Team Success…
…is making sure ego is subordinate to the mission, and each player plays their part.
Today was my daughter’s birthday. We held her party in Central Park, which is a pretty cool venue to have it at but adds a certain ≈ five mile/no car/lots of stuff to bring complexity to the event.
In order to make the party a success, my wife and I had to be deliberate, purposeful, extremely tolerant of one another and “yes” people. Meaning, regardless of a task we might give one another, the answer had to be yes. And then it had to get done.
The morning was scheduled to start at 7AM, after a 2:30AM close the night before. As soon as the alarm went off, no, make that as soon as our eyes simultaneously opened at ten to 7, we jumped into action. Which meant putting the finishing touches on items that needed them, staging, and LEAVING.
But first we had to get all the party gear downstairs. (And I mean, coolers and tables and food and drinks and favors and cake and toys and a cake — I know I mentioned the cake twice but considering its elaborate nature it deserves to be mentioned twelve more times.)
And this is a process. Which my wife had to do with our daughter, which means essentially alone, because she’s about as much help as a 6.9999 year old kid can be and I was out getting our zip car mini-van.
We packed the mini-van — it happened to be pouring for a good part of the pack— but then the sun came out, we finished packing and set off. Got to the park, had to double-park and carry all the aforementioned gear about 100 yards into the park. All the while racing back and forth, with our daughter in tow, to make sure we didn’t get a parking ticket. Or lose her. As my wife so aptly put it, “it was like we were playing a game of the riddle of the fox, chicken and sack of grain.”
And then I had to race back uptown (the car was an hourly rental and it didn’t really pay for us to keep it down there, pay for the rental and try to find parking), drop the car off, bike back down, all the while leaving my wife to prepare.
The party went off without a hitch — outside of that $#@&*^@ who worked for the parks department and decided to give my wife a little grief. Children and adults alike had a great time.
And after the party was over, we had to muster up whatever energy we had left to pretty much do the whole thing in reverse. Of course absent a few lunches, drinks and half the cake, etc.
But we did it! Again. For the seventh year running. Next year, we’re thinking about doing a karaoke party at a Karaoke (bar) place. My wife can bake a cake and some goodies, but as for the schlepping… I think we’re done.
There was simply no way this gets done without each of us having our eyes on the prize, responding with a yes, which means no eye rolling! and supporting one another.
And that’s how you win with team.
