Would You Ride A Rollercoaster With Your Team?

Seeing this pic makes me smile.

It also makes me realize how incredible a “real” team is.

What is truly special are the people that make up the team. So spoiler alert, this post is a bit sentimental but I was inspired by this pic (thanks Craig Faretra for sharing).

When I was at MediaVest, Team Walmart & Team MV42 (MediaVest Multicultural) would go on an annual summer outing to SixFlags Great Adventure. We would go on a big rented bus. It was usually very hot. Some people would complain that they had “no time” and they were “swamped” with work. Some would gripe just because we were going to New Jersey.

But guess what?

It was a blast.

It gave us an opportunity to get out of the office. To bond. To let off steam from the incredibly hectic and demanding work of agency life. It also let folks connect, make memories and build friendships. Not as “colleagues”. As people.

Today, many of these folks are now at working at different companies, working in different industries and even working in different cities.

What remains are the memories.

What matters are the relationships.

One of the most amazing, most inspiring leaders I know is my dear friend Graciela Eleta. A successful executive who was trained in the legendary “P&G way”, Graciela would always remind me of a famous Theodore Roosevelt quote: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.

I’ve always thought of and cared about my teams as people first. Not as workers. Not as employee ID 5364. As People.

When you care about people, you actually see the person.

You connect with someone at the human level. You learn about their family. You ask about where they are from. You help them overcome their obstacles. You listen to their personal and professional hopes and dreams. You discuss where they want to go in life. And you see how best can you help them get there.

At the end of the day, business is about people. And it’s only through caring about people that you can build trust.

Once you have the key ingredient of trust, you can start the long, hard journey of building a team. A “real” team. A “let’s keep it real, let’s work hard and play harder, let’s debate, let’s disagree, let’s agree to disagree, let’s hug it out, let’s do this/I got your back” team. And that’s one of the most rewarding, fulfilling journeys to be on.

Life is short. You are the CEO of your own career.

You get to choose how you spend your time professionally and with whom you spend your time with.

Do you enjoy the folks you work with?

Do you do fun things together as a team?

Do you have a leader that cares about you as a person?

If the answer to these questions is “yes”, then enjoy this moment.

Don’t take it for granted.

Seize this moment and cherish the time together with your team.

If the answer to these questions is “no”, it might be time for a new team.

My wish is that everyone gets to experience what it’s like to be a part of a “real” team. It’s a special thing. I’ve been lucky to have had more than one of these experiences.

I’m excited to have the opportunity again here at Neustar.

In my first three months, I’ve met some of the smartest, nicest people in the industry. Folks here are driven. They can execute. They want to win. We have all the ingredients to have a “real” Marketing team here at Neustar. We’ve just started the journey! (And we’re hiring, BTW).

As with every job, there will be ups and downs. Just like a rollercoaster.

Is it always going to be smooth sailing? Of course not.

Will you have bumps in the road? Most definitely.

However, to quote the extraordinary executive coach Lisa McCarthy, “breakdowns lead to breakthroughs”.

Work, like life, is indeed a rollercoaster.

To all the folks on MediaVest Team Walmart and Team MV42.

To all the folks that I’ve had the privilege of working with over the years.

To all the folks on my new Neustar team.

I’ll ride that rollercoaster with each and every one of you. 🙌🏽

Be inspired,
SWP