You’ve probably seen the poster. It may even be somewhere in your office building. The poster depicts four men in a boat rowing as one. It’s titled “Teamwork” and the caption reads “together we achieve more”. If you have this poster in your office, you’ve probably looked at it so many times that it no longer stands out. It’s become part of the furnishings. The message may even have lost its meaning.
Teamwork – let’s take another look
Notice that each man has an oar and they’re all pulling in the same direction. The men are in the same boat and each seat is occupied with someone who gets what he’s supposed to do, who wants to do it and looks like he has the capacity to do it, forever. It’s obvious that they will get to the same destination and they will get there faster as a team.
Does your team look like this? Do you share the same vision? Do you have clear expectations and the tools to win? Are you each in the boat? If not, this may be a good time to make the poster mean something. Together you will achieve more and you’ll achieve it more quickly.
