Commitment to Other’s Success
The most effective teams are populated by people who commit to one another’s success. That is not simply an opinion or an observation, but is born out by my own research on teamwork. The research studied twenty-eight factors that were believed to influence team effectiveness. Two of those factors stood out as the most important. The first, commitment to a common purpose, seemed obvious. The second, commitment to one another’s success, was a surprise. When I showed the research to the CEO of a public utility, he asked, “So what am I to do with all the self-centered megalomaniacs in my management hierarchy?” I had no ready answer. Hire a psychotherapist maybe?
Hot Glass Is Cool
Sometimes organization development consultants get to do really interesting stuff! A while back, when I was active in that field, I visited Jacksonville University to foster collaborative efforts between its Davis College of Business and its Department of Visual Arts, and to lead a workshop about Genius At Work. While there I spent a few hours in the glass studio, watching students work glass; “kiln-forming” they call it.
Kiln-Forming At Jacksonville University (30 sec)
Creating art glass is a tender and fragile process, requiring extraordinary teamwork, plus personal balance, craftsmanship, grace, strength, and economy of motion. The work is not for people who are off-center. Amazing.
