Teams
We recently had some movement on the TCA team–a couple months ago, we bid farewell to a beloved team member and welcomed a new team member in a new role. We’ve also got a couple new partners who are popping in more and more frequently. Each of these folks is fabulous–uniquely talented and always bringing their strengths to bear–and the work keeps growing. It’s an exciting time!
As all of this has been happening, I (Christine, Head of Client Services; hi!) have found myself in a frustrating spot. I recently moved my family to a new state and that, not to mention life continuing at a breakneck speed, has put me in a seemingly permanent brain fog. I keep messing things up and missing things at work and I can’t seem to catch my breath. This has never happened to me before, certainly not for this long. It sucks.
As I’m slogging through the mental mud and attempting to keep pace with my fleet and fabulous teammates, I’m reminded of a recent episode of Brene Brown’s leadership podcast, Dare to Lead, in which Simon Sinek recounts his research on the platonic ideal of teams, the Navy SEALS.
The SEALS are a high-performing, well-oiled machine of accountability, efficiency, and trust. And if Hollywood has it right (don’t they always?!?!?), they’re steely-eyed, muscled, and covered in tattoos. However, according to Sinek, what’s interesting and a little counterintuitive about the SEALS is that the folks who make it through that grueling training aren’t necessarily the toughest strongest, fastests, or the smartest of the recruits. Instead, they’re the ones who continue to show up for their teammates when they’re completely depleted, totally out of juice. They simply don’t give up on themselves or on their crew.
A high-performing team doesn’t need to be a bunch of high-performers; just a group of people who show up for each other consistently. This is GREAT news for me right now. I know I’m not at my best and I’m not sure when things will stabilize, but I’m committed to continuing to show up, do my work, and support my team. I’m lucky: my TCA boos are always down to do the same.