I love the beauty of fall foliage. Mother Nature always seems to pick the perfect combination of colors. She chooses just the right amount of reds, yellows, and oranges to paint a foliage masterpiece.
Unfortunately, I don’t get to experience the changing of the leaves where I live in Florida the way I did growing up in Pennsylvania. Palm trees generally stay the same color throughout year. Don’t get me wrong, I love palm trees and a lot of other aspects of living in Florida. But this time of year, I miss the colors of the leaves.
As a boy, I enjoyed running and jumping into piles of raked leaves. As a teenager, I enjoyed earning money raking leaves for my grandmother. As an adult, I loathed racking leaves, but I enjoyed watching my daughters play in them.
Of course, I also enjoyed the colorful backdrop the leaves provided for all those memories.
Humans tend to not appreciate the beauty of an experience until it becomes a memory. The key to maximizing life is to cherish the beauty of the moment while you’re living it. This philosophy applies to being a good teammate.
Like the leaves, teams change every season. No two teams are ever the same. The addition of new members and departure of others alters team dynamics. Responsibilities change. Roles evolve. Yet standards remain.
How effectively team members embrace the change without abandoning standards will determine the new team’s success.
One of the hardest obstacles to overcome during this transitional period is replacing the loss of the team’s most experienced members. Good teammates realize change is inevitable and appreciate the limited amount of time they have to tap into the wisdom of their seasoned teammates—while those individuals are still part of the team.
Good teammates accomplish this through four steps:
1. They ask questions. Lots of questions! As time passes, people forget. Seasoned teammates are no exception, which is why good teammates ask them detailed questions about procedures, techniques, and operations before that knowledge fades.
2. They prod seasoned teammates to tell stories. Sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know—or need to know. We aren’t able to ask question about topics of which we are unaware. Prodding seasoned teammates to tell stories about their time on the team can be enlightening, especially in regards to team history.
3. They shut up, sit back, listen, and absorb. We learn through listening, not speaking. When seasoned teammates speak, good teammates become intentional listeners. They don’t compromise the opportunity by allowing their mind to wander or by thinking about their next they want to say. They absorb what the seasoned teammates are saying.
4. They document what they learned. Good teammates understand that their memories are also susceptible to fading as time passes, so they document what they learn from seasoned teammates. Preserved wisdom leads to perpetuated success.
The beauty of fall foliage lasts but for a brief period, as does that of seasoned teammates. Tap into their knowledge. Capture their wisdom. But most importantly, cherish their presence.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
