Happy pre-Thanksgiving! If you’ve been loyal Teammate Tuesdays reader, you’re likely aware that Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday. (National Be a Good Teammate Day is my first—obviously!)
As a kid, I loved traveling to my grandmother’s house, watching the Macy’s Day Parade on TV, and then eating Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving gatherings at my grandmother’s house were huge. She came from a big family and all of my uncles, aunts, and cousins came to those dinners.
Shortly after we sat down to eat, one of my uncles would inevitably shout, “Where’s the good gravy?”
Despite preparing a feast of amazing food, my grandmother would inevitably forget to put the gravy dish on the table. Her oversight seemed to happen every year.
On the surface, my uncles calling attention to her oversight was borderline rude. However, anyone familiar with the situation knew it was in actuality a tremendous compliment.
Everybody loved my grandmother’s gravy. She took pride in painstakingly making it from scratch, refusing to even entertain the idea of serving her guests pre-made, store-bought gravy.
To be clear, none of us had anything against the jars of gravy from the grocery store. They tasted fine. But the pride my grandmother took in her gravy made it just a little bit more special, hence my uncles’ eagerness in wanting to know where the “good” gravy was.
Gravy is a complimentary dish. No one would ever sit down and eat a bowl of gravy. Turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and stuffing can all be enjoyed on their own. But not gravy.
Yet, gravy is what ties the meal together. The addition of gravy makes those other dishes taste better.
Good teammates are a lot like good gravy. On their own, good teammates don’t necessarily possess the talents to be their teams’ superstars. Yet their willingness to encourage, support, and sacrifice makes their teams better. Their selfless mindsets bind their teams’ cultures and facilitate their teams’ success.
Unfortunately, sometimes these contributions go unrecognized—an oversight that impedes their teams’ success.
This Thanksgiving, while you’re pouring gravy over your meal, take a minute to pour over the contributions of the good teammates on your team. Have you recognized these individuals lately? Have you conveyed your gratitude?
If not, this week is the perfect opportunity to let them know how thankful you are for their continued encouragement, support, and sacrifice.
Shout their praises for all to hear with the same fervor as my uncles when they shouted for the good gravy.
May you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. And if you’re shopping on Black Friday, consider buying someone you care about a copy of one of my books.
Use the discount code GRAVY to get free shipping and an additional 10% off your order when you order directly from my website. Think of it as my way of saying thank you for your continued interest in my work.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
