Newsletter - April 2005

CARS ARE REPLACEABLE, PEOPLE AREN’T

On Friday evening 1st April I was driving home from Beaudesert south of Brisbane. I was driving north on the Mt Lindsay Highway and entered an intersection with traffic lights. I had the green light. As I traversed the intersection a small red car appeared in front of my Nissan Patrol four wheel drive. There was no way I could stop and I ploughed into the vehicle on the passenger side. There was a resounding crunch of crushing metal and broken glass. When I came to a halt I saw the body of a young woman slumped over the steering wheel of what was left of that red car.

I've been working in Beaudesert for six months now delivering a small business accelerator program with two colleagues. The program has been a great success and we have now finished the first and started the second program. It consists of ten days face to face training and fifteen hours of business coaching for each participant. I was returning from one of those sessions when my world was turned on its end.

Fortunately for me the young girl driving the other vehicle walked away from the accident with only a scratch on her temple, I was uninjured save for a sore neck. My car sustained $11,000 dollars damage and her car was a complete write off and fit only for a wrecking yard. I am now without a car for three weeks while mine is being repaired, she has to find another vehicle.

So what's the point to this story? Cars are replaceable, people aren't. I have written articles before on values and never before have I been challenged in such a way to examine my values. I was at first very upset about the accident. Initially I was in shock, then I became dismayed that due to no fault of my own I was to be inconvenienced for three weeks without my regular transport, plus I had to hire a car as my business doesn't work without a car.

The more I thought about it the more I began to realise that this was merely a minor inconvenience in my life's journey. I came to realise that people are more important than possessions and as I said before cars are replaceable.

I examined my values and reprioritised what was important for me at that moment in time. Values are interesting things, they drive our decisions and they underpin our actions. Are you clear on what your values are? Does your team have a set of agreed values? Do you all know what drives the team's decision making? Do you know what underpins the team's decision making process?

Take a moment to think about your values, list them down. Share what you value most about working in your team with your colleagues. You may be surprised to hear what they share back with you.

CONFLICT IN TEAMS IS AVOIDABLE

Ieam leaders often come to me for help long after the conflict has begun. Follow these simple steps and you can avoid conflict or at best arrest it’s development.

1. Keep your staff up to date with what’s happening
2. Establish rapport with everyone in your team
3. Tell the truth
4. Never put anyone down in the team
5. Never favour one team member over another
6. Lead by example, do as you say and as you do
7. Give positive feedback in public often
8. Give negative feedback in private immediately it becomes necessary
9. Always be willing to listen
10. Share your vision so everyone understands why you are taking this course of action