I recently recalled an Afila Group meeting I facilitated several years ago. There was great discussion surrounding various strategic issues. However, the most poignant moment of the morning was a conversation I had with our host for the day.
This member and I are both former basketball players. We got to talking about how he reached out to his old high school teammates about getting together for a day. Most of these teammates hadn't seen one another in years. They all bought in quickly. They started emailing about various remembrances of their times together and none of them pertained to any specific wins or losses. The notes were all about the fun times and experiences they shared.
We then talked about how such a camaraderie can develop amongst co-workers. This member worked at a large food company and he told me a story about how he had connected with a few people from back then. They didn't talk about the time they took over majority market share from a competitor. They talked about the wonderful things they did together, the bonding experiences they all enjoyed.
It is often said that business is business, it's not personal. That's BS. Great teams become personally invested in one another. Great customer relationships happen not only because of meeting business needs, but because there are relationships that enhance the experience.
The Four Fundamental Forces of Leadership run deeply through such teams. There is Love in those relationships, interactions, struggles and victories. The team Respects situations, other points of view and finds new ways to transform. They look to Serve themselves and one another to become as successful as possible. They also remember all the Fun times they had; there was a great deal of Joy.
The next time you have a choice between practicing an aloof, managerial style and really connecting with your fellow employees, choose wisely. Remember that the teams you were on that were successful, they was a lot of personal in them.