Challenging Times Can be Fond Distant Memories

If you noticed that I haven’t posted many new things lately, it’s because I have been spending my time reading a book and going on a vacation. Yes, I have a whole bunch of books that I haven’t finished or started so I set a goal for myself to complete one no matter what. With the vacation on top of that, it actually gave me some time to think. This post is a combination of thoughts coming from the book (Leaders Eat Last –by Simon Sinek) and the idle times I had during my vacation.

Ever wondered why a lot of people would tell a story about the times they went through hardships as though it was a fun memory or even take pride in it? It can be as extreme as life-threatening situations or just heavy crunch time at work. This got me thinking especially the book mentioned that we humans are hard-wired as a social creature and works best together.

I come from a smaller town in Indonesia, while my childhood was relatively great and comfortable, there was a period where the country got really unstable in the 90s. That was the time when we had life-threatening riots all over the place, my hometown included. I remember we have food and water stocked up in case we are unable to leave the house. I remember the sewed up cash and papers inside our clothing just in case we need to escape by ourselves even though I was in my early teens back then.

There was this particular night that sticks in my head until now. It was the time when we had to stay up all night on guard in case we were stormed by looters. The whole family banded together to ensure we protect each other.  I had a golf stick in my hands all the time, my younger brother slept in his full clothes, my parents doing night watch and having the car ready just in case.

Oddly enough, as scary as it was, I thought it was the time where we work extremely hard as a family and I think it actually strengthened our bonds.

Thanks to the “Leaders Eat Last” I now understand that the point was not the situation itself. Rather that we were there getting through the tough times together as a family. We were there together!

This is why in any organizations, it’s really important that we invest on time and money to build team camaraderie. When the going gets tough, it’s not just skills that would get a company and a team through, rather it’s the sense of togetherness while going through the situation. No amount of money or promise of rewards will get a team through hard times as much as a sense of family and trust.

I hope this short post inspired you to invest more in team building events and exercises if you haven’t done so. The effect won’t be immediate but it is a worthy investment. Over time, a strong team will have product ownership. With that care for the company, hopefully, the team can create top quality products.