Absolutely lovely. Once again your message is expansive. You are addressing the wonderful way's people can find hours of commonality and flourishing together outside their working lives, and you have also reminded me to contemplate how we bring some of that fun and shared short-term goal mindset into our working lives.
Here's the short story: Next Wednesday will be my husband and my last day of work in our busy dental practice. Together - we are both dentists - we have nurtured a dental team there (12-17 professionals) for 37 years and almost everything in your piece, Carl, could apply.
Sure, we had to put on our "business hats" as a team from time to time, but really, the team we will miss now had a greater vision - keeping the humanity in healthcare. Hour-by-hour for decades that was our team rallying point, our shared goal. We were practicing healthcare in an old-school manner: gave every patient our home phone number, knew all about their families, even made house calls from time to time.
And a team took shape around that common value: connection.
Today, with yet another wonderful essay, you've reminded me that we will need to find some new teams in our life. And we will look for them in new ways, after reading your insights.
You've made me realize that we probably attracted a certain kind of employee... people who valued relationships, loved serving others, and had found what they were uniquely built to contribute. Our whole team - without any coaching - were the kind of people who understood that when we focused on the well-being of others, then the "business" details worked out just fine.
And much like your ball hockey afternoons, every day for our team was about the small personal wins of making each patient feel like the only person we saw that day... and the sheer joy we all had while doing it TOGETHER.
That's proably the ethos we will continue to enjoy in the next teams in our lives.
Thanks Carl, now that retirement is a week away, you have inspired me to put something new on my to-do list here in the next 6 months: join or create another team(s) of some sort!
Thanks for a thought provoking read. I don't do any sport these days but I have sung in a choir for the last decade. I joined when I stopped working full time...as in working for money... we're still working at something I reckon. I didn't know anyone in the choir except the director and the pianist both of whom are daughters of a friend and I'd known them both since they were kids. I did have to steel myself to go. It felt a bit like going to a party where you don't know anyone, you can't have a drink because you're driving and as soon as you're in you're wondering how soon you can leave. But I did stick with the choir and have made new friends and acquaintances and been part of a team effort to sing better, rehearse for performances and achieve prizes at festivals. One of the huge positives for me is its intergenerational nature which ranges from women in the 20s upwards. A choir is a different slant from a sports team but when you're standing in your place on stage ready to sing you definitely feel the team's strength.
Absolutely lovely. Once again your message is expansive. You are addressing the wonderful way's people can find hours of commonality and flourishing together outside their working lives, and you have also reminded me to contemplate how we bring some of that fun and shared short-term goal mindset into our working lives.
Here's the short story: Next Wednesday will be my husband and my last day of work in our busy dental practice. Together - we are both dentists - we have nurtured a dental team there (12-17 professionals) for 37 years and almost everything in your piece, Carl, could apply.
Sure, we had to put on our "business hats" as a team from time to time, but really, the team we will miss now had a greater vision - keeping the humanity in healthcare. Hour-by-hour for decades that was our team rallying point, our shared goal. We were practicing healthcare in an old-school manner: gave every patient our home phone number, knew all about their families, even made house calls from time to time.
And a team took shape around that common value: connection.
Today, with yet another wonderful essay, you've reminded me that we will need to find some new teams in our life. And we will look for them in new ways, after reading your insights.
You've made me realize that we probably attracted a certain kind of employee... people who valued relationships, loved serving others, and had found what they were uniquely built to contribute. Our whole team - without any coaching - were the kind of people who understood that when we focused on the well-being of others, then the "business" details worked out just fine.
And much like your ball hockey afternoons, every day for our team was about the small personal wins of making each patient feel like the only person we saw that day... and the sheer joy we all had while doing it TOGETHER.
That's proably the ethos we will continue to enjoy in the next teams in our lives.
Thanks Carl, now that retirement is a week away, you have inspired me to put something new on my to-do list here in the next 6 months: join or create another team(s) of some sort!
- Dr. Lynda Ulrich
Thanks for a thought provoking read. I don't do any sport these days but I have sung in a choir for the last decade. I joined when I stopped working full time...as in working for money... we're still working at something I reckon. I didn't know anyone in the choir except the director and the pianist both of whom are daughters of a friend and I'd known them both since they were kids. I did have to steel myself to go. It felt a bit like going to a party where you don't know anyone, you can't have a drink because you're driving and as soon as you're in you're wondering how soon you can leave. But I did stick with the choir and have made new friends and acquaintances and been part of a team effort to sing better, rehearse for performances and achieve prizes at festivals. One of the huge positives for me is its intergenerational nature which ranges from women in the 20s upwards. A choir is a different slant from a sports team but when you're standing in your place on stage ready to sing you definitely feel the team's strength.