Be Somebody
It was a bright Sunday morning. We always enjoy our morning walks. We equally enjoy the conversation during the walk, as it covers a wide range of topics. Pratap started the conversation.
“What do you think is the most important role of teamwork in the successful implementation of any project?”
“You said it. The successful implementation of any project depends on the team, or rather I would say the team members.”
“I always find that your answers are very sharp. Can you please elaborate little more especially regarding the team members?”
“Without going into too many details, I will elaborate on few important points here. In an ideal team all the members are totally committed, dedicated, well connected with each other, and work towards a common goal without any prompting. I will quote a small story which shows what happens in a normal situation.
‘There was an important work to be completed by a team of four namely Anybody, Everybody, Somebody and Nobody. It was a simple task which ANYBODY could do. EVERYBODY thought that SOMEBODY will do it. But NOBODY did it.’
In the case of an ideal team, EVERYBODY steps into the shoes of SOMEBODY. Everybody does his job without any prompting and without expecting any applause.
We can all step in to the shoes of SOMEBODY. Don’t wait for any prompting or expect any applause for the job done. I will quote a few live examples:
- You are travelling in the car on a narrow road at night. The visibility is very poor. Immediately after taking a turn, you notice a stone lying on the road, and you could avert an accident only because you were vigilant. In this situation, most people would continue their journey. But SOMEBODY stops the car and removes the stone from the road and continues the journey.
2. You go in the morning to the neighborhood park for jogging every day. The park is well maintained with separate jogging track. One day, on the midway you notice a small branch of a tree, which is obstructing your way. In this situation, most people will take a U turn and complete their round. But SOMEBODY removes the branch from the track and continues the jogging.
3. Sometimes, you see few things out of place when you come back home from the office. It is quite unusual to find a scene like this. Instead of screaming and investigating to find out the culprits, SOMEBODY keeps back the things in place.”
“It’s indeed a thought-provoking explanation.” Commented Pratap.
