The Bright Side of Moving

At the end of June, Greg and I moved out of the home we’ve shared for 16 years. Prior to the move, it was seven months of sorting, organizing, disposing, donating, packing. I rank moving right up there with the night before a colonoscopy, putting on a bathing suit for the first time of the season, or forgetting that I chopped jalapeno peppers just before taking out my contacts – but I experienced something really cool during this whole move process that I’m excited to share with you. I witnessed one of the best high-performing teams in action, the team of six individuals from the moving company we contracted with. Here’s what it looked like:

1. The morning of the move, I met Dave, the team leader. We did a walk-through of the house, and then discussed what goes, what stays, and any special instructions – we basically created the vision for what needed to happen over the next few hours. While I was engaged with Dave, and unbeknownst to me, the rest of the team was prepping: getting out furniture covers, breaking down furniture, wrapping legs on tables, setting up ramps, putting out a water station. They weren’t standing around waiting to be told what to do, nor did they jump blindly into action. They were ensuring they had everything in place so when Dave said “go,” they’d be ready. And they were ready! After our walk-through, they all got together for a short conversation in the driveway, where Dave explained what needed to happen and who was doing what (he communicated vision, context, and standards). In literally minutes, the contents of my home were being moved into the big truck. They were ready to execute—or what we at Emergent call a “strong start.”
2. The team divided up into pairs, each pair tackling a different part of the house. As they worked together, I could see how each watched their partner closely, intuiting when, for example, their partner didn’t have a good grip on something heavy, or anticipating what tools the other would need, or seemingly reading the other’s mind for which way to exit the room (stairs or no stairs). They were each so tuned in to their partner, it was almost as if there was nothing else around them except for the other person and the item being lifted and moved. Their focus was intense.
3. There was music (“Alexa, play rock and roll” – their request), laughter, and friendly bantering. It was hot outside and hard work – and they were actually having fun!
4. There was no arguing, questioning decisions, complaining when someone took a 30-second break for water. They trusted each other completely. And when one had a different view on how something should get done, he spoke up, explained his idea, a decision was made quickly, and they moved forward together. Period. It was just that simple.

So how would you describe the team you are a part of?

Do they jump into action before really understanding the vision, context, and standards of what needs to get done?

How in tune are you/them with each other?

Are you having fun? Are they?

And is there a sense of openly sharing perspectives, quickly making a decision, and moving forward together?

Want more? Email me at cindy@getemergent.com or Cathy Gaynor at cathy@getemergent.com to talk more about our TeamFORWARD offering. (And if you are planning a move, it’s a little obvious I’d recommend you call Jennifer at Reliable Moving (315) 252-9214.)

Keep leading!