It’s The Little Things

Jimboy’s Tacos, man is that place delicious. I was in the Sacramento area the other day and just had to stop by! (If you are ever in the Sacramento area, I highly recommend trying them out, they have many locations and are so amazing.)

PPC Ian At Jimboy's Tacos

I would have never known about Jimboy’s Tacos if it wasn’t for my amazing friend Suki (most amazing Executive Admin in existence), and that would have been really sad since Jimboy’s is so incredibly delicious. Suki scheduled regular team outings to restaurants like Jimboy’s. Suki has a passion for food. More importantly, however, Suki has a passion for her team, her people. She knew that something little, a single lunch, could literally transform someone’s day. It could get the creative juices flowing, it could become the genesis of the next big idea, it could create a lasting bond between teammates. Suki’s lunches became legendary and made our workplace enjoyable.

I’m here to submit a business leadership strategy for those who care about building amazing, long-lasting teams. I’m here to submit a business strategy for those who care about their people: Focus on the little things, especially the little things not directly tied to the work at hand. It’s the little things that make all the difference. It’s the little things that motivate, empower, and grow careers. It’s the little things that make life fun. As an employer, manager, teammate, or friend, you are responsible for others. Take that responsibility with great seriousness! Strive each and every day to make business amazing for everyone.

Perhaps lunch is not your thing. That’s ok, you have to find your unique way of creating culture. Some ideas I’d like the share (mix several of them and the little things will add up into tremendous culture):

Remember birthdays and do something special and unique for each of them. Include everyone from the team, make it a true celebration.
Take each team member to Starbucks once a week, on you. Spend your time together talking about the big picture, brainstorming big ideas.
Schedule a team lunch and movie day after each big milestone.
Don’t be cheap! Invest in your team and send them to the conferences that count. Even during a period of cost cutting, never save money at the expense of your team learning.
Have someone on your team that is working especially hard? Give then a half day off (or even a full day off). Tell them they don’t need to use PTO, and can save that for another day.
Don’t forget happy hour! Don’t want drinks at the workplace? My favorite happy hour had nothing to do with the drinks, and everything to do with the fresh Samosas each Friday.

Work in an environment with none of these fun, little things? You may have a boring culture, one that is prone to losing top talent. Take a step back from the work and invest time in your people. Find little ways to reward and empower. What you create may become legendary!

Suki, thanks for crafting all those special team lunches. Those are my highlights from our time working together, cherished memories I will not soon forget. Taco Thursday is now part of my schedule forever!

Image of PPC Ian at Jimboy’s Tacos © PPCIan.com
Jimboy’s sign and restaurant © Jimboy’s Tacos

Think you can do it all alone? Anyone who’s been in business for a while understands that this is impossible. As you navigate business and life, you’ll face challenges. Especially in a fast-paced corporate career, hurdles will present themselves. I enjoy the hurdles because they help me grow, build character, and are often exciting puzzles worth solving. However, what happens when things get truly challenging, seemingly impossible in nature? Look to your team for support. The best teams support each and every member of the team, the best teams offer each member of the team strength.

Support

I wrote a post a while back called The Values-Driven People Manager. That post was all about creating a great team environment and building your leadership skills. Today’s post is meant to be a continuation of that one, but a little broader in scope.

The lesson is simple: Everyone will face challenges. It doesn’t matter if you are the leader of the team, and hold a high title. It does not matter if this is your first job. It does not matter if you have been working 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years. Challenges present themselves.

The secondary lesson is also simple: Every single person on the team offers incredible value, ideas, and strength. The best ideas will come from anyone on the team.

Whenever a challenge presents itself to me, I tackle it with great strength, attitude, persistence, agility, and creativity. After all, challenges offer the ability to learn and grow, and they can be fun. However, what if a challenge becomes overwhelming? Don’t hesitate to tap into your team. Build a culture of helping others, especially those on your immediate team. Treat each team member like family. Think you don’t have the strength to overcome a challenge? You do, especially through your team. Share your challenge. Band together. Find creative solutions. Support each other. There is true strength in numbers, friendship, and collaboration. You would be surprised how much power and strength the team has collectively, it’s almost infinite.

(Of course, I’m assuming here you’re on a great team, one that wants to support each other. I navigate towards those types of teams, and hire those types of team members. If you do not find yourself in that type of environment, you will first need to either create or find that special team-oriented environment.)

My advice today is for everyone on the team. While I happen to be blessed as the team leader, I too face challenges. I know I’ve built a truly amazing team when I’m able to call up various members of the team to acquire the strength to overcome challenges. It makes me proud and honored to be part of that kind of team. The team is much greater and more powerful than any single person. Approach challenges as a team, and you will never fail. Most importantly, don’t feel discouraged. Recognize that you always have a great team that’s ready to support you along the way.