The late, great John Wooden, the legend of UCLA and college basketball – and leadership, in general – is credited as having said, “A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group — that’s teamwork. The star of the team is the team. ‘We’ supersedes ‘me.'”
As we leave the week where we celebrated Administrative Professionals’ Day, I feel it appropriate to take some time to dwell on the importance of the team concept and how its successful application is so important to a small business and, by extension, all those that business serves.
Simply put, Bmore Attorney is blessed to have a great team. Everyone on the team knows the goals we’re trying to achieve and the steps necessary to attain those goals. (I should mention at the outset that I take no credit for any of this. I’ve been beyond fortunate that so many quality people with tremendous work ethic, dedication, and emotional intelligence have found their way into the Bmore Family.) Everyone knows their role but – importantly – is willing to adapt to assume different responsibilities as the day, task, or project may require. Everyone is willing to step up and step in to help a colleague who may need assistance due to illness, personal circumstances beyond their control, or any other reason.
In theory, it may sound simple; but how many teams have you been a part of where one (or more) person(s) declines to help out or consistently does the bare minimum, saying “That’s not my job,” or “They don’t pay me to do that,” ignoring the fact that their refusal to help doesn’t just hurt the business, it hurts their teammates around them.
Mindset within a team is so critical, as well. Admittedly, working “in the weeds” on some of the minutiae within a project may not “spark joy.” But these details are essential to finishing a job efficiently, quickly, and successfully. Keeping an eye on the bigger picture while dialing in on the minute details of a task is of paramount importance.
Taking stock of the “wins” that result from a job successfully completed – individually and collectively – is critical, as well. I will say that, as a small business owner, and as a law firm owner of a practice that tends to be litigation-heavy, the past few years have been difficult – particularly where courts have been closed or, still now, operating at a significantly lower capacity than pre-covid. But having a team that felt more like family than a group of employees, and knowing that we had each other’s backs, particularly during a difficult time, made it easier to push through. To be in “thrival” mode instead of survival mode. And celebrating the wins along the way – and keeping a healthy sense of humor when things weren’t going so smoothly – helps to bring everyone together and maintain the vision of the bigger picture.
And so I enjoy this time to take stock of Bmore’s biggest WIN of all: the people that make Bmore what it is – a team. The Bmore Fam. To paraphrase Coach Wooden, I’m blessed to have not just great players individually, but players who happen to be great- but who make the team even better. I get a lot of credit as the attorney when things go right, but my team knows (because I tell them as often as I can) that they deserve all the credit. Anything I can do to make my case in court is because of innumerable steps and tasks along the way that have been proficiently and deftly handled by various team members. Our clients are better served because of the great squad behind each case. The credit goes to where it is most decidedly earned and deserved – to the Bmore Team.
On behalf of myself and all our clients, past and present (and future!), I say: thank you to the Bmore team! There’s no one else I’d want to huddle up with every day to ensure that our clients get what they deserve – the best in client service, from Day 1 all the way through to their case’s conclusion, whether by settlement or in the courtroom.