How I chose to not let my team down

#94 - a week of wet and wind

Hi there,

This weekend hasn’t felt ‘productive’, by the yardstick of getting a lot of work done. But maybe it doesn’t need to be. That too after a stressful week with the MAT exam on Thursday. I’ve had a good rest, gotten a few things done and that’s fine. And there are 4 days of school left before I can properly decompress and unpack a hectic first 7 weeks.

Highlight of the week: my music rehearsals on Friday. Starting the day with Funky Bishops in the morning ahead of our performance on Tuesday, where I loved playing Watermelon Man and then finishing the day with Orchestra, playing a challenging Christmas* piece quite well.

*Only 2 months to go now! I’m enjoying adopting the cheesy mindset of looking forward to Christmas.

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Whenever I’ve gone to career events and application/CV tips sessions, there is an emphasis on teamwork. I’ve realised so far this year, working with and leading a team of 44 people along with my fellow School Captain Esther, why it’s vital to get it right. It’s a lot of emotional management, making people feel like they are doing a fair amount of work, that they are being valued and involved and there is a balance between them having my support and being able to do their own thing, with ensuring your ideas and thoughts are taken on board and come across.

A moment this week taught me the importance of how “not letting the team down” has 2 versions. There is the more common version of making sure you are doing your contribution well so that your peers’ time is not wasted and a successful outcome is landed upon. However, there’s also the side of sticking up for your teammates and not making your team look bad when something goes wrong, especially when speaking to others about it.

Earlier in the week, I was supposed to send our weekly sports report for the newsletter out on Wednesday night, the first week in which we’d agreed to send it slightly earlier. Unfortunately, the sports officers weren’t able to get it sorted in time and we ended up sending it a day later on the Thursday.

On Thursday morning, before my MAT, I wanted to take my mind off maths by clicking through some emails. It’s then that I decided to inform the person i/c the newsletter that it will have to be sent in the evening. As I was writing this email I had a choice to make:

“Do I mention the sports officers saying ‘they haven’t done it in time’ since I don’t want it to appear as if it was my fault that it was late? [as a side note, I’ve recently learnt that I hate letting others down, something my Economics teacher remarked about me and said “It’s totally fine, it’s part of life”] Or do I word it differently?” In the end, this is how I sent the email.

I am sorry that I haven't been able to send you the report this morning, it is not quite ready yet. I will aim to get it sent to you by 5pm today.

And I was glad I did that - I didn’t point fingers at people in my own team or “throw them under the bus”. To relate to a Simon Sinek quote I’d read earlier in the week,

“Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about looking after those in our charge.”

I certainly didn’t want to risk protecting my image at the cost of one of the sports officers feeling like I didn’t appreciate their work. The feeling of someone not respecting you, your efforts or feelings is crippling.

Thinking about this reminded me of a podcast episode I’d listened to featuring Harsha Bhogle, one of my favourite cricket commentators. In talking about how the success of a broadcast is underpinned by the people behind the scenes, he said

If you get it wrong, all their work looks bad. But some days, they will be wrong too and then, you need to cover up for them because then they will come back and will enjoy working with you. If a producer says “You were professional today”, that is the ultimate compliment a presenter can get.

Professionalism is a skill (?) that these student leadership roles can really catalyse; you develop these naturally with maturity and going through your education, but having to communicate with many people and work together in delivering successful projects - like the world of work - can really help. Ultimately, it’s about making everybody feel like they are in a place where they want to be and enjoy your company, such that they are driven towards the success of the team.

Ultimately, it’s about being a nice person to work with and trying to support each other. If you have your teammates’ back when they screw up, they will have yours when you screw up. I find myself again returning to one of my unwritten rules in life of treat others how you would like to be treated.

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Podcast of the week🎙️

Huberman Lab - Tim Ferriss: How to Learn Better & Create Your Best Future

Officially the longest podcast episode I‘ve listened to (and I overcame some FOMO by skipping over some of the psychedelic talk) but lots to takeaway as well as being able to learn more about a pretty famous guy and his life.

Article of the week

This city turns sewage into drinking water in 24 hours. The concept is catching on.

It sounds gross at first but it is clearly working and may be necessary, given how uncertain our weather patterns are getting.

Quote of the week💬

The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking - Eckhart Tolle

Here’s to you working successfully in your team this week, whether it’s sports, at work, or even your family.

Adi