ON “HONOR” AND KNOWING YOUR TEAM - A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.........

The other day I got my hands on a very old postal first day cover, showing the Chetwood Hall at the Indian Military Academy located at Dehradun. That got me contemplating on the inscription written at the Chetwood Hall, by which we passed out as “Officers and Gentlemen” 42 years ago. Our spanking new uniform tunics crinkling in slow March, to the tune of Auld Lang Syne (incidentally written by Robert Burns) and played by the Indian Military Academy Brass Band. The Inscription read something like this.                    
"The safety, honor and welfare of your country comes first, always and every time. The safety, honor, welfare and comfort of the men you command, comes next. Your own ease, comfort and safety comes last, always and every time." 

Picking out the second line “The safety, honor, welfare and comfort of the men you command, comes next.” The word “Honor” stands out ever so brightly, especially when it is connected to team members, working in teams. As a matter of fact this complete line could be called the Bible of Team leadership. The word “Honor” here not just refers to what is reflected about the team member outside, but importantly how he looks at himself inside.

During my 28 year stint in the Indian Army as a Signals Officer, I learnt some very important lessons. One or two I have already shared with my readers. One of the most unforgettable lessons was the importance of team work. It was drilled into me, right from the times we were Gentlemen Cadets (GC’s) undergoing our Training at The Indian Military Academy, to the day I finally hung up my uniform 16 years ago. Tomes have been written on Leadership and Team Work and it’s a multibillion dollar Industry worldwide. I have nothing to say on that.

What I want to do today is to just share my observations on the subject very simplistically with respect to “Honor” of Team members working with us as Team Leaders. 

One fact I realize, which stands up above all else is that, “We have to carry” our team’s weakest member with the team. No amount of team or individual success is ever worth it, if we abandon any weak member and discard his/her services. The cost is “loss of honor” for that member. When we delve into reasons for this happening, it is always primarily a failure of the Team Leader than maybe the rest of the team members. Another reason I observed was that the Leader did not know his men as thoroughly as he should have. In the Army there are some practices by which we take care of our own. As team Leaders, we drink from the same mug; we eat from the same plate, feel their moments of distress and are there to share. As Team Leaders we are a part of the team when they are undergoing physical or technical Training, or on the hockey or football fields. 

We trust our teams to do the job and with our life. They too trust us, that as their leaders the team is more to us than our personal successes. Most importantly our team members have faith and trust that their “Honor or Izzat”, external or internal, will always be maintained, at all costs in an appropriate manner. May it be Training support, Emotional support, physical support whatever, it will always be forthcoming. Off course nobody can be perfect and we do have shortfalls. Being Human is human. Yet The Indian Army is the finest in the world. You will find over the ages, that in battle, the maximum casualties have been team leaders at all levels. That speaks tons.

After my retirement in 1997, I took up a second career (I call it as Phase II of my life) as a teacher, Trainer and Facilitator. As a teacher I chose to teach at a University and in colleges as an external faculty. As a Trainer and Facilitator, I started working with Manufacturing and Service Industry. Over the last 15 years I have had the chance to work with International Corporations like Mercedes, SKF Bearings, Sandvik Asia, Volvo, Thyssen Krupp to name a few, as well as Indian Companies like Kirloskars, Finolex, JK and a few others. As far as service industry is concerned, I have been a faculty at the Staff Colleges and Training Centers of Bank of Baroda and Bank of Maharashtra. So also I had a stint as a Personal Development Trainer and Facilitator for the Ratnagiri District Police Force some time ago.

I have picked on the second line of what is inscribed at the Chetwood hall for a reason. Therein is contained the word “Honor” of the men you command. This means you have to protect the honor of each member of your team before your own, always and every time.

What is meant by Honor of the men in your team? I feel it means how they look at themselves in terms of: integrity, principles, morality, honesty, goodness, fairness, decency, righteousness, probity, rectitude, trustworthiness and uprightness.

Shakespeare put it simply "If I lose mine honor," "I lose myself" [Antony and Cleopatra]

Can we really afford to let a team member, loose himself his “honor” within his own eyes and self and outside? No we certainly cannot. It will result in a myriad of problems in the team, starting from failure to reach assigned objectives right up to the disintegration of the team. Who is responsible? It’s The Team Leader. Money cannot by Honor.

Let us look at our “Team Family” as a start point. Here are a few examples of making your team members loose honor within their own eyes and self. Are you as a Team Leader, or head of family, may be as a father or mother protecting the honor of your children, wife/husband and anyone who stays with you? I can think of many incidences but they will differ from culture to culture. Yet one will get the idea with a couple I narrate here.
Think of the times when you blamed your son if the car did not start or you did not find your papers? Of the times when you yelled at your daughter being improperly dressed for a function? Over the times when you were distraught over the company she kept? Or yelled at your son for driving the motorbike into the fence? Or for him not doing well in academics? Telling your wife how stupid she is, can’t keep up with the house accounts. The list will be endless.

On closer inspection you will realize that you as head of Team Family are not protecting the Honor of your family members. How much time do you spend with your team members? Do you really know your wife/husband your children well? Do you remember that you told your son to charge the car battery on Sunday, but have you trained or shown him how to do it? Did you tell him to keep your important papers in the drop drawer of your Roll top? Did you know your daughters dressing habits and tell your daughter in time, what dress you would like her wear. Did you try to ever meet your daughter’s friends and get to know them, understand their thinking before writing them off at the cost of distancing your daughter? Did you teach your wife how to organize the house accounts and what you would like to expect from her? Well now try and put yourself in their shoes.

How would it be if you as Head of Team Family   :

1. Organized your home with some common purpose with clearly defined objectives for each team member.

2.  Made everybody committed to some goals

3.  Created synergy by understanding each other first then working together.

4.  Had open communication channels, the result of knowing your team members well.

5.  If you promoted trust and agreed to do whatever was necessary to overcome shortfalls. Including training your charges, their safety and welfare and protecting their honor.

6.  Encouraged mutual support and tried to practice empathy with your wife and children.

7.  Changed your interactions to problem solving rather than blaming.

8.  You will realize that all the above requires you to know your family in depth. In essence you require to devote more time for your family to know them, understand there feelings, their capabilities so also their shortcomings. You have to carry all of them for a joyful and successful life.

If you look closely the same principles apply at your place of work, Society and finally your country.

While working in Industry as a Trainer and Facilitator I found that very few leaders knew their team members well. It was mostly shift to shift or 9 to 5 interaction. As a leader if you do not know your men well, it is difficult to protect their honor. I realized that many team issues: be it productivity, quality, discipline, absenteeism, habitual late coming and trouble making mostly boiled down to the team members “honor” ground in the dust, due to  leaders not knowing their charges or team members well. In fact I have seen Training Matrices being prepared by Team Leaders without  properly knowing the capability of charges, to the extent of not even asking the concerned team member his assessment of himself . Spending extra time with them was a far cry. Obviously at some stage that particular worker will contribute to some shortfall in production either in Quality or Quantity. He will be blamed and put on some other work, end of his honor. This is seen at all levels.

Some aspects of knowing your men other than your interactions in office or the shop floor:

1.  Caste.

2.  Village/Native Place

3.  Educational Qualification

4.  Division/Merit.

5.  School where studied.

6.  College where studied.

7.  Name of father.

8.  Profession of Father.

9.  Where is father living alive or not.

10.  Name of Mother alive or not.

11.  Number of Brothers and sisters.

12.  Details of married Sisters.

12.  Name of his Wife. Date of birth.

13.  Names of his children.

14.  Where do the children study.

15.  Details of property.

16.  Details of transport.

17.  Family/Property disputes if any.

18.  His aspiration for his children.

19.  His aspirations for himself.

Ø  Have you met his children?

19.  Have you had a meal with him outside or in the company cafeteria?

20.  How many times have you talked to him about his personal life?

21.  Have you visited his home?

22.  Do you wish him on his festivals?

23.  Do you wish him on birthdays?

24.  Has your wife visited his family? How many times?

25.  Do you take time to visit him/her during sicknesses?

If one really follows the principle of “Knowing your team” then you will find that the team will work wonders. A pat on the back on the shop floor, some time spent there with your man, a casually asked question how is your training going? Do you now feel confident to operate the robot welding station? What happened yesterday about the quality of weld? You will get ample feedback. At the lunch table a quiet empathic chat about things at home, will elicit a flood of responses, so also you will come to know your team member better. People told me that this system of team working does not work anymore.  I worked this in industry and it brought wonderful results. The plus point also was that Leaders now started facing their in authenticities or Facades, that in itself is not a minor achievement. I can tell you if you are an authentic and a genuine person while dealing with your team, you get back more than what you give, in terms of everything, including fulfillment of objectives and much much more. You will in addition get back exactly the honor which you have promised to, and protected in your team members: integrity, principles, morality, honesty, goodness, fairness, decency, righteousness, probity, rectitude, trustworthiness and uprightness. Money cannot after all buy Honor. Though there are some systems which equate only money to performance. Well that is not exactly a happy state. After having done and said everything we deal with people and their joyfulness is of paramount importance.

If you can carry the team to its objective with the honor of the whole team intact, you have done your job well. You may or may not get accolades for your efforts but you would have gained people. After all life is about people, but rest assured when you work for the honor of the team and its members, it is the best way of honing an outstanding team.

This reminds me of a story……

 Sometimes we forget the most important lessons life has to teach us………

In olden times, a fable retells the story of the young athletic boy hungry for success, for whom winning was everything and success was measured by such a result.

One day, the boy was preparing himself for a running competition in his small native village, himself and two other young boys to compete. A large crowd had congregated to witness the sporting spectacle and a wise old man, upon hearing of the little boy, had travelled far to be a witness too.

The race commenced, looking like a level heat at the finishing line, but sure enough the boy dug deep and called on his determination, strength and power … he took the winning line and was first. The crowd was ecstatic and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man remained still and calm, expressing no sentiment. The little boy however, felt proud and important.

A second race was called, and two new young, fit, challengers came forward, to run with the little boy. The race was started and sure enough the little boy came through and finished first once again. The crowd was ecstatic again and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man yet remained still and calm, again expressing no sentiment. The little boy, however, felt proud and important.

"Another race, another race!" pleaded the little boy. The wise old man stepped forward and presented the little boy with two new challengers, an elderly frail lady and a blind man. "What is this?” quizzed the little boy. "This is no race" he exclaimed. "Race!” said the wise man. The race was started and the boy was the only finisher, the other two challengers left standing at the starting line. The little boy was ecstatic as he raised his arms in delight. The crowd, however, was silent showing no sentiment towards the little boy.

"What has happened? Why the people do not  join in my success?" he asked the wise old man. "Race again", replied the wise man, "...this time, finish together, all three of you, finish together" continued the wise man.
The little boy thought a little, stood in the middle of the blind man and the frail old lady, and then took the two challengers by the hand. The race began and the little boy walked slowly, ever so slowly, to the finishing line and crossed it. 
The crowd now was ecstatic and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man smiled, gently nodding his head. The little boy felt proud and important.

"Old man, I understand not! Who is the crowd cheering for? Which one of us three?” asked the little boy. The wise old man looked into the little boy's eyes, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders, and replied softly .. "Little boy, for this race you have won much more than in any race you have ever ran before, and for this race the crowd cheers not for any winner!"

Have a wonderful day…….

Ajay