Relatability Is Sustainability


December 19, 2012

It blows my mind how some businesses continue to thrive even in a down economy. And some church staffs just seem to hit home runs with about everything they try. Then there are those organizations that may even seem to be “a hit” on paper but then end up being absolute strike outs in their actual arena of work.

So what causes some teams to continue working well together even when they face adversity? And what is the reason that some great individuals can’t seem to work well together when they’re teamed up together?

Now we’re talking about people here. So let’s just admit that there’s no simple, just-do-this kind of thing that magically makes everything work out. We can’t allow ourselves to be deceived into thinking that people are like science equations. Just find x and suddenly you solve the problem.

However, I do think there are certain keys to teamwork that unlock doors of opportunity. There are certain patterns you can track that show what makes a good team work and what makes a bad team not work. And I think this key we’re looking at today is one that is absolutely paramount to a well-functioning business or ministry.

One of my favorite sports movies is the incredibly popular Remember the Titans. It’s so popular with many of us because the story is captivating. Here you have these high school guys who are, on both sides, trained to not like the other side. So you have essentially two teams within one team. And not surprisingly, it doesn’t work!

It’s not until later on in the movie, when the coach gets them to tackle the walls of racism and stereotyping, that they are able to be a team. And what has happened? They’ve been able to relate. And it is their being able to relate to one another that allows them to play together, win together, and stay together. All of a sudden they see the common things they share more clearly and prominently than the differences.

The encouraging thing we should see here is that an unhealthy organization was turned into an incredibly healthy one. It’s not written in stone. Relatability is something you can produce as long as you’re willing to put the work into it. In your organization there are probably people you more naturally do get along with and then some that you naturally do not get along with. What we need to do is to find ways of relating at least on some level with the people that we work with so that we have a common understanding of each other and what makes us tick. That way we can actually work together.

What we’re talking about here is not uniformity but unity. That means we’re not saying everyone in the organization needs to be pretty much the same person. They don’t all need to like the same things, talk the same way, and even work in the same way. But what they do need to do is be able to relate to the different ways people talk, think, and work.

I’m convinced that if a team will succeed they have to get along. It’s worth fighting for, because it is what starts, builds, and sustains a quality team.

Where have you seen relatability present and working? And where have you maybe seen it absent and not working?