Want to go far? Go together!

I am the kind of guy that likes to do things on his own. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment and control. I have met a lot of people like me over the years. For example, I love running errands alone. I get the satisfaction of making a list and ‘banging them out’ usually against a time challenge in my mind. I like mowing the lawn, raking leaves, even shoveling snow. (Well, maybe not the snow as much).

In any case, when I work alone, I can think, dream, strategize, analyze and pray. In fact, I am great at long distance driving on my own. I can drive for 12-18 hours with just ‘potty breaks’ and to refresh my iced tea’. I develop internal mind challenges of trying to beat the GPS and arrive before the time it says I will arrive. And now that God has made Sirius/XM Radio, I almost never tire of driving.

Crazy huh? Some people right now are saying of course I do all that. Others are saying he is ‘off his rocker’.

I heard an African proverb recently that hit home: “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I loved it. It really helps me to understand my personal and professional life.

A couple of summers ago, Barb and I crossed an item off of our bucket list by renting an RV and traveling a couple thousand miles to various state parks, national monuments and noted sites. It was an awesome adventure (except for having to dump the ‘lines’ at the RV parks). I drove much of the time but Barb did a great deal of the driving as well. When she drove, I was able to go in the back to lie down, read, plan our next stop and just rest. Or we were able to talk. We talked about our lives from the time we met in college about 40 years ago till today. We talked about our children, their children, our blessings and our struggles. It was especially during these talks that I recognized how much we accomplished over a lifetime. In so many ways, we ‘played to our strengths’. There were times where we relied on Barb’s gifts and strengths and others when we relied on mine. I remember saying, “Look how far we have come since those days as newlyweds living in a two-room apartment with no other belongings but the clothes in our one small closet.” We traveled many miles in life. I could not have done the things I did without her. We are a team.

The same works in business. When I compare my best results, there is a correlation between the best management teams and the overall performance of the company. In a couple instances, my management team just clicked. They supported one another, their gifts complemented one another and they rooted for one another. We won as a team. In fact, we deferred to different members of each team depending on the circumstance and their gift. But in the end, we moved the ball a long way down the field; together.

So, with age comes wisdom. I am hopefully wiser now and realize that the African proverb from above relates to many circumstances professionally and personally. And I hope I am more humble now when it comes to admitting when I need help. The next time we use an RV I am going to suggest that we play to Barb’s strength and let her dump the line.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading this.

With a goal to “help the next guy in line”, Glen Cavallo, a 30+ year healthcare executive has chosen to share the many lessons he has learned with others. Glen does this by serving as a coach/advisor to leaders at all levels of organizations, as a board member and as he presents inspirational speeches at regional, national, annual and awards meetings.