Why We Fight

In the ninth episode of the epic 2001 miniseries "Band of Brothers", the soldiers of Easy company reveal their weariness and bitterness towards their time in the United States army.   Each man had been away from home for a long time, in some cases years, and endured terrible conditions and a brutal enemy in the fight for freedom.   Through it all, though questioning why they were fighting, it becomes clear that their loyalty to each other in the face of adversity was a bond stronger than most people would ever know.  

It is well known and accepted that shared adversity improves team cohesion and builds bonds between team members in a way that few other activities do.    This phenomena manifests itself not just for soldiers on a battlefield, but also for athletic teams, police and fire departments, and even working professionals.    A common challenge, whether in the form of a poor manager, unreasonable schedules, or difficult working environments can serve as the impetus for fostering strong friendships and building team cohesion.  

A friend (whom I could also refer to as a former co-worker, but I prefer 'friend') has told me several times that people he worked with were a major part of the satisfaction he took away from his job.   In my own experience, I tend to agree.   There have been a number of people at each of my former employers whom I look up to and respect.    I can't help but wonder if there is a way to build these kinds of relationships without having to endure the negative waves that are by definition part of the whole shared adversity experience.

My current employer believes that it can be done - they define a stunning workplace as stunning colleagues.    At this early juncture, I tend to agree - I'm amazed by the talent around me and I'm challenged just trying to keep up.   What is interesting to me is that even though there is a very steep learning curve in learning the business domain and the operational tempo is much higher than all but a few of my previous employers, I'm encouraged and enthusiastic about each day.   Learning from my new coworkers about different things and facing positive challenges such as meeting customer expectations and delivering on a desire for the best possible end user experience can have the same benefits as a shared adversity situation, only without the negativity and pessimism.

What kind of challenges do you face?   Do you have a team that can support you and that you can support?