Teamwork works

Art Business News, Oct, 2004 by Susanne Casgar

Every time I return from the Art-expo and DECOR Expo events, I marvel at how many people tirelessly work long hours to bring it all together so successfully. As I reflect on Atlanta, some images come to mind: the choreography of the Shepard Exposition Services staff as they carefully maneuvered the heavily laden shipping crates to the exhibitor booths for set-up; the opening of the shows on a sunny Friday morning with thousands of visitors streaming through the doors, led enthusiastically by the drum line of the Morehouse State University Marching Band; and Trevor Carlton, a performance artist at the Artexpo Preview party, energizing the audience with his frenetic painting of Disney characters, while spirited music served to pace him.

There was no better example of teamwork than the recent events in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center. The team was more than a collection of people; it was a process of give and take. The largest show of its kind in the world, DECOR Expo Atlanta was produced for the first time with Artexpo Atlanta, a show that has been in New York for the last 27 years. DECOR Expo hosted 546 exhibitors, occupying 1,578 booths; Artexpo had 100 exhibitors with 250 booths.

Working together worked.

It sounds cliche, but it's all about teamwork and people working toward a common goal. There are many definitions of teamwork. Simply stated, teamwork is less me and more we. Teamwork divides the tasks and doubles the success. The strength of the team is each individual member; the strength of each individual member is the team.

There is no "I" in team. We saw a classic example of lack of teamwork at the recent Olympics in Athens. The U.S. men's basketball team played far below its gold-medal potential, returning home with only a bronze medal to show for its embarrassing performance. Why? Too many egos and not enough effort.

How does this relate to you and your business? Superior work teams feel a tremendous sense of pride. Why? Teamwork brings out the best in people in terms of energy and talent.

To make teamwork "work," leaders must communicate clear expectations. Compensation, rewards and bonuses should depend upon cooperation, achievement and contribution.

The positive energy needed for a successful team requires encouragement and renewal.

Team-building activities, ranging from those held during departmental meetings to celebratory events marking group successes and social milestones, will build a culture conducive to success and ongoing achievement.

All the best,

SUSANNE CASGAR

scasgar@pfpublish.com