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I love, respect, and appreciate the Winter Olympics so much more than the Summer Games because the level of difficulty involved, the risks the athletes have to take, and the sheer number of cajones they must have to still partake in these sports is simply awe-inspiring.

One of the sports that totally boggles my mind is bobsleigh.  You push yourself off as hard as you can, settle your body in a heavy sardine can and hurl yourself through curves at 90 mph (with no brakes or airbags).  Unfortunately, with the death of a Georgian luger, this year’s Olympics demonstrated just how dangerous the bobsleigh/luge sports really are.

Bad risk management, team management and project management can also be relatively lethal.  We can talk about the importance of good management and teamwork until the cows come home but nothing actually provides a better example of those dynamics than a bobsled team.

Trust: the front guy does all the steering while the last guy can’t see a damn thing. After all the guys are finally in the sled, only the first guy can see and even then, he generally doesn’t want to.  He wants to feel the course instead.  Experienced drivers rely more on the motion than on their eyes, which is probably wise considering how fast they’re going.  That’s how a lot of teams are structured as well.  Only a few people may be the face of the company or project.  The others are behind the scenes, doing the hard part of the work, and never get to steer.  A successful team, just like a successful bobsled team, requires those people in the back to be OK with that arrangement.

You’re in a fragile yet expensive tin can together. Unlike NASCAR or F1 drivers, the bobsled team does not have an expensive pit crew working on their ride.  They have to learn it, work it, and fix it themselves.  Each sled costs a lot more than you’d think and is anything but cushy.  Regardless, each team member loves it and each sled has an affectionate pet-name, just like a fancy yacht would.  A business or team is also fragile, regardless of how much or little money it makes.  In order to keep it together, every individual needs to love it, even through the rough and bumpy curves.

Success means everyone being good at their one particular role and each person trusting the others to fulfill theirs. Whether it’s pushing, guiding or steering, every member of the bobsled team has a crucial role to play and an important task to fulfill before, during and after entering the sled.  Each member relies on the others to perform their tasks in order to win the race and keep each person safe.  If one person messes up, everyone is screwed.  There’s a reason your firm has the X number of employees it does (hopefully).  If the company could function with just one person, you better believe it would.  If you’re there, you’re important, so do your piece.

Some members of your team must be the brute force “push athletes”. On the bobsled team, those strong guys and how well they push at the beginning of the slide can and does determine the outcome of the race.  Don’t marginalize them.  The arm might be more valuable than the brain.

The driver calls all the shots. If he doesn’t think you’re working out on the team, you’re out.  Most people in the business world complain that they can be dismissed for any reason and they’re right.  However, do you think your boss would axe you if you’re the top performer on your team?  What is he, masochistic?

Camaraderie directly affects how fast you move. When bobsledders like and appreciate one another, their rhythm develops naturally.  When they have rhythm, they move faster and smoother.  The same goes for any team.  Nothing says that you need to be best friends with the people you work with, but it sure as hell helps.  Bobsledders don’t really get paid for doing what they do.  They rely solely on sponsors and since the sport isn’t exactly the sexiest, they don’t get too much of it.  However, they train all year in order to compete in the wintertime.  When times are rough and the pay sucks, if you don’t love who you work with, you’re going to abandon ship (…or sled).  Alternatively, “meshing” with your coworkers allows you to develop a natural rhythm (and saves you time bickering) that can create a unique competitive advantage.  That’s why I strongly believe that if you don’t like your coworkers, you need to find yourself a new job.

Timing is crucial: if just one member of the team misses his cue, the entire sequence falls apart. The pushing-and-jumping-into-the-sled process is exceedingly fast and needs to be done in a very specific order and quickly.  If one person screws up, the other guys can fall out, get hurt, or just lose the race.  The driver needs to hit the curves at a very precise angle in order to maximize the speed coming out of that bend.  If he misses by half a second, he could throw the sled off course.  In business, deadlines are everything and timing is even more so.  Being first to market can make you or break you.  Not fulfilling a necessary piece of the project on time can delay the entire team and the firm.

The bobsledders are an amazing bunch of people.  They persevere, train, and throw caution to the wind for nothing but plain old love of the game.  It’s unfortunate that they are undercompensated because they are absolutely amazing role models, and not just for businesspeople.

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As mentioned in the previous post, because you spend such a great part of your day at work, it’s understandable and almost expected that you would make friends with your co-workers.  That’s all well and good and no one is saying that this is not allowed, but because work is a very delicate social environment, one must be mindful of the difference between being friendly and being counter-professional.

What is office-friendly?

• You and your select co-worker friends going out for a drink after work
• You and your co-workers meeting up for a tea break at 3pm in the lunch room every day for 15 minutes
• You buying a birthday cake for a co-worker and bringing it into the office and inviting your department and the birthday person’s department for the surprise
• You finding out that a co-worker had her baby and forwarding the info and pictures to all her friends and her group at work.

What is just bad office etiquette?

• You throw a birthday surprise for your friend colleague in one of the firm’s conference rooms but don’t invite anyone but your bffs at work.
• You finding out your co-worker had her baby and only forwarding the email with the baby pics to your office friends, not hers.
• Gossiping or noticeably whispering with a few people when others can clearly see that you are.
• Only pulling people you like into projects, regardless of who’d be best for them.

Basically, the difference between one and the other is that the first is being friendly but the second is being cliquey.

Don’t kid yourself — when you’re cliquey, everyone sees and understands that and thinks you’re a 5 year old instead of a professional.  Cliquey-ness is also the most surefire way of making employees outside the inner circle of trust feel left out…because they are.  It’s also a great way to lose employees because, guess what, no one wants to be where they’re not wanted.

So, next time you bring cookies into the office and only offer them to your friends, remind yourself to grow up.  You want to be friends with your co-workers? Great! Do it outside of work.  While you’re at work, however, you can’t show any preferential treatment.

If you’re sitting there saying you’ve never done this, stop and think.  You probably have without noticing it, since it comes naturally to favor your friends.  Just mind yourself.