Selflessness & Teamwork: An ad-hoc team saves the day

I’ve come to believe that on all of the great teams I was a part of, selflessness was THE difference maker in terms of team characteristics and the thread which wove its way throughout the entire team.

Recently, I took my dog to the place where she gets her hair cut. It was early in the morning and should have been about a 20-minute round trip event, so I threw on a hat, some flip flops, and we made our way to the store. I checked her in and as I was leaving there was some commotion at the front door. A man went running out of the store, leash in hand, screaming the name of who I would later learn was his dog.

I followed him out and saw his dog, running away from the store as fast as it’s little legs could go. The owner was screaming and pleading for his dog to stop, come back, sit, and every other command a dog owner is familiar with. The tension and fear in his voice was apparent.

Fortunately, the parking lot was not full of traffic yet but the handful of people who heard and saw what was going on seemed to instinctively understand what was happening. Without being asked, the five or six people jumped into action and tried to corral the dog.

The dog was running faster and faster and was headed towards the intersection of a major, six-lane road with a lot of traffic less than a block away. From my vantage point I could see this unfolding as I ran along and watched one of the customers from the parking lot scale a wall and sprint to the road intersection. He took up position there as the last line of defense – much like a catcher or goalie.

A woman who got involved helped steer the pet away from the sidewalk and street and it looked like the dog was finally cornered next to a trash dumpster. As we converged on the dog, who by this point seemed scared by all of the noise and attention, suddenly took off again.

This time, however, he went back the way he started, across a side road, and into a massive, adjoining parking lot running just as fast. Everyone shifted. I ran across the road, hopped over a rock wall, and gave chase – hoping that my flip flops wouldn’t give out and leave me running in bare feet.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw another man giving chase from a different angle on the right and another guy on the left. I had never met them and couldn’t tell you their names or what they were doing when this started. We instinctively adjusted our routes so that we could surround the dog. Everyone was focused on one thing – getting the dog safely back to its owner.

Finally, the dog huddled under some shopping carts and laid down. It was out of energy, scared, and cornered. The man closest got down on all fours on the hot pavement and began reassuring the dog. He inched his way forward under the carts and was able to reach, pet, and control it. I looked up to see a vehicle arrive with people who had seen the whole thing unfold; they jumped out and offered a dog collar which would fit and help the owner get his dog back to the pet store.

After the dog had been gently coaxed out of its hiding position it was placed into the arms of his distraught yet very appreciative owner. There were a few fist bumps between those of us who had been on the chase, but everyone went back to doing what they were doing before this started. The last thing I remember seeing was the couple who showed up in the car giving the owner and his dog a ride back to the pet store.

The whole event might have last five minutes; maybe ten. I don’t know. But I recognized the adrenaline surge and sense of real accomplishment that came from working with selfless people in high stress situations that I had done countless times in my career. What was different this time was that none of us knew each other or had planned to be that active in the early morning. We hadn’t “signed up” to be on this team but that never mattered.

This ad-hoc team was amazing. It formed out of necessity and a desire to help. No one needed a detailed plan nor needed to know exactly what their role was or how they would be rated on their performance. No one asked for a different job or inquired about getting a reward or commendation or when they could stop running and take a break. When the situation changed rapidly, no one shut down or lamented how difficult change was or complained about the impact on their personal routines. Nope - the team and its ‘mission’ were the priority. When it was all over, no one said, “I did this” or “I did that.”

What they did do was communicate on the fly both verbally and non-verbally and cued off their teammates’ actions. They simply did what needed to be done at that moment in time. They recognized their position (literally) in the chase and brought their skills and abilities to bear because THAT is what the team needed them to do. It didn’t matter that everyone didn’t scale a wall or sprint across a parking lot or have extra gear in their cars. Each did what they could with what they had available to them.

It made me think that if we had stopped to convene a meeting to make sure we addressed the five or ten key characteristics of high performing teams, the result would not have been the same. We would have never left the front of the store and never accomplished anything and the chance to do something meaningful would have been wasted.

I could go on and on. I was so impressed by what I had witnessed and been a part of that I needed a few minutes to process it before I began the drive home. One of the things I pondered was “what prevents so many others who actually signed up or committed to a team from doing the same sorts of things?”

Do we as leaders or teammates make things so much more difficult than they must be? Are our personal agendas so critical that we lose sight of opportunities right in front of our eyes? Is our message about ourself and our standing so noisy and distracting that we miss the purpose of why teams are created?

What I can say for sure about that day is that the common characteristic that tied us all together was selflessness. None of us HAD to get involved. We didn’t have to give up a piece of our day or some of our energy or ourselves to something bigger than us. No one HAD to jump over a wall, give chase in a car, or crawl on the concrete to rescue a dog. None of us could be assured our efforts would be recognized or even appreciated. But, we did it anyway.

I’ve heard it is written that selflessness means not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. Sure. Sounds great. But real selflessness – the kind that makes a real impact – involves action. There is a sacrifice involved. It costs you something – a part of yourself. I’m talking about actually doing things in support of your teammates instead of just talking or thinking about it. THAT is what allows truly great teams to beat the odds and defy expectations and conquer challenges others can’t.

What else did I learn from that day? Don’t wear flipflops. You might have to chase a dog.