[H94]Harrasment In The Work Place

What is your role in this business? Are you like a spectator in a sports arena? Are you a cheerleader for your team? Are you one of the players in the game? Are you a coach? Are you the broadcaster of the game on TV or Radio? Are you the referee of the game? Before you think that I am nut, wait until you see where I am going with this.

The players in a team trust each other to be a winning team. The players keep their eyes on the ball all the time. The cheerleaders jump up and down to cheer for their team. To be honest with you, I think sometimes it is only for attention. The home team fascinates the spectators with the moves of the players. The loyal fans support their team all the time, win or lose. The referee makes sure that the players are performing within the rules and the guideline of the game. One important part of the game is missing! You guessed it! It is the Ball!

Let us review a play by one of the great games in sports history, the 1991 Final game between the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a highly contested game. Two of the biggest names in the history of basketball were going against each other, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson! At one point in the game, there was a famous leap by Michael Jordan. He flew through the air and changed the ball from his right hand to his left while moving from the right side of the basket to the left. He scored and someone fouled him. I remember the broadcaster’s voice screaming “MICHAEL JORDAN" in excitement, and in a way that he sounded like he was jumping out of his seat. The crowd gasped, “Wow". The hometown cheerleaders had wide-eyed faces. The bench players of the LA Lakers and coaches had expressions on their faces that translated as saying, “What just happened?" The body language of the LA Lakers players told all of us that they were eager for the game to be over, accepting defeat before the final whistle. One of the referees was happy to be part of the game and to witness the amazing move and performance. The Chicago Bulls team reaction was totally opposite of the Lakers. Let me stop it here with the sports arena.

The Arena has players, spectators, cheerleaders, referees, coaches, and broadcasters. I would like you to think of your company as a sports Arena. The question now is, ‘what part of the Sport are you’? Are you one of the players? You probably hope to be like Michael Jordan, but it takes a lot of effort and training to be just like Mike. Are you a spectator of the winning team or the TV viewer that just enjoyed the game and celebrates with the winning team or just goes through the agonizing feeling of defeat with the losing team? Are you a cheerleader that just jumps up and down whenever your team scores and sits with a sad face when the other team scores? Are you a coach of the team? Are you like the players in the game? You hope to be the winning one. Are you the coach? Are you the referee? Are you a broadcaster that tells all the good and bad as it happens with no effort to help any of the team while others play the game? Are you the Ball?

Let me put this short and sweet. In a poor work environment, the players who do not keep an eye on the ball lose. They always focus on the people, not on the ball. That is exactly what the 1991 Lakers players did playing against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The LA Lakers players focused on the moves of Michael Jordan. Mesmerized by the player, they did not focus on the movement of the ball. They should have avoided the letting the ball get into the hands of Michael Jordan. I know that is hard, but the players need to keep trying. There is only one winner in the game. As a team, you always focus on the process, not the people. Business is just like that. Poor organizations tend to spend valuable time blaming people when anything that goes wrong. I am not saying bad people do not exist in any organization. They do. The culture of those organizations that point fingers at people when times are tough is a differentiation and characteristic that tells it all. I truly believe the LA Lakers did a great job. That is why they made it to the NBA Finals. If you want to be very competitive in this market, you have to focus and keep your eye on the Ball all the time. Then, you have a chance to WIN more business and maximize your market share.

You might wonder why I am writing Ball in Bold. In my world, the ball is the expectation of your customers. Keeping you eye on the ball is the same as keeping your promises to your customers, by having your eyes on their expectation all the time. This builds partnerships. A good partnership will lead us to win more market share. This is the reasons why we do business. If not, there is always an option to run a non-profit charity organization.

The role of the cheerleaders in any organization can be positive or negative. The good leader is a cheerleader of his or her own team all the time. The bad leader is only a cheerleader when good things happen. He or she becomes a hostile spectator when the team loses. This is a recipe for disaster in any organization. The good coach is a great leader at the time of wins or losses. The team relies on the coach to accept defeat and prepare the team for a better result next time around by correcting the mistakes. Which one are you?

In my next article, I will share with you my thoughts of the roles of the referees. This will be enough for now to bring you to the path of my thoughts. I will see you in the game!

Article by:
Samson Eshetu

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Words of Wisdom

"One man practicing sportsmanship is better than a hundred teaching it."
- Knute Rockne

"Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence."
- George F. Will

"I always turn to the sports pages first, which records people's accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man's failures."
- Chief Justice Earl Warren

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