This video shows a high-functioning team in action. (I purposely chose a video in a language other than English—in this case French—to ensure we don’t get lost in words.)
Notice how the two client-facing team members support each other, blend their voices, yet set each other apart. Watch their eyes as they look to the team leader for subtle guidance to ensure timing and symmetry. They are individual masters of their craft, a duo, and team members all at once.
See how the other team members are not all rowing in the same direction, as the analogy goes. Each team member applies his or her own unique skill set to a wide range of instruments, yet the team achieves alignment because they understand the “what and the why” of each other’s course.
The leader, for his part—with the humility, maturity, and wisdom to know the subtle distinction between authority and control—deftly influences patterns as they emerge. This way, each team member’s passion is skillfully shepherded within the parameters of the team’s mission.
Leo Delibes, the CEO of this grand metaphor, set this team’s star on the horizon almost 140 years ago. He so skillfully organized and articulated a vision that this team is mining his imagination nearly a century and a half after his death.
This video demonstrates the beauty created when talented individuals come together as a team.