When I started teaching at JMU, I noticed that the people I worked with who had gone there shared a very consistent theme. They were all really nice people. If you are in the Mid Atlantic and work with someone who is easy to get along with, ask where they went to school. I will bet you they are Purple and Gold down deep. JMU studied that Promise (Equifax career data, as it turns out) … and found it is worth real money too. Their alums outpace bachelor’s degree holders nationally 10 years on, and by year 15 their median earnings have risen 138 percent. My read on why: they work well on teams and make great partners. Our team was blessed with 2 of those, partners everyone could count on…
… and the character they both resembled was Piglet … not the most complimentary name, unless you know the character. He is “… the best friend. He takes his lead from Pooh, and while appearing timid, shows himself to be very brave when faced with a crisis, and when given encouragement by Pooh, often makes the critical contribution.” Not a flashy role, and 1 that is often overlooked on Teams … the steady player who is constantly there, and encourages others through a quiet way of getting things done. It is also contagious. That quiet, growing confidence can move a team back to an even keel when the waves start to get too large…
Joe Kwon is the Avett Brothers’ cello player, the 1 you see dancing while playing it, which by the way is NOT easy. Here is the short version of his story. He gave up on music. After a youth of private instruction, regional symphonies, and places like Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Eastern Music Festival, he gave it up. First slowly, then all at once. In college he switched to computer science and a money-making career, and that was that.
That could have been the end of the story, but life outside the arts left him unfulfilled. After quitting his job at IBM he found himself bartending and playing with bands on the side. Eventually his talent, and as he puts it his “gift for gab,” landed him a session gig with a North Carolina folk-rock band called The Avett Brothers. The gig became a tour, and the tour became a full-time spot in the band. By the way, that connection between math, science, engineering, and music is real. Ask most tech people and they have a musical ability set aside in favor of making money, as you see above.
Sadly I never asked our 2 about their music, but we were honored to work with them both. One made it possible for NeXT to run PC programs … not easy, but he simply made it work, so that the objection “NeXT can’t run PC programs” got an easy “Sure we can run that.” The other was the master of everything process-based, and pulled all of our random pieces together … with a big smile, and a calm, kind word for everyone. Both were, and are, extraordinarily nice people … a quality we don’t see celebrated much…
“Piglets” are always busy, usually off by themselves, content, and constantly improving how they do it. They make great partners because they are always there with support, and often a critically important idea … usually more humbly than they should. And you have to look for them. They don’t seek the spotlight. But when you see them, they are so critical to teams … and bands. Figuring out how to play a cello line with a banjo … now THAT is creative 😉
Not sure Joe, or anyone, likes being called “Piglet,” but I suspect he would agree he is a partner now integral to the band. Who on your team is simply doing their job well, pleasantly, the partner everyone seeks out? FIND them, or BE them. Either way, ensure their Promise becomes a reality.
Your “Simple… Not Easy” move: name the Piglet on your team this week, out loud, in front of the others. They will not do it for themselves.
We had 2 … and that made this season so much more enjoyable. We were all able to twirl and whirl together … as we all got … Swept Away.
