Moving Words – Teamwork
Written by Timothy Brady.
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” – Michael Jordan
Moving household goods requires the same dedication to task as any football team. Each team unit must pull its own weight. If the van operator is late on pick-ups and deliveries, it weakens the team. If the van line is setting rates that don’t reflect all team members’ costs, it weakens the team. If the moving agencies and relocation companies are discounting the rates to a point that the line hauls and extras don’t cover the haulers’ costs and ability to earn a reasonable profit, it weakens the team. For the team to succeed, every unit must work with the same goal in mind. The relocation company, van line, moving agency, and van operator need to be on the same team. As each unit looks at its business model, members must be sure it will benefit the other team units and themselves.
To be a successful team, all units of the team must work in harmony toward the same goal. The actions of a good team unit are:
• Understanding responsibilities
Everyone must know what’s expected of every member of the team.
• Common goals
Be sure each team member is headed for the same, shared objectives.
• Dealing with change
Be prepared for the worst-case scenario, or the smallest event which could require a change of direction or plan.
• Dealing with conflict
Have a plan to deal with the inevitable disagreements or conflicts that arise in the course of booking, scheduling, dispatching, picking up, hauling, and delivering of shipments between team members.
• Sharing information
Be transparent with information between team members. The better each team member understands the needs and circumstances of other team members, the easier it is to reach success.
• Sharing ideas
Be ready to share innovations with the entire team and improve how well tasks are completed, ultimately bringing greater success to the team.
• Team maintenance
Just as a truck will never be denied its maintenance, the same holds true with maintaining any business relationship. Situations change, needs change, and if you’re not aware of them in regards to other team members, you’ll find yourself benched or out of business.
• Direct communications
Communicate, communicate, communicate. Keep all team members in the loop at all times, regardless of whether it’s good news, bad news, or just keeping them up-to-date on what’s going on with the loads.
• Developing trust
The most important component of keeping a team focused on the goal is trust, so constantly work on earning the trust of other team members. And remember, actions speak louder than words.
To name the components of good teamwork is the easy part of bringing together a smoothly-running moving team. The challenge is to take individual members and assemble them into an effective household-moving machine. Each member of the team has a responsibility to complete all required tasks, handle any changes in the course of the job and to finish within the time specified.
Finally, another definition of a team is a group of individuals working towards a common goal by working together as one. Do we think of the van operator as one team, the moving agency as another and the van lines and/or relocation companies as two more teams? To create an exemplary moving machine, each of these separate units needs to become part of the winning team. This requires cooperation between each team unit, understanding the needs and wants of each unit, and all members working for the benefit of each other—thus putting everyone on the winning side…
Make every move count.
