My wife and I love to take trips to Disney World. No matter how many times we go, we find new things to enjoy and experience. We were on our way to lunch one day, when we noticed five Chinese acrobats performing for the crowd. People were sitting on benches, on the brick wall, and standing in a crowd just to get a glimpse of what they were doing.
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT: There were four men and one woman. As the four men did each step of their routine, they took time before to smile and bow to the crowd. And each time the crowd applauded them. It’s like we were being conditioned to appreciate each step of the experience.
RELYING ON EACH OTHER: I noticed that both teams of men carefully executed their part of the routine and carefully placed themselves on the mat to support the other one. They were always aware of their teammates.
PERFECTING THE MOVE: The final part was when the female did all sorts of juggling, both while standing and when on her back. She also manipulated four balls at once in a big circular iron piece. The final move was to put a tall metal structure on her feet and then juggle the ball to four different levels. As she attempted to hop the ball to the top level, she missed a few times.
What I loved, though, was that when she missed and the ball went to the ground, all of the crowd clapped in an encouraging manner. In fact they did it three times as she attempted to do the move. Finally, she hopped the ball to the very top of the metal structure right through the hoop. This time the crowd did a standing ovation for her. As a community we ALL supported her--- not for perfection, but for exploration until she finally did what she knew she could do.
ACTION STEPS FOR THIS WEEK
- Do we tell our team members know when they do a good job—even when it’s something small?
- Do we create a culture where people support each other, whether we win or lose?
- Do we keep trying one, two or three times—knowing that one of those times we’ll accomplish it?
- When a mistake happens because someone explored new ways, do we stand up and applaud?
