Читать книгу Power Teams Beyond Borders - Peter Ivanov - Страница 12

When Adam arrives home, he finds Georgia in the kitchen. ‘Georgia, I'm sorry about this morning honey. I know this stuff is really important to you and I will make more of an effort.’ ‘Thanks Dad,’ she says, giving him a hug before leaving to return to her room. He takes off his shoes and jacket and goes in search of Rose, finding her in her home office.

Her face lights up in a beaming smile when he taps lightly on her door, nudging it open to check he's not interrupting. ‘How was your day? Better than breakfast I hope?’ she asks with a twinkle in her eye. He takes a deep breath and steels himself for what he's about to say. ‘Well…’ ‘Adam, what's the matter?’ He steps into the room and closes the door, relaying the email, the options and some of his internal monologue to her.

She sits and listens. When he's finished, she looks at him and says, ‘You know we can't move to Kuala Lumpur.’ He begins to protest, but she silences him with a glance. ‘Adam, this isn't just about you. I've got my business here. Georgia is in school. Moving halfway around the world just isn't an option, especially not for a company that treats you like this.’ ‘I know,’ he says with a sigh. Why do I feel relieved? Did I want her to say no? To be so adamant about staying here?

‘Adam, I know you've put a lot into this job, but maybe it is time to move on? You know I'll support you if you decide you want to go out on your own.’ He nods. ‘I know, I just wasn't expecting to have such a monumental decision to make this week,’ he says, trying to smile. Rose takes his hand, squeezes it and says, ‘I know, but you'll do the right thing.’

As Adam sinks into bed that evening, he already knows he's not going to be able to sleep. After his conversation with Rose, he realised that he'd already made his decision. The thought of moving to KL seems laughable now really. Even his choice of lunch had been a sign. He closes his eyes, but all he keeps thinking about is what he needs to do next. It's 11.30 p.m.

He wakes with a start. He can hear the rain lashing against the windows. It's dark but a quick glance at the clock shows him that it's only 1 a.m. Instinctively he reaches for his phone and sees that he has a message from Kaito. His heart's in his mouth. He feels so excited and nervous as he unlocks his phone and opens WhatsApp. ‘Hi Adam, great to hear from you. That sounds intriguing. I'm available after work today, I guess that would be about 10.30 a.m. your time?’

Adam can barely contain his grin. He fires a quick message back. ‘Kaito, that would be great. I'll speak to you then.’

He lies back down but he can't sleep. His excitement has once again turned to anxiety. What if I'm making a huge mistake? Can I really do this? What will happen to my family if I get this wrong? What if Georgia's right? What if I could make a positive change with my work? But what if I can't pull this off?

Adam tosses and turns, falling in and out of sleep, as the rain continues to pour down outside. By 3.30 a.m. he's given up on sleep. He creeps out of the bedroom and downstairs, where he gets his laptop out and starts researching renewable energy innovations to get an idea of where the market is going.

By the time the sun comes up, the rain has been replaced by the sound of birdsong. A bright dart of sunlight has found its way through the break in the curtains and cuts a line across the coffee table. He realises it's 5.55 a.m. He feels suddenly calm though. He knows what he's going to do and a plan is beginning to form in his mind. He saves his research and closes his laptop, as he softly climbs the stairs and makes his way to the bathroom, Adam allows himself to smile.

When he comes down for breakfast he's feeling much calmer. Rose is chopping fruit and vegetables to make a smoothie, she turns and smiles at him. ‘How do you feel today?’ she asks. ‘You know what, I feel a lot better than I did yesterday,’ Adam replies, smiling. ‘Could you make me one of those smoothies love?’ Rose stares at him for a moment, ‘Of course,’ she says with a smile. ‘What happened to you overnight Dad?’ Georgia chips in. ‘Don't tell me you've suddenly decided that the planet is worth saving after all?’ Adam laughs, ‘Actually Georgia, I might be about to make some big changes that will make you very happy!’ ‘Are you serious? What do you mean?’ Georgia looks genuinely excited. ‘All in good time. I have a few details I need to hammer out first,’ Adam replies.

Georgia keeps bombarding him with questions. ‘You can't be that cryptic! What changes are you making? Are you leaving your job? Seriously Dad, tell me, please…’ ‘All I'll say is that I'm exploring my options in the renewable energy space,’ he replies. Georgia's eyes light up, ‘Really? That's amazing!’ she says.

‘I have a few calls to make, but I'd love to get your thoughts on it when things are a bit more settled, okay?’ he says. ‘Yeah, definitely Dad,’ Georgia replies. Adam stands and retrieves his smoothie from Rose, who has been listening to the conversation with a smile on her lips.

Then he pauses, glancing briefly at the clock. It's still early. ‘Actually, how do you feel about a walk by the lake?’ ‘Now?’ Georgia asks. ‘Yeah, I have some time before I need to be in the office and I'd like to run some of my ideas past you.’ ‘Okay!’ Georgia almost bounces out of her chair, popping her breakfast dishes by the sink and racing out of the kitchen to get her coat.

Rose is still watching him. ‘Well, you've had quite a turnaround from yesterday!’ she says, ‘And I'm so happy. Enjoy your walk, just remember Georgia needs to leave for school by 8.30.’ Adam grins, ‘I know, I'll make sure she's on time, don't worry.’

The path by the lake is peaceful at this time of the morning. Adam is struck by how everything seems to sparkle in the early morning light. While they've been walking, Adam has been telling Georgia about the research he's been doing. They pause, and Georgia says, ‘Wind energy is probably the most obvious option. I mean, just look at the offshore wind farms we've got here, not to mention the huge ones up in Scotland.’ ‘That's a good point,’ Adam replies, his mind spinning like a turbine as he starts to consider all the possibilities.

He's forgotten where he is when he feels Georgia's hand on his. ‘Dad,’ she says, looking at him in a way that she hasn't for quite a long time. ‘I'm really proud of you for making this decision.’ She leans in and hugs him and in that moment, Adam knows he's making exactly the right choice.

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The first of these rocks focuses on personality. You might wonder why you should encourage your team members to get to know one another personally; the answer is because it builds trust. When people start connecting with each other as humans, something magical happens.

Instead of firing off a quick email or popping a message on Slack, they pick up the phone or send a personal message. When teams start trusting each other, their performance improves.

If you're starting a business from scratch, like Adam is, chances are that you may well already know at least the first members of your team personally. Remember that they may not all know each other though, so make time to get to know one another in the early days.