I watched the rather awesome and highly recommend film, "13 Lives" (Amazon Prime!) at the weekend and its inspired this week's blog.
Firstly - what a film! Like many of you, I was absolutely gripped to the news reports a few years ago as we heard about the football team trapped in flooded caves, desperately hoping for good news - so lets face it, I knew the ending (!) But I was still at the edge of my seat willing every diver and young boy safe passage out.
But why is this random film review featuring in my blog? As I watched it, I was struck by how many of the key moments mirror themes I regularly explore in workshops. I've picked out 3 - Innovation, Teamwork and Purpose.
Innovation. Innovation often occurs through necessity and that was the case in this film - how could they get the boys through the water to safety when many experienced divers couldn't make the journey? A key moment is when one diver had the lightbulb idea to sedate the boys with Anaesthetic, to enable them to be safely transported through the narrow caves without their panic reflex kicking in. The suggestion was initially met with a NO from the expert - it was risky, it had never been done before. However, it soon became clear that time was running out - and with no viable alternatives, the plan was put into action. The risks were part mitigated by "testing and learning" - basically ensuring the first boy was safely part through before commencing the next.
The great news, as I am sure you will know unless you were in a cave of your own and missed the headlines, is that all boys made it out safely. The message here is that Innovation can indeed be the key, and absolutely needed for success -and that whilst it brings risks, the risk of doing nothing can be far higher than the risk of doing something! What are you innovating in your business? Are you quick to say no to new ideas because they haven't been tried before - or are you willing to "test and learn"?
Teamwork. Another key theme was Teamwork via many teams. Firstly, the actual football team where we saw how their coach introduced the new skill of meditation to help them cope, and we saw positivity, support and trust for each other. Then we met the different diving teams - Thai Navy Seals and the worlds most skilled divers. We saw tensions, suspicion, competitiveness and mistrust which eventually gave way to collaboration and respect. We saw a team of 5,000 volunteers from around the globe, each person with different skills, but all skills vital to ensure the task of rescuing the boys was complete. Within the team looking to divert water from the mountain, we saw improvisation - when the pipes ran out they used locally repurposed materials (Bamboo!) to extend the water diversion system.
How effectively does your team interact and connect with other teams to complete the mission? Do you have a sense of mistrust or do you proactively look to collaborate? How well do you recognise and celebrate the skills of the the individuals, and what value they bring? How are you using the materials available to you to improve service to your stakeholders? What natural resources or talents are currently untapped?
Purpose. An overarching theme is the sense of a clear vision or purpose. I've often said that when people can connect the work that they do with the people they are making a difference for, they will want to contribute more. Nowhere was that clearer than in the film Farmers sacrificed crop fields, experts travelled far and wide, teams joined together sharing expertise and resources, teammates were willing to carry extra weight to help others, leaders were willing to stay in role, be the face of the mission, and take challenging decisions, knowing that if it failed, they would be held responsible.
How well is your organisation's Vision or Purpose embedded throughout all you do? How well do colleagues connect the work they do to the impact they make? What does that do to their motivation, engagement and commitment? How do you know?
I'm sure there are many more valuable lessons in this film that I haven't picked out. My biggest recommendation - get a bowl of popcorn and watch the film! If any of these themes resonate with you, and you would like to explore how to maximise innovation, teamwork or purpose in your workplace, don't wait for the flood to hit - get in touch now!
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