Sep 27th, 2019

Best Practices

The Power of the Team

  Written by: Craig Vosper, Chief Delivery Officer

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One of my favorite parts of being a Platoon Leader in the Infantry (a long time ago) was watching a well-trained machine gun crew perform their gun drills. A machine gun crew is made up of 3 people: a gunner, an assistant gunner (AG), and the ammo bearer (AB).

During a drill, the AB runs to the spot where the gun is going to be setup and puts down the tripod. The AG then follows him; laying the spare-barrel bag next to the tripod as the AB takes a security position to protect the other two. Immediately after, the gunner arrives, placing the gun on the tripod and taking aim. The AG ensures the ammunition is being fed properly to avoid a misfires and shots are sent down-range.

A good team would complete these tasks and begin placing effective fire on their target in just a few seconds. When two of these teams were working together, the effect was multiplied, and was as terrifying as it was amazing to behold! The teamwork, communication, and trust they had for one another made them a critical asset to the unit.

Other than Rambo, no individual could ever match the speed, accuracy, and dependability that these teams provided. The sheer number of complex tasks, and focus required to execute them, would leave even the best gunner woefully behind.

The same is true when any well-trained team focuses on a goal and works together to achieve it. Their experiences, skills, and mindsets will all lead to a better solution. Their ability to do work in parallel enables the goal to be achieved much quicker. It also greatly mitigates risk as no single person is the lynch pin of the endeavor.

We often have clients ask us to send a single person onsite when we first engage in a project. No matter how good that single person is, the customer will only get what that person is capable of. When we work as a team, the customer receives all that Clientek is capable of.

This ability for each of our customers to gain access to our entire knowledge base is what the army calls a combat multiplier. Combat multipliers ensure the successful execution of any operation.

When you have something that needs to be done quickly and at high-quality, rely on the power of the team to get it done!