It's a Team's Life
Outside the Circle
Greg Huggins wrote an interesting blog, Fuel for Thought, called "Circles"
that talks about who we surround ourselves with. I think we naturally gravitate to others who have similar goals, work ethics, life ethics, expectations, and family ethics. Our "circles" help to keep us grounded and focused on what we want out of life.
We have many circles that are inner connected, and at the nucleus of that circle are the closest friends, the confidants, and often family. They know the real you in the best of times and the worst of times.
Many circles cross through the nucleus that forms our network. Some are work-related, home-related, and people we like to spend time with. Often the people in our network never cross into another circle. Many of our work-related friends have never been to our house, or in reality, we have never met them face to face. Our friends often do not understand what we do for a living, how we can spend months in our truck, and how from one day to the next, we often do not know where we will be.
The friends, family, and co-workers we depend on the most are those who know how to "kick us in the butt" when needed or give an encouraging word. These people can often tell by the tone of our voice what is needed to get us back on track. They might let us wallow around for a bit in self misery, and then they are pretty blunt at telling us to get back to work and solve the problem. When we talk with people within this circle, we are just as proud of them for their accomplishments as they are of our achievements.
What happens though, when we step out of our circle? Recently I read a rant on an acquaintance's Facebook wall that shook me up pretty bad. Their thoughts that they were pouring into their rant where so opposite of my thoughts, I was shocked. The post was to the point of being venomous about what I thought was right, and they thought was wrong. No, the post was not directed at me; it was directed at a way of life that was foreign to me. My first thought? Share the post with my inner circle and get their responses to hear if my reaction was over the top. After much discussion, I was calmed down and was able to think about the post and think about how I will handle myself if I get into the situation they described.
Did I drop that friendship on Facebook? No, Did I talk to this person about their post? No, the post made me aware of why they are not in my inner circle. We need to read and consider opposing points of view as that information helps us to make informed decisions.
What does your circle look like?
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.