Team is a word that gets used a lot in reference to athletics to describe a group of people who work and sweat together towards a common goal.  It’s also a word that I happen to believe remains hollow until the people it’s being used to describe give it meaning through their collective actions.

I come from a music background, so when I think of a team, I think about a band. Since most of you have probably seen a few or played in a band or two yourselves, you might be able to relate. When a band works together to make music, they can create the most sublime sounds; something that no individual member could have done on his or her own; a song that resonates and communicates and inspires; magic. To do this requires both trust and humility. Trust, in that each of you believes that the others will support you as you stumble and soar; and humility, to know that you are no more nor less important than the rest of the group so that you don’t go chasing suns and forget that ego is the end of everything (think David Lee Roth and Van Halen.)

I think the same philosophy applies to other kinds of teams as well. If you don’t have faith that someone on your team will catch you if you fall, you won’t try to push boundaries and innovate for fear that in reaching for the impossible you’ll land flat on your face.  Similarly, if you hold yourself above other people or positions and spend all your time looking down on those around you, that’s probably the only direction you’ll ever travel in. Either way, a team that operates without trust and humility has no shot at making magic.

Teams are a big part of our culture at Sixthman.  From the conception of cruises to ferreting out the ghosts in the machines, there are a lot of different teams in the office working towards their individual goals. Which is why, last week it was pretty great to experience everyone in the office, who all had to-do lists a mile long for their respective teams, drop everything to come together as one Sixthman team. When we launched the 311 Caribbean cruise pre-sale and sign up, we had an incredible response and needed all hands on deck to take care of everyone who responded. From the guys in IT coming up with creative solutions and multiple back-up plans, to even our CEO jumping in to help answer phone calls and live chats, we worked as a team, trusting that we each had each other’s backs and knowing that we were all vital to the success of the launch.  It was a fast and furious flurry of days, but through a lot of extra hours and teamwork, we all, as Sixthman, soared.