‘Tis the Season to Come Together…as a Team

Recently I had the pleasure of seeing Mike Shinoda play at one of the most intimate venues in Chicago, The House of Blues.  Mike is part of a band I listened to growing up called Linkin Park.  My brother and I used to listen to Linkin Park songs over and over.  Their music was unique and it brought us together.

A little over one year ago, their lead singer Chester Bennington committed suicide.  When it happened, I immediately knew what my parents felt like when they experienced the death of John Lennon or Jimi Hendrix. In addition to an emotional loss, an intricate piece of the band is gone and he simply cannot be replaced.

After Chester’s death, his music didn’t sound the same to me. It now elicits deeper meaning and sadness because I know he will never sing the lyrics again. In fact, the sound of his voice and the group’s music still casts a cloud for many fans. No one can compare to the uniqueness of Chester’s voice; he was a significant part of the team.

Still, the band must go on and they do. Now lead-singer Mike Shindoa performs a lot of songs off his new solo album Post Traumatic.  Essentially, the album is what helped him through the grieving process.  He also performs old Linkin Park songs, and the crowd sings together as loud as possible to make up for the missing link.

The point of my story is that in every aspect of your life, whether as part of your family, circle of friends, or work life, you are part of a team.  Without one of the members, a team does not function the same.  Being in the pallet sales industry has taught me a lot about teamwork and communication.

In order to do my job well, for example, I trust that my operations team will deliver so I can keep my customers happy. In fact, each of my coworkers at Rose Pallet brings a different skill and perspective to the organization. Or, you might say—a different piece to the puzzle. The pieces fit together to function as a team pressing toward one goal. When one person isn’t doing his or her job, the entire team hears about it, similarly to the way a band sounds different without one of its members. On the flipside, when all teammates work together or ‘sing on key,’ it sounds remarkable!

Although a team member can be replaced and a new team built, it will not be exactly the same as before.  It could be better, it could be worse; but, it will certainly be different. Ultimately, replacing human labor takes a lot of adjustment. That’s why I am grateful to work for a REMARKABLE company that values its staff and fosters a close-knit working environment. The result is high employee retention and, as a result, highly satisfied clients or, you might say—loyal fans!

One of my favorite Linkin Park songs is “It Doesn’t Even Matter How Hard You Try,” but when I listen to it now, I like to change the words slightly and sing ‘it does matter how hard you try.’ After all, your efforts and mine don’t go unnoticed; we all make an impact on the team.