Blue Elevator Blog

A House Divided

“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” – Mark 3:25

Back Story – A House Divided

Many years ago, I was managing a relatively large company.  We had a lot of departments.  We had a lot of managers.

In my immediate case, we were coming out of a turnaround situation and forging ahead, but we were experiencing some turbulence.  We had seemingly committed and focused managers.  The trouble was, for various reasons, sometimes they seemed to be working against each other.

I had a house divided.

A Simple Illustration

So, in what I will suggest as a divinely-inspired exercise, I had someone pull a car into a large warehouse.  I assembled the various managers and department leaders.  And, I had them encircle the stationary vehicle.  Then I asked them to “lay hands” on the car – and try to move it.

And as you might suspect, the car went nowhere.  Push as hard as they might, everyone’s force worked against each other.

To overstate the obvious, I had everyone come behind the vehicle.  There were a lot of managers and department leaders.  So, there wasn’t enough room to put everyone behind the rear bumper.  So as not to exclude anyone, I had some line up behind the rear bumper and the others line up along the side of the car.  Everyone had a chance to get their hand – or at least a finger – on the car.  No one was left out.

On flat ground, even a heavy vehicle can be mobilized by just a few people.  And that’s what happened.  Without a lot of effort, the team mobilized a very heavy object.

The Take-Away

You could be starting an organization.  You could be trying to turn around a struggling organization.  Or, you might be trying to move your organization upstream or against the tide.  Whatever the case, harnessing momentum can be like herding cats.

It’s one thing to have everyone on the same team.  It’s quite another thing to have everyone on the same team working in the same direction.

Both must be present to win.  You have to have everyone on the same team.  You have to have everyone pushing and working in the same direction.

Whether in sports or business, we’ve all seen some teams or organizations that should be crushing the competition – but they disappoint.  It might be a “Dream Team” of “All-Stars,” but somehow they underperform.

We’ve also seen teams, that despite all odds, seem to do well – even without the benefit of “All-Stars.”  This is the power of teamwork: everyone is working towards the same goal.

A Charge To Leaders

So, if you are a leader in your organization, how is your team faring?  Is everyone working together?  Is advancing the corporate cause greater than any individual’s success?

If you don’t sense everyone pushing in the same direction, it might be time to assemble the troops.  You don’t want your house divided.

I’ll leave you with this:

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:12

Contact us!  We’d love to be of encouragement to you on your journey.