Second Quarter 2012- Issue 8
Note from Coach Mario- At the End of the Day- “The Power of Story”
A key differentiator a business leader must have is the sense of story. By telling a riveting story the business leader appeals to a different part of the human being that is governed by the domain of the right brain. When engaging the right brain of an individual through story, one taps into a part of the individual where the heart connection occurs. When the right brain is coupled with the left brain directed aptitudes of the mind, the performance can go from meeting expectations to extraordinary results. I want to illustrate the power of story by telling a story about teamwork. Here is the story:
I was in midtown Manhattan when the tragedy of September 11, 2001 occurred and for several days afterwards. I observed something that I never thought could happen. The greatest city in the world, the City that never sleeps, came to a huge pause. On the flight home Saturday morning, I took a few moments and wrote a poem about September 11 that reflected on that giant pause. I would like to share it with you. The intent of my message is not to revisit what occurred on that terrible morning, but to have a basis for recognizing how our Company illustrated the ultimate in teamwork in restoring telecommunication service to our Nation. The poem is entitled, “The Day The City Closed-September 11, 2001.”
“The Day The City Closed-September 11, 2001”
On a clear, blue sky day
When everything seemed fine,
Something “eerie” on the way
Would somehow change time.
For a moment, stunned in silence
Not a word was spoke.
Only disbelief and more silence,
Then crushing clouds of smoke.
The day when The City came to a close,
Lockdown, shutdown, nowhere to go.
Like a scene from make believe
No life, taxicabs, not even a show.
No planes, trains or way out.
Only time to rescue, search for meaning, and think of
Family, friends and neighbors, with love no doubt.
Funny how sometimes it takes “hitting a brick wall” to wake you up.
No words can explain what went on that day
Only that somehow we would never be the same.
Emotions, feelings, weren’t sure of the way.
What once seemed normal would be forever changed.
The day when The City came to a close
Lockdown, shutdown, nowhere to go.
No life in the eyes, only ashes rose.
With wounded Time Square, even George Cohan froze.
-by Mario Flores
Although the greatest city in the world came to a close, Verizon and our employees did not. Instead, our employees went into high gear to deliver what would be the most incredible telecommunications restoration efforts in the history of the telecommunications industry, bringing back service levels in a matter of days, including the financial heart of the world, the New York Stock Exchange. The power of teamwork is what accomplished this incredible feat. I don’t believe I have ever experienced such a proud feeling of being an employee of Verizon as I did when we helped bring this nation back onto its feet and allowed it to once again stand tall with pride.
As we move forward, we should never forget the tragedy of that day. But let us remember the power of teamwork–that in our everyday lives can, on a relative basis, deliver the type of accomplishments of that incredible day and the days thereafter. The power of teamwork brings people together, regardless of artificial barriers–different functions, departments, levels, geographic locations–simply to get the job done.
The power of story taps into the heart connection and when coupled with the mind, extraordinary things happen.
–Mario Flores
Mario Flores. All rights reserved. No part of these materials may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
