fbpx

Prior to 1970, only two mega-cities (urban areas with populations exceeding ten million inhabitants) existed in the world—Tokyo and New York City. By 1990, there were ten. Today, there are thirty-four. The United Nations predicts by 2030 that number will swell to forty-three.

While sociologists debate the reasons behind the growth of mega-cities, they generally agree upon what made the growth possible—elevators. Advancements in elevators allowed cities to grow vertically.

I was speaking to a group of educators recently who shared with me some of the challenges that are keeping them and their students from growing vertically. Many of their horror stories involved interactions with helicopter parents and lawnmower parents.

If you’re unfamiliar with the terms, they’re buzzwords in education. Helicopter parents “hover” over their children. They are overprotective and overinvolved in their children’s lives.

Lawnmower parents are even more overbearing. They “mow down” obstacles in their children’s lives to keep their children from experiencing failure, disappointment, or discomfort.

As I listened to the educators talk, a thought occurred to me: We don’t need helicopter or lawnmower parents; we need elevator parents.

Elevator parents lift their children with encouragement. But they also smoothly bring their children back down to reality with the understanding that adversity is part of the journey and that failure can be one of life’s best teachers.

Helicopter and lawnmower parents hinder their children’s development. Though often well-intentioned, their behaviors fuel entitlement and leave their children ill-equipped to handle adversity. They cause their children to grow flat, complacent, and comfortable—instead of vertically.

Elevator parents, by comparison, help their children develop the social-emotional skills to be resilient—an attribute of good teammates.

Similar to elevator parents, elevator teammates positively impact the growth and development of their teams. When the team is emotionally down, elevator teammates use their energy to raise morale. When the team is overconfident and sidetracked by the high of temporary success, elevator teammates use their influence to smoothly lower the euphoria and refocus the team on its long-term objectives.

Elevators facilitate the growth of mega-cities. Elevator teammates facilitate the growth of mega-successful teams.

Before the introduction of modern elevators, most residential buildings were limited to a few stories. To avoid climbing the stairs and the dangers of fires, wealthier residents chose to live on the lower floors. The poor lived on the higher floors. Elevators reversed that trend. Now, the wealthy enjoy the penthouse views of the top floors, while the poorer residents live on the lower floors.

If your team has stopped growing or is trending in the wrong direction, the introduction of elevator teammates may be the key to reversing your team’s fortunes.

As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.

Lance Loya is the founder and CEO of the Good Teammate Factory. He is a former sports coach turned bestselling author, blogger, and professional speaker, who inspires TEAMBUSTERS to become TEAMMATES. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or through his weekly Teammate Tuesday blog.

Would you like to receive the Teammate Tuesday blog on a regular basis? Do you know someone who would? Join our mailing list for bonus insight and inspiration. You’ll never miss another edition again! Sign up here.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This