Temptation usually comes in through a door that has been deliberately left open ~ anonymous

Having just returned from a 2-week family vacation, I am reminded about the importance of a life outside of the workplace, and how relaxation of the mind is a self-perpetuating energy source. During my tenure as the co-founder of Cash Flow Solutions, a 23-year consumer payments company, our employees understood that their families and well-being were a priority. It was a well-received message that contributed to a robust team chemistry and unmatched loyalty while paying huge dividends in the long run. As our payments company morphed into RIBBIT.ai, a data analytics company, the same philosophy holds true.

Effective sports and business teams have a common element called camaraderie or chemistry that drives them to individually succeed for their teammates. The synonyms for the word camaraderie are friendship, harmony, companionship, and solidarity. It’s unselfish, it’s putting the goals of the team ahead of individual ones, despite the obstacles, often resulting in unexpected achievements. We see it all the time in professional sports, the low-budgeted team, despite the enormous odds, unexpectantly wins the championship, while the team with all the franchise players loses again, another year in defeat. The mythical franchise player is chemistry, a unified belief that together anything is possible.

Granted, most top-notch sports teams are riddled with positive chemistry, but longevity takes a confident and passionate coach with a systematic game plan, unified purpose, willingness to make tough decisions, commitment to everyday fundamentals, and an eagle eye on the end goal. Championship teams don’t just happen, they are created by visionaries who see and understand their place in the future, and who adhere to a game plan that will take them there. Building an accomplished professional team at the workplace requires the same components for success.

As business leaders, we must role-model the behavior we wish to cultivate. It’s the ol’ reap what we sow cliché. Ongoing employee drama on any level is destructive and the longer it simmers, the more lethal it becomes. Additionally, make workplace expectations crystal clear by creating a transparent set of guidelines for acceptable employee behavior and stick to their adherence through open, respectful, resolution-based communication.

The unified team at RIBBIT.ai is committed to expanding the company’s reputation and industry imprint through a principled business model that respects employees and protects clients along with their valuable customers. The formula for success seems simple, yet temptations arise in the name of profitability, so foundational principles need to be fortified: influence every decision, commit to compliance at every level, and protect the business model at all costs.

The challenge of any business is to develop a support team that shares in the passion of the leader’s dreams. The MVP at RIBBIT.ai will always be our teammates.

Stay tuned . . .