3 minute read
ON BRAIDED FISHING LINE AND WORKING TOGETHER
By Mike Mallaro, CEO, VGM Group, Inc.
Ibegan my career as a CPA in an accounting firm. One of my clients was a fishing tackle manufacturer whose lead product was fishing line. Fishing line is made by extruding a melted plastic substance to create a thin line that is both flexible and strong. Fishing for bigger, stronger fish requires a different line. I learned from my client that the way to make stronger line is to braid many individual lines together, similar to the way that rope is made. Braided line is incredibly strong and very difficult to break, yet it retains its flexibility. When people work together to solve problems and serve customers, each person usually brings a unique approach and perspective to the task. I’d like to submit that a team is strongest when emulating the braided fishing line. One person with a good customer relationship is a strong beginning, but a web of people building relationships and connectivity and bringing solutions to the customer’s challenges—that’s braiding. There are versions of this “braiding” in many of our modern leadership theories. Strengths-based leadership encourages us to focus on our individual strengths and to accumulate a team of people with complementary strengths to create a strong team. Braiding of strengths, so to speak. Proponents of [ The way to make stronger line is to braid many individual lines together. ]
diversity point to a battery of research findings that show a diverse team usually outperforms a team lacking diversity, in part because bringing differing skills, viewpoints, and life experiences to a team adds a depth and perspective that enhances results. Braiding via illumination, perhaps. The idea of building a client service team to serve an important client, rather than a single account manager, is built on the strength of multiple relationships, multiple points of [ Creating a community environment is a necessary prerequisite to utilizing the strength of braiding. ]
[Bringing differing skills, viewpoints, and life experiences to a team adds a depth and perspective that enhances results. ]
connection. Braiding of relationships. Braiding has much in common with the formation of community. The power of community is about people feeling they are part of something bigger than themselves. Community has an opportunity to exist when there is a sense of belonging. People cannot be part of a community, a work community or any other community, unless they feel that they are welcome and that they belong there. Community also requires a sense of meaning, that the community is somehow a source of good in the world. Creating community also requires the accessional impactful elements, those bonding moments that get noticed and send a strong and memorable message to community members. Creating a community environment is a necessary prerequisite to utilizing the strength of braiding. Said another way, you cannot successfully braid people together for power unless those people first feel a sense of community among one another. [ Braiding makes the bonds between people much stronger and much more difficult to break. ]
By Mike Mallaro, CEO, VGM Group, Inc.
Braiding makes the bonds between people much stronger and much more difficult to break. Bringing the right people, offerings, and opportunities together on a team at work is extremely powerful. It allows us to serve customers well, to help solve their problems, and make their lives easier. Braided fishing line works to catch and keep the largest, most sought-after fish. So does the braiding of the relationships within our teams and our organization, and between our organizations and those we serve. [ The power of community is about people feeling they are part of something bigger than themselves. ]
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Mallaro, CEO, VGM Group, Inc.
Mike Mallaro is CEO of VGM Group, Inc. where he led the development of the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). He began his tenure at VGM in 2001, serving as CFO until becoming CEO in 2016. Prior to VGM, he was CFO of a regional off-price retailer. He also spent twelve years as a CPA in an international accounting firm. Mallaro frequently speaks at regional and national conferences on topics including healthcare trends, financial benchmarks, business plan optimization, and strategic growth. He holds a BBA in accounting from The University of Iowa, as well as CPA (inactive) and CMA designations. He can be reached on LinkedIn or at Mike.Mallaro@vgm.com.
