Any successful team that I have worked with has had one thing in common; they can play as passionately as they can work. There’s a fine art to it – navigating the plains of office dynamics demands a breed of sensitivity to the working habits, deadlines, personalities and affinities of fellow team members.
But born from this understanding of the other gears in the machine is a kind of synchronized waltz that forms the backbone of efficient workflow.
I’m new to the Jet Cooper team, and this particular day was my first time attending Show & Tell, a weekly installment where each member of the group has a chance to chat about one thing they did throughout the week – work related or otherwise. Sitting around the long chestnut table at the Jet Cooper office for our family meeting, the banter being flung around made it really obvious that this team enjoys each other as much as they enjoy their work.
Entering a new workplace is always a nuanced experience. It’s a bit of a fly-on-the-wall sensation for awhile, while you navigate the different dynamics and subtext, and gather cues about the rhythm of the space that everyone occupies. One of the most striking things I found was that this group feels seamless – they run comfortably through production and collaboration and ebb and flow with the needs of the company. It’s also a group that obviously takes the need to laugh very seriously.
This week’s Show & Tell featured a range of both – Satish walked us through a lecture he did at the University of Toronto to the Social Entrepreneurship class in the School of Applied Science and Engineering. The group laughs through Andrew’s account of the cab driver who tried to convince him to take unmarked German homeopathic pellets to mend his broken foot “..in four days. Guaranteed.” Chris blew us away with what he calls “Mood blasts,” a quick-time slideshow of images to replace the traditional mood board. And Arati explains how a favour for a friend ended up with her photo being featured in a banner on the Toronto Financial Services Alliance Career Advisor website.
A weekly roundup is pivotal to help the group wind down. It carves out space to develop the group dynamic, which is pivotal when it comes time to collaborate. I’m hoping to use these weekly sessions to share some insight about the group here at Jet Cooper – the people behind the projects are just as important as work we do.
I also wanted to take a minute to thank the team for being so welcoming! I genuinely enjoy coming into this space and learning about Jet Cooper’s innovative process. The best part of the Jet Cooper team so far is that everyone seems to learn, laugh, and gain inspiration from the work that they share at Show & Tell, and I am feeling really lucky to be a part of it.
Stay tuned for updates about our weekly Show & Tell sessions!