Shawn Blanc recently wrote about the importance of unity in the workplace. Here’s my favorite bit:
“When you feel safe around your team then you’ll go ahead and try out that crazy, out-of-the-box idea of yours. If you were afraid of your peers criticizing you, then you’d probably stick to what is safe and boring. Unity and trust amongst your team means you’re safe to fail.”
This is precisely what I like about Star Trek: The Next Generation. Everyone on the Enterprise is 100% competent in his/her job and everyone else knows it. Plus, those relationships extend beyond the merely professional; the genuinely like and trust each other. That’s why when there’s a problem, Picard is instantly open to hearing La Forge’s crackpot solution.
As we set up for Macworld Expo, I see the TUAW crew come together in the same way. Everyone does his/her job very well, and individual members’ splinter skills compliment the abilities of the others. Plus, we just get along.
It’s a great thing.