What an Enormous Pile of Potatoes Taught Me about Teamwork

My friend Paul passed away the day before Thanksgiving this year.  He taught me the best lessons about teamwork.  Paul and his family would invite friends and family to their home each year for Thanksgiving dinner.  But there was one requirement…

You must first know Paul and his wife have always been very kind and wonderful people.  You might even say they were grandparents to all of the children at church.  Only until their failing health and age caught up with them, did they slow down in their daily activities.  It’s this kindness that seems in direct contrast with the idea that they’d ask anything of a person whom they’d invite over for dinner.  But we’re talking about Thanksgiving and that’s a different story.

Each Thanksgiving, Paul and his wife would serve dinner to 40+ people.  Can you imagine the cooking and prep work they’d have to go through for feeding that many people?  They did and so they added one requirement for anyone who was going to come to Thanksgiving dinner; you have to work.

The day before Thanksgiving, their house was divided into preparation stations.  You had people shucking corn, people dicing vegetables, and doing whatever it was they did to cranberries so they’d taste so good.  And did I mention the potatoes?  The mashed potatoes didn’t come from a box.  A crew of us would peel potatoes and pass them on to be mashed, diced, or whatever was needed so they’d be ready for whatever dish they’d be used.

The day before Thanksgiving, at Paul’s house, was work, hard work, and it made Thanksgiving day all the better.  The day before Thanksgiving was about working, meeting new friends, and sharing old stories.  Thanksgiving Day was about giving thanks for the food, the new friends, the family, and the blessings we all saw in different areas of our lives.

The lessons I learned from Paul

Buried under the mashed potatoes, heaps of hot turkey, and homemade stuffing was a lesson in teamwork.  Through the blood, sweat, and apple cobbler, there were four specific lessons I learned;

1. Teamwork leads to a greater appreciation for the finished product.  It’s one thing to show up, eat, and be thankful for the time and energy the host took in preparing the meal.  It’s completely different when you know the dinner is a result of the hard work put in by yourself and those around you.
2. Teamwork leads to a greater desire to do right from the start.  Peeling the potatoes, if I did a poor job, then someone else would have to fix my mistakes by peeling the potato again.  No matter what station you might work, you knew it was important you worked your best.
3. Teamwork leads to a greater appreciation for those around you.  Honestly, I felt a little sad for the people who only showed up for thanksgiving dinner.  These were people who typically came from out-of-state or had other commitments that kept them away.  But they were losing out on part of the fun.
4. Teamwork leads to a celebration of teamwork.  As one potato-peeler would say to another, “aren’t these the best mashed potatoes you ever had?”  We were giving thanks for our blessing but we were also giving thanks for each other and our commitment to preparing a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.

Thanksgiving, potato-peeling, and you

This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for Paul and his family.  I’m thankful I was invited to work.  I’m thankful for what he taught me about teamwork.

Working on an audio team;

• when you work during the sound check…
• when you work during the service…
• when you work with the musicians…
• when you work with the pastor…
• when you teach a fellow tech how to…
• When you work on a team…
• when you think about teamwork…
• think about my friend Paul
• think about peeling potatoes
• and give thanks for teamwork

Now could you please pass me the pumpkin pie?