Teams - different breeds

I am a big believer of teams. When I completed my MBA, it was a huge shock for me. Most of my work was in teams. Being a Computer Science graduate, I always wanted to do the work either alone or with other individuals that were developers or knowledgeable in the computer field. During my MBA at the University of Miami, I learned much about teams. One thing that stuck with me is that cohesive teams become more united during great circumstances. Think about Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Katrina, or 9-11. During these times, people came together for one particular cause, their communities. The same thing happens when the team itself feels threaten.

I recently moved, and noticed that the drier of my new home was not working. Yesterday I called my landlord to explain to him about the problem. His voice started to break, and told me that his 17 year-old son drowned the day before and that he was going to take care of the drier issue later. Words cannot explain how I felt. I have a seven-year-old and he and my wife are my life. I cannot imagine what I would do if something similar happened to me. I told my landlord that he shouldn't worry about it, and that I would fix it and for him to focus on his family.

A day later, three gentleman came to the house and fixed the problem with my drier. They said that they came in behalf of my landlord. I found out that my landlord is the chief of the Miami Fire Department and they are proud to help their chief. One of the gentlemen told me,

Fire Departments are a different animal. We take care of our people.

I was deeply moved. It also made me think, would my team do the same thing for me? Would my friends? My wife and I picked up a sympathy card to send it to our landlord. I can't imagine what is he going through, but I would take this opportunity to remind me how vulnerable we are. Indeed, the hardest times reveal the true friendships.