The Buddy System Lives On
- Jan 13, 2023
- 6 min read
Written by: Lauren Hirsch Williams, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Why the Buddy System worked when you were 5 years old and works again as an adult for the benefit of your business.
The buddy system is a procedure in which two individuals, the "buddies," operate together as a single unit so that they can monitor and help each other.
Sometimes it's hard to recall things our teachers had us do in elementary school. It was their duty and job to help mold and prepare us for the world. Teaching us knowledge, safety, camaraderie, fair play, and teamwork. As well as working with others in a productive manner at the earliest of ages to embed into our psyche the ability to function in school, society, work, and family constructively.
Those days may have become distant memories, but it would behoove us to think back from time to time and realize how the lessons apply now in our adult work life. Sometimes, they're even more applicable now than they were then. These early lessons are also the cornerstone of ultimate success in all areas of our life.
Yes, the good old buddy system.
Did you discard the importance of those critical lessons? Many of us have forgotten the basics of working in the buddy system because so much has changed. Some things seem almost trivial in today's fast-paced world. Connecting simplistic principles in our complex world was not something anyone could fathom back in elementary school (pre-internet days, of course).
As I sit back and think of what's working for me now in business and life, I go back to Miss Patterson (one of my favorite teachers) and how she was the catalyst in developing my brain all those years ago. The basics she taught us emanating from the efficient buddy system still resonates in more ways than you could imagine.
I can still hear the tone of her voice and remember the gestures she used. But I do wish I had paid more attention to the pure and innocent buddy system that was essential as children. Why?
Because, like you, I've experienced many hard-knock lessons of success and failure and, after decades in the workplace, realize one of the best tools for achieving goals is that very point made when I was just five years old ‒ the fundamental simplicity and brilliance of the buddy system.
I'm not talking about making friends and going out for fajitas and margaritas at the end of a long day at the office! (Although I did have a lot of those crazy occasions!) The Buddy System transcends cultures and works in all countries. It may have been called by another name or phrase – but the basic principles are vital and valuable no matter the environment. Perhaps our parents, teachers, and school administrators considered it a method for ensuring safety when out on school trips, but the buddy system transcends that as we travel through life.
Each child was assigned (or selected) another child to hold hands with. There would be a long line of kids holding hands while waiting to board a bus, cross a street, or enter a museum. Visually, this made it workable for the teachers and chaperones to monitor potential chaos. They had just to make sure there were no single children for any reason. It was easy to spot rows of "pairs," and there was an inherent monitoring system since each child only had to keep an eye (and hand) on just one classmate. Brilliant if you dig deep.
As kids, we were told that our 'buddy' was someone to hold onto and look out for. To make sure they didn't get lost or absent-mindedly drift away from the group. Handholding was key because these young, innocent pupils could misinterpret communication skills, simple words, or following instructions.
As a professional adult, it's a pleasant journey to return to those memories, lessons, and fundamental significances and pull them forward and replicate them in seeking your business and life goals.
It sounds simple… and, perhaps, inconsequential. Oh, but it's not. Au contraire!
Our society has focused a lot on independence, maturity, and getting the job done. And getting it done well. We're taught to be competitive to get ahead. To prove our worth. To make sure we stand out – in the office, society, social media, and your duties as a family member. To be in control and capable and a whiz at whatever we do. The pressure to perform perfectly nowadays is suffocating. But it's a reality we must contend with.
Yet it's difficult and contrary to good common sense and logic in many ways. You do exactly that when you stand alone in a room and pitch your ideas, concepts, or thoughts. Stand-alone – quite vulnerable and exposed.
But think about it. What does that imply, and how Herculean is any one person meant to be?
How much can one person do on their own?
How many balls can one person juggle at a time… daily?
How many balls are piled upon them with the stress and pressure to perform?
How many clues and signals can one person see while trying to juggle?
How is one person tasked with winning a room if they don't have some help?
(if you want to learn more about Winning A Room, you’ll find it in my recent book ONE SENSE AHEAD)
We can all juggle. If you're an entrepreneur, an accomplished employee, or a senior executive, you've already proven that. It's the right of passage and a required skill to advance in many forms of business.
But at what point does a ball fall to the floor? Perhaps an important one.
If you're truthful, you'll admit that it happens all the time. We miss deadlines. We don't achieve our sales agenda. We delay and procrastinate (all with good reason, of course… because, come on, Netflix came out with yet another fantastic docuseries that we simply MUST binge!).
We make mistakes and do our best to hide missteps, but that backfires, and we end up dropping another ball.
Juggling was always part of the clown act at the circus. And that's where it belongs… not the office, a meeting, or the boardroom.
The buddy system of our childhood should be reconsidered as a fundamental or staple of any business venture. Even if you're an artist wanting to focus on your creative products, you still need someone to help sell your work for you or give you another perspective on the journey to perfection.
Think about how much more you achieve in a meeting when you have someone on the same side of the table as you (whether in person or not).
Do they catch things you missed?
Can they help guide you back on course when you get sidetracked by that curveball someone threw at you mid-presentation?
Don't they cheer you on when you need it most and speak up with that point you forgot to make when you were nervous?
The buddy system is not only a nursery or elementary school system of safety. It's a highly critical method for achievement and one we almost all overlook when building our business or plan our ascent to the top of a corporation.
There's a saying, "we all need friends." That's not what the buddy system is about. It's not about finding social friendships and camaraderie (although that's also important in life/work balance) or someone who will slip in a favor or get you in a door.
The Buddy System goes so far beyond that, and if you're wise and genuinely focused on achieving greatness, you will add it to the existing list you already created. You know, the list that includes:
Secure funding/investment
Manufacture a quality product
Devise solid strategies to support your vision or mission
Solidify partnerships or affiliates
Gain education in technology or marketing or sales (or whatever area is needed)
Develop powerful interpersonal skills
Become a strong leader, presenter, and visionary
Fill in the blanks here for your specific industry.
But where is the Buddy System on that list? You may call it by another name 20, 30, or 40 years later – such as an affiliate, a joint venture, or a partnership, but it remains the Buddy System.
We aren't taught nearly enough about keeping that system in place as we graduate nursery school and face the world to grow and mature in life and business.
We need to have the Tim Cook to Steve Jobs, the Paul Allen to Bill Gates, the Michelle Obama to Barack Obama. These are undisputed geniuses… but they didn't do it alone. They had that Buddy System firmly in place (whether they knew it or not), and I'm sure that's a big part of why they had ongoing success.
It's time to go back (in your mind) to nursery school and Miss Patterson's wise words, "Don't EVER let go of your buddy's hand." Wise words even now, eh?
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Lauren Hirsch Williams, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Lauren Hirsch Williams is a Business Relevance Strategist, Pitch Stylist, International Bestselling Author, and Award-Winning Screenwriter. With decades of experience, which includes Worldwide Director of Advertising at PepsiCo, Founder of MovieHatch, and Creator of the new MyTurn TV Network for empowering women, she’s been on all sides of the “table”. She teaches others to find their inner strength by using their senses in an uncommon way. Her recent bestseller, ONE SENSE AHEAD, explains the protocol to start that process.
