Oh, sweatpants, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways!  I love your comfort.  I love your flexibility.  I love the way you let me be free and how you never seem to get dirty (no matter how long I wear you).  I don’t, however, like how you lie to me.

When first retiring from the Navy, I traded my Khaki uniform for a new “sweatpants uniform.”  For two months, as I wrote, called, and created new things for my business, I had a steady rotation of three pairs of sweatpants to wear.   I loved them and they loved me.  In that two months, my sweatpants told me it was okay to eat as much as I wanted because, they, still fit.  Then, suddenly, it was time to go out and meet the world as a civilian and when I went to put on my custom tailored suit (that I had purchased before retirement), it didn’t fit.  No matter how much I rolled around on the bed (and I was rolling), trying to fasten my pants, I couldn’t get them together.  Actually, it was amazing that I even got the pants over my gargantuan ass.  My sweatpants, however comfortable and loving they had been, had lied to me about the weight I had gained.

I’ve found the same thing to be true with teams I’ve been on.  Many team members are like sweatpants.  They are comfortable!  I love them!  They allow me to be free!  But, they too..lie to me.  After a while when it’s time to venture out, I find myself wholly unprepared to face the realities of what’s out there because I’ve just gotten too comfortable.  All wardrobes need some diversity!  Building a team?  Here are the wardrobe articles YOU NEED:

The Shorts:  Shorts are fun!  Shorts are casual!  Shorts keep things light and active!  They know how to have fun and get things done.

The Dress Pants:  Dress pants keep it formal!  They remind you that there’s more than comfort and fun.  Dress pants keep you on the straight and narrow (and out of jail).

The Jeans:  Jeans are heavy workers.  No matter how battered and dirty they get, they are ready for more wear.  Jeans don’t care about what they look like, they just want to get stuff done.

The Tight Pants:   These are the pants that fit you two years ago.  They remember how things used to be when you were in shape and urge you to get back on track in doing things right.  You might not go to them all the time (because they’re so uncomfortable), but you know you need to keep them.

And…yes….

The Sweat Pants:   They may lie to you and tell you you’re not getting fat, however, they just make life a bit sweeter and you ARE REALLY comfortable with them.

Just like having all sweatpants in your wardrobe, having all of any one of these types on your team is a recipe for disaster.  Diversity brings depth.  Diversity brings breadth!  Don’t get caught with your pants down (because they won’t fit over your gargantuan ass), build your team with more than sweatpants.  You’ll always be ready for any occasion.