By John Taylor
Here are two great phases that have an important meaning to me. The first is Gung Ho. Now that is Chinese and it means working together. It’s also a mantra of the Drill Instructors at Parris Island South Carolina. Legend has it that the US Marines borrowed this word from the peasants who worked in the Chinese Cooperatives during the 1930’s. Major Evans Carlson of Carlson’s Raiders fame was trying to build up the same sort of working spirit that he had seen in China where all the soldiers dedicated themselves to one idea and worked together to put that idea over. He told his men about it again and again. He told them of the motto of the Chinese Cooperatives, Gung Ho. It means Work Together-Work in Harmony. As a former Marine I have always felt this motto should be incorporated within every company no matter their products or services. If it works for the Corps it should work for just about any other endeavor. So to all the Marines out their past, present and future I wish you a Happy 237th Birthday on November 10th 2012.
Now to the second word which is companion. It comes from two Latin words com and panis meaning “with bread”. So a companion is a person with whom you have broken bread. Here at Nova Data testing we have all shared bread together. We certainly eat lunch at the same time when we are out of town on a shut down inspection. Many times due to the time constraints of leaving the site we will get sandwiches, burgers or a pizza delivered to our work area. And in the evenings when we are out of town it isn’t unusual for us to all have dinner together as well. In fact we also try to have a behind the shop cookout once or twice a month when we all are in town.
Team Nova Data
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| Sinoch Pum (Left), Darrell Henderson (center), Sina Tith (Right) |
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| Kyle Stevenson (ndt chef of the year) |
So what’s the link between Gung Ho and companions? Well it’s whatever your organization wants it to be. Here at Nova Data we put a lot of emphasis on our team. When a company works in harmony things get done quickly, efficiently and without the constant problem with organizational communication. Sure Nova Data has challenges to overcome. Everyday issues regarding reports, manning jobs, equipment repairs and just plain old technology glitches. By working in harmony the team overcomes the daily problems and looks toward their shared goals. Those goals become more defined when instead of just a co-worker you are dealing with your companion, someone with whom you have broken bread. We all have our family life, our social life and our working life. Each one is a journey that we take with others and the harmony we have with our fellow travelers, our companions, makes for either a pleasant trip or a tough road to travel. Everyone at Nova Data Testing works hard to make our journey less stressful, more enjoyable and totally effective for our customers and our team. We are and we will remain Gung Ho.
John Taylor is president of Nova Data Testing, a prominent non-destructive testing contractor. Visit his site at http://ultrasonictestingndt.com/
