Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Tuesday Notes - Watering the Roots

9:45PM I thought long and hard about tonight's post in light of current efforts in the tank. And while all of my 447 posts in this diary have been from the heart, this one may be as much from the depths of the soul as any of them.

You see, prior to ten days ago, the 21 traders comprising "Team Jellie" were on their own, traveling their own unique and individual journeys. Some were struggling, with several in search of a subtle push to right the ship, while others wanted a shove and 2x4. And even the team's "General Manager" -- yup that's me -- had hit a well-chronicled extended complacency & focus "wall" after a highly publicized 18-month run for the records. Frankly, we all needed each other -- even during a time where none of us knew each other.

The idea of course all along was to establish and grow a team that would ultimately be far stronger united than divided, and the timing was set with the intent of laying a strong foundation during August's typical light volume chopfest, so the team would be in full gear for the traditionally strong fall.

Are we there yet? Of course not. But there are glimpses. Today was a good example where some traders -- one in particular -- continue to take the lead in terms of maximizing results from the daily market menu, while others -- including this trader -- were slightly off their game.

And today, I may have benefited the most as I vented to the group about my recent personal challenges with motivation, complacency, and performance. I mean, I laid it all out there in a way that I haven't been able to do while swimming solo, aside from rambling in this diary via the pen and camera which only works so far. Frankly, I needed to vent and vent hard. And it felt good.

And while we need more time to truly move as one, there's zero doubt in my mind that by the end of these eight weeks, we'll have established one of the premier trading teams in the industry. Jellies take notice -- failure is not an option! Simply put, the talent and energy level are there, and I won't settle for anything short of across-the-board success.

And while I won't mention the "Bamb--" word, I can sense some distinct rumbling under our feet right now. The difference is that unlike 2008, this time I sense there will be more than a single shoot, and with much larger trunks.

They say clumps of trees can withstand the most violent of storms, and thus survive to reach the highest levels.

For now, we're continuing to invest in fertilizer and irrigation while believing in the unseen.

Hand me the watering can.