Wednesday, April 9, 2014

IF YOU'RE GONNA BOAST, BOAST ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE

If you haven't read "Help The Helper" by Kevin Pritchard and John Eliot, I'm going to strongly suggest you get it.  I mean I just love the title -- but it's a great read that will help you help your team. The book delves into the topic of building a culture of extreme teamwork. It goes into great detail giving evidence and examples of the importance of building an atmosphere of a servant attitude -- where everyone is there to help each other and from that comes benefits for all. Here is a great example not just for your players but for your staff and everyone involved in your program:

Our stance is this: if we're going to boast, let's boast about someone else.  We want expressive, passionate emotion flowing around the office.  But we want it pointed out, not pointed in.  Getting totally jazzed about the good work someone else is doing accomplished four key performance enhancements that, in return, give you more success yourself:

1. It keep your head up.  In order to notice others' success you have to be watching for them, which means you can't be looking down. Physiology research teaches us that body posture (as simply as raised shoulders versus lowered, eyes up versus drooped) has a massive influence over our mood, energy level, attitude.  So we tell our teammates and clients all the time, "Go searching for examples of other people doing great."

2. It keeps you from getting caught up in your own little world.  When you think about your job duties, your deadlines, and your production scores, it's easy to get blinders on or lose perspective; it's easy for your challenges and hurdles to magnify into larger issues than they really are.  Flip the script.

3. It infuses more energy into your game.  Taking pride and pleasure when other people excel allows you to experience success more often.  Success breeds success; you are more apt to thrive personally when you're in the practice of having success-packed emotions.

4. It strengthens relationships...immeasurably!  When you outwardly, viscerally communicate happiness to someone else regarding their success, you communicate to them that you've got their back, that you're there in the trenches for them.  That extends confidence.  They perform better.  They are thankful. They do the same for you in thanks and appreciation.  You perform better.  The whole system improves.  Mudtia becomes ingrained as part of the culture.