The Tribe Gathering- Sunday Mindset For The Week Ahead

“The man of genius inspires us with a boundless confidence in our own powers.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

How does the power of a strong workplace or team culture, as well as the presence of servant leadership help curb the level of apathy and selfishness of the people we might lead?

The “what” answer to that question is simple = Empowering your people. The “how” is a much more difficult task and also completely subjective.

The coaches at The Tribe believe that a powerful culture can help overcome these issues by making your people cognizant of their value and superpowers. We like to use the adjective “super” because it holds the key to identifying the above and beyond. I mean how awesome would Clark Kent be if he just ripped off his work suit and there was another work suit underneath because he only changed into “Man-Man”?

By that same logic, can we empower our people to add the Super? It’s absolutely possible when the people you lead know the expectations and are also aware that they are worth their weight in G.O.L.D

G - Gratitude O-Opportunity L- Leadership D - Discipline

Gratitude: As your team’s leader are you modeling, encouraging, & prioritizing Gratitude? If not, how will your people ever be aware of not just their worth and potential, but that of the people they work with? But this process doesn’t begin with a pat on the back for just showing up or doing what’s expected. It starts with your vulnerability to model humility and gratitude. As well as, helping them identify their strengths & weaknesses and providing a blueprint for what is super, what’s expected, & what is intolerable. When the team is aware of what is super, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their teammates, then gratitude for the effort to reach super as well as the celebration of accomplishing what is super can become owned by the collective and not solely dependent on the “boss’s” acknowledgement.

Opportunity: If you want to ward off apathy then you need engagement. The catalyst for engagement is opportunity. Opportunities to lead present themselves everyday in everything we do ranging from the mundane to the vital. Who on your team is in charge of company birthdays, data, growth, presentations, & celebrations? Do they super-charge the energy put into those things? How often do you delegate leadership? If you want someone to see how important they are to your team/company, use their present superpowers in the opportunities you offer them. And underpin those with the next variable, servant leadership. For example: A Monday morning meeting or an afternoon practice session could start with a 3 minute conversation. “Hey Julie, tell me one of Ken’s superpowers.” Julie states, “Ken is very compassionate.” And then ask for an example. Everyone just caught Julie AND Ken being great. “Everyone I’m challenging you to fill Monday with Ken-like compassion!” “In every conversation, meeting, and disagreement both here and at home can you display Ken-like compassion?!” Simple & practical….but extremely difficult and it’s an opportunity to grow. The expectation is set, how to do it well is exemplified, Ken feels valued, Julie feels empowered by serving someone else, your team knows that they are important to you and that compassion is as well, and you’ve challenged them to think about compassion in everything they do. Solid, fried, GOLD sans apathy.

Leadership: Everyone’s leadership looks different. But, we can all be servant leaders. The manner in which we lead can always support, develop, and encourage others. Use your people’s superpowers along with servant leadership to help them see one another’s value, care, and commitment to their team. When delegating leadership, service and selflessness needs to be embedded in the objectives. When this is done “Super” people feel appreciated, seen, and valued.

Discipline: Accountability can be uncomfortable, but it’s not a requirement to be effective. Can you put a “cape,” on your discipline too? When apathy sneaks in and you notice gratitude and leadership leaking out of the opportunities presented, it’s time to hold people accountable. But it can be done with simple encouragement and acknowledgement of their superpowers. If you notice apathy, call it out! “We need everyone’s best, time to be exceptional, PR (personal record) the next 5 minutes.” These are just examples of accountability in the form of encouragement. Remind your team of what is around them that they have to be grateful for and ask them for examples. Then challenge them to be super, to take something simple and do it great. If, as a team, those pieces are extrapolated, what you end up with is a remarkable outcome. Accountability is discipline. But when it has a “cape” on such as, “make what you do count,” then it doesn’t carry any shaming or blaming. Yes, there are times for completely different conversations and those will 100% happen. But, what you’ll find in great cultures is that the team members have already beaten you to the conversation.

Start your week with gratitude, see the opportunities to grow and do the extraordinary, lead and provide chances for others to lead, and hold yourself accountable first for the effort and commitment to these. That’s how you defeat apathy and selfishness. Have a blessed week.

If you’d like to discuss further how to better develop your team’s culture so that it can be SUPER then feel free to contact us. Our online sport leadership course is on schedule to be open by May 30, 2023. If you’d like more information about it then use the email below to find out more.

If you’d like to develop your leadership with us or know of a great newsletter that deserves to be “caught being great,” then email us at [email protected]

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