Endless, Cheerful, Repeated Coaching

“Man, you gotta have your head in the game every second of every play. You doze for a second, and the other guys are all over you and that’s the down, the quarter, and the whole game. Too many games, and your career is done!”

—NFC Playoff Team Member

If a football team went a week without being intensely coached about the opposition, the plays and strategy for the game at hand, and the positions and roles of each opposition player on each squad, you wouldn’t be surprised if they failed to perform in the big game. Success is not just about individual abilities, but about common vision, purpose, and strategy.

Yet, in business (and in life) we often make the mistake of expecting our varsity players, our leading colleagues, our mates, children, and friends to go days, weeks, or months without significant coaching, feedback, encouragement, or appreciation. We think, “It’s obvious what I expect, what the game requires, what life, the relationship, the job, or school demands… Why should I repeat myself? They should simply assess the situation and proceed according to their best judgment!”

And that is the greatest mistake a leader can make: deeming something “obvious,” and therefore not requiring comment.  This is worth considering!

Two responses:

1. Of course it’s obvious – to you. But in our experience, leaders tend to see both more clearly and more deeply than everyone else.  We need their depth of insight. What’s obvious to the leader may be “clear as mud” to most.

2. And maybe it is obvious to everyone else, but without the leader to “give voice to the obvious,” it will not rise to the level of “understanding in common.”

When the leader perceives an “obvious” issue, points it out to the group, and the group in turn says “Yeah!”, there’s a sense of shared understanding and common perspective that in a very real sense “creates and unifies” the group.  Before this moment, it may have been a roomful of people, but now it’s a group with a shared perspective – the precursor of a team.  On the foundation of that shared perception, the leader can forge a strategy and a plan to which everyone can buy in.

The leader perceives for the group, speaks to and for the group, and often crystallizes ideas for the group.  Done well – accurately – the group and its leader are successful and tight.  Done badly (inaccurately or for political purposes) the group shatters or drifts apart.

It’s obvious.  But until the leader points it out and assigns it a meaning, it’s not shared and therefore – not real.

Successful groups, teams and companies have shared perspective, purpose, and practices in common – culture.  Their culture distinguishes them from everyone else, and then serves to attract more players – looking to become a part of something larger, greater.

In Fusion Speak, the leader provides the “nucleic attraction,” the center of gravity that pulls together and unites the players.

So, is this a one-time thing? No unfortunately, if the force goes away, the nucleus dissolves and the team dissipates. Life is messy, people forget.  So in truth, the leader has a full time / lifetime appointment – pointing out the “main thing” in each new moment. Point out the obvious, assign it a meaning, tell us what we’re going to do about it and step on the gas! Again and again and again.

A final thought: Does anyone long for a critical, grouchy chewing out? Not so much…  How about a cheerful invitation to play on a winning team?  Once again? That’s it, a key component of great leadership – good cheer.  It’s addictive.

Endless. Cheerful. Repeated. Coaching.

Applications

1. Personally

What’s your internal mental culture? Appreciative? Bored? Confused? Self-critical? Greatness begins between your ears. So does failure. You are your own most valuable player.  Begin each day with humble excitement about the privilege of being alive and able to play.  Now take that winning attitude to the family and to the office.

2. At Home

Families are “obvious and underfoot.” Also, frequently under one’s skin.  Recognize that attitude has a lot to do with the difference between stroking and friction. Appreciate the presence of your “team” and lay out “the obvious” for them. You’re in this together – and each of you has a role to play and a contribution to make.  “Knowing your job” at home is a key part of “family.”

3. At Work

Sometimes there’s a repetitive quality to work, which makes it easy to let your attention wander. Watch it!  Get your head in the game!  If you’re coaching, keep your team focused and sharp!  But remember, they must want to play for you, Coach! Your good cheer, while pointing out what’s obvious can be the creative force which brings the nucleus into being.

People, families, and teams all need to be regularly re-acquainted with the obvious.  Management’s first job…  Put it simply: Endless, Cheerful, Repeated Coaching.

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