I was providing a leadership training to a local company and someone afterwards asked about sport coaching because of my past experience. As we talked I reflected on how some teams I had been around were very successful and some never got traction. Talent is a factor and work ethic, but three key components came to mind that impact every team regardless of talent or work ethic.
People Skills
“I have yet to find the person, however great or exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than he would ever do under a spirit of criticism.” Dale Carnegie
Many of us have had task oriented leaders . . . unfortunately I know I have been that person. That is ok, but as leaders we develop our ability to connect as we grow our people skills. As John Maxwell says in his book Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, connecting requires energy.
Leadership is inspiring and influencing others and that requires the ability to connect with others. Once I was talking to a leader who was starting a new position and as we discussed what he was doing as he began the role he said “building relationships.” As a task-oriented person that was a huge reminder to build an effective team I must connect with those I will lead and lead with. The ability to form strong relationships will strongly influence the second element.
Culture
Sports leadership expert Jeff Janssen in his excellent book on culture How to Build and Sustain a Championship Culture reminds us multiple facets exist in a culture, but provides a simple definition:
“At its very basic level, culture is as simple as how things are done in your program. It is your program’s typical Way of doing things.”
Some teams I’ve been around created a culture where talented players started regardless of their effort in practice or elsewhere. This ultimately led to the demise of the team. On the other hand, I’ve seen teams create a “we” culture where everyone contributes their strengths to the common goal and they become champions. Be aware of your team or organization’s culture because it critically impacts results.
Leadership Style
In his book Primal Leadership Daniel Goleman discusses various leadership styles that either draw people in or repel them. He states: “Optimistic, enthusiastic leaders more easily retain their people, compared with those bosses who tend toward negative moods.” Maybe you’ve heard it said another way: people don’t leave companies, they leave leaders.
I explained the various leadership styles Goleman discussed in a previous post so I will not go in detail here. We all have a natural style, but does it serve us in every situation and what impact does it make on our organization?
People skills, culture and leadership approach are not mutually exclusive. They integrate to create the team. How aware are you of your organization’s culture, your people skills or even how you lead? Could it help you to have someone come alongside you to help think into these areas so you can improve both your personal results and the results of your team? If so, contact me.
Where we are now is not where we have to remain. If we are willing to be uncomfortable, stretch and grow then we can take our team to new heights. Lead Well.
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