Mar 07

March Madness Lessons - #1

Oh man! What a great time of year to learn about teamwork and emotion and leadership the easy way!

Watch what the athletes say about teamwork, pulling their individual weight, trusting each other to bring their best skills and make smart decisions. Watch them hustle like mad for a loose ball as if the game depends on it.

Watch the level of engagement by the coach. Watch the intensity of encouragement given the players by their teammates on the bench.

Watch the amount of pride and emotional energy the players bring to their work, and show for their teams, teammates, school and each other.

I wish we had that kind of connectedness in our workplaces. Don’t you? After years of coaching highly skilled, successful executives, I still marvel at how impersonally many of them lead others. I still marvel at how cool their interactions are, how terribly polite everyone is. A few, though, prove that work can be an inspired and highly productive place where highly skilled people who enjoy and respect each other work their tails off to achieve great results. I wonder why more people don’t try to make their workplaces really amazing places to be.

And, if you feel it’s pointless to rock the boat or try something new because the people who have more power want it the way it is, you have a decision to make. You can either learn about influence, how to build your influencing skills and direct them to achieve positive changes or go find a company that’s more in tune with who you are right now. To stick it out too long in the wrong place…well…that’s a different kind of madness.

David Facer is an executive coach who helps successful leaders improve results by creating a positive change in behavior, for themselves, their people and their organizations. He will be watching college basketball every day during March Madness…and working hard at www.ActivatePotential.com.

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