Sports Psychology and the Enneagram: The Inevitable Transformation
When I was growing up, the dream job for many of my classmates was: NHL Player. And truthfully, Manitoba, Canada has produced more than their fair share of professional athletes - we know hockey.
The dream of becoming a professional athlete used to revolve around two simple principals: talent and relentless pursuit. I know friends that actually accomplished the 10,000 hours of skill development we learned about with Malcolm Gladwell. They had the talent, and they had the dedication, and it paid off.
Today, the dream of becoming a professional athlete involves far more than a stick, a puck and Mr. Sieve every day after school.
Professional athletes and the field of Sports Psychology give us a look into the importance of addressing stress, performance pressure and resilience in the workplace, not just for individual success but for the development of powerful and effective teams. In many ways, they have been ahead of the curve promoting mindfulness and visualization to not only manage the stress of the job but to achieve that next level of success in a highly competitive environment.
Every profession has become more and more aware of the effects of stress and emotional well-being on job performance. But not every organization is implementing the necessary systems and structures to evaluate, address and monitor the well-being of their team members.
Similar to the shifts in professional sports, I don't believe we can run effective organizations any longer based on talent and relentless pursuit. Every industry is up against new technologies, fiercer competition and the reality of increased stress and mental health on the workplace culture.
Hiring strong people isn't enough anymore.
The organizations that are going to stand out in this landscape are the ones that are tapping into the benefits of addressing more than the basic needs of their employees and are, themselves, engaging in a more comprehensive look at the effects of stress and wellness on job performance.
Putting wellness plans in place is a great start, however what we are looking at is building a culture that not only supports the people we have hired but multiplies their effectiveness in every area of our business and even further into our wider context.
The three attributes that define effective teams are:
Collective Vision
Strong team members that know the vision of your organization will work harder. When a vision becomes your own, you push harder than you ever would for simply a pay check.
Strong Relationships
Strong team members that like and relate to the people in the workplace will go further. Loyalty lives in relationship. People will always remember how you made them feel - it makes or breaks every social space.
Trust and Transparency
Strong team members that know their voice matters will always give you more. Creativity and innovation are born out of trust and transparency.
Hiring strong people is the first step. Examining what makes them strong is what sets effective teams apart.
It's time to look at more; it's time to look at powerful effect each individual has on our team and to leverage their strengths for the benefit of the organization.
People are multi-layered and complicated. The teams that are addressing these nuances are rising to the top of the pile ... and will stay there because their people will be staying there with them.
Great Read!