Enabling Success - Show Team a goal post and set players right

Team management is much like playing a football match. Imagine you are watching a football match where no score is being counted! Will you be interested to play or watch? After watching some of the great player's Juggling techniques, you will go out of the stadium as you will feel as practice session. Similarly, if a Team is working JUST day to day repetitive mandate work without new learning, win, failure and celebration of joy, it is boring, isn't it?

That's why team management should be always to prepare to play the next big match. Until you play good, bad and great matches, you will never become a great player.

These are some of my preferred styles of leadership and team management:

Create goal post for the team : My dear friend Deborah Cherrey coined inspiring statement in my podcast: "either we are dying or we are growing". This is so true for a team as well. A team is a collection of multiple talents' span of life, their career choices, their financial potential, their attitude to contribute, their struggle of managing work and family balance, their ambitions, dreams and most important their happiness and satisfaction. Create team level goals aligning with Organization's vision and mission. Manager's and leaders can show the picture of a bigger goal which demands team' hard work, dedication for longer time. But that journey to attempt to reach the goal, elevates exponential learning, professional development, confidence, and visibility for the team. What does your Team's goal post look like? Describe goal post of your team in one liner. Every team member should understand team goal. Communication and enthusiasm play a significant role.

Build "excellence" as identity as proud belonging for the team : People often say, "Lead by example". Most team follow their leader overtime. Managers can create either blind followers or enable environment where team members can excel at their own potential and add unique value for team's success. When we aim "excellence" as a Team's brand - a proud belonging, team members walk extra miles to keep team's self-esteem. Experience of playing football match with a tough team, teaches to be better; it is necessary to create a nudge even for the team of best competent team members as excellence does not have a ceiling. There is always scope to excel.

Identify players and place them right: In a football match, every players' positions are different and they should be skilled for playing at that position. This is obvious, all teammates are different but everyone has potential skills(strength) and attitude to win. As a manager, our work is to identify the right position for them and train them more to allow them to play with tougher challenges.

Provide stage for potential great talents to shine and to be competitive : Much like a football team highlights its talents on the field, managers should provide opportunities for team members to shine. Challenge individuals with tasks that tap into their potential and encourage healthy competition within the team. Recognizing and highlighting small to big win moments creates a culture of achievement and boosts morale.

Create team spirit & harmony inside team: Alignment and teamwork are crucial to play a team game like football. As Manager, we can work towards developing a harmonious environment where open communication, collaboration, and mutual support wins. A collective team spirit ensures that every member feels valued and contributes positively to the team's goals.

Prepare for the game and show them small to big win moments: Celebrate not just the victories but also the efforts and contributions of each team member. Acknowledge the journey, from small achievements to significant wins. This celebration of participation instills a sense of accomplishment and motivates the team to continue giving their best.

Celebrate participation as well as winning: It is extremely important to celebrate Wins, but it is equally important to encourage and appreciate team for participate in challenges. Participation is the first courageous step to success. We may need mentoring, coaching and lots of trainings for next big match. When managers and leaders appreciate participations in challenges, competitive competition for excellence, other team members get influenced as well. This ensures team become fearless of losing and prepare more for next game to show Win.

Tough discussion for constructive feedback for underperformer: Just as in football, where coaches provide feedback to players, managers must engage in tough discussions for constructive feedback. Address underperformance with empathy, focusing on improvement rather than blame. These discussions are essential for individual growth and the overall success of the team. SMART Goal settings, tracking progress and regular communication can help managers to support under-performers to come back in good form.

By adopting strategies inspired by a football match, managers can create a winning team. If, you are starting a new Team, joining a new team or continuing the same team, it is time to reinvent, encourage and set a bigger goal compared to last year. As a team, you will gain huge learning, confidence and growth surely.

"In the game of life, as in football, you learn more from the losses than the wins; strive for excellence, celebrate every achievement, and remember, the journey is as important as the destination." - Vince Lombardi