Lessons From My Sports Team

Last summer, for the first time in around 30 years, I joined a sports team.??The sport in question is not particularly relevant, but the lessons that I have learned over the last nine months have been very interesting to me.??I know that there is no shortage of inspirational stories from the world of sport out there but, having joined a team almost by accident, and not being a major sportsperson, I wanted to share some of the things that I have learned.

By way of background, my team includes men and women, and there is at least a 25 year age gap between the youngest and the oldest.??I am one of the oldest.??If you were to take a photograph of us, it would look more like a work grouping than a sports grouping, if that makes sense.??We are also a group of varying abilities.??While there are several teammates who are serious athletes, most of us are simply happy that we are able to take part.??What seems to be a common point, though, is that everyone regularly posts a personal best, or exceeds their expectations for a particular event.??There seems to be something about this group dynamic that lifts everyone’s game.??I wanted to figure out why that was the case and here are some of my conclusions.

Lesson 1: Accountability.

The core tenet of our group is accountability.??Every week, our coach sends each of us a workout schedule.??These are not shared within the group, so no one (apart from the coach) can actually see if you are doing the work.??However, through social media and a very active WhatsApp group, we frequently share what we are up to.??This is not invasive and there is no sense that we are supervising each other’s efforts.??Still, there is a real sense of accountability to the group.??Almost every time I work out I will – at some point – think that other teammates are out there somewhere putting in a similar effort, that same day.??Often that has helped me to put on my training gear on days when otherwise I might not have.??My takeaway is that if you respect the people in your team, and the efforts that every one of them is making for the team, you will put yourself in a position to improve your own performance.

Lesson 2:??Support

Support is the corollary to accountability.??Our sport is an endurance sport and people get into these kinds of sports for many reasons.??Often it helps us deal with some other part of our life:??a worry, an insecurity, a loss, a desire to change.??The specifics are personal to each of us.??Again, no one in my team over-shares because we don’t need to.??That said, the group is extremely supportive.??Even the smallest accomplishment is met with words of encouragement from the team.??Maybe even more importantly, if anyone in the group gives the slightest impression on being down in any way, everyone rallies around them and gives them a lift.??My takeaway is that a real team is greater than the sum of its constituent parts.??If everyone is looking out for their teammates, the collective can rise to even greater challenges.

Lesson 3:??Leadership

We are lucky.??We have a great coach.??He knows intuitively when to lead us as a group, through group messages, and when to lead us individually, through one-to-one communication.??Good leadership must be constant, not episodic.??While it is great to be inspirational, that doesn’t really count for much unless it comes on top of consistent, conscientious effort.??Leadership is even better when – as is the case in my team – the leader leads from the front.??It is impossible to complain about doing the hard yards when the coach is doing them right in front of you.??Good leadership becomes great leadership, however, when the environment encourages leadership within the group.??That happens in a very structured way in organizations.??In my sports team it happens organically.??Time and time again, I see people step up and take ownership of an issue, be it arranging participation in an event, or researching some new equipment, or sharing some tips about nutrition.??My takeaway is that great leaders must lead by example, they must be consistent, and they must empower others to lead as well.

Lesson 4:??The Collective Is Better

All of the above seems very easy to me when it is in the context of a sport that I am passionate about.??You want to do all of these things to the very best of your ability and you are surrounded by others that feel exactly the same.??So why shouldn’t that be the same for our work???I hesitated about this final lesson because I thought that loving one’s work seemed to be a matter of good fortune more than anything else.??Not everyone has that good fortune.??Having said that, I recalled that I didn’t have to change my sport last summer to make it more enjoyable.??All I did was change from doing it alone to doing it as part of a team.??The enjoyment factor increased dramatically and the performance improved even though what I was actually doing on a daily basis hardly changed at all.??Transposing that to a work context, maybe viewing our work as part of a team effort can make it more enjoyable, rewarding and productive.?