The Optimal Environment

Unleashing Human Potential Through Belonging

For any sports coach, the most important question is: What is the optimal environment for this team to perform at their best? The answer, as Māori1 wisdom teaches, always contains an element of belonging.

That component for optimal environment is belonging.

Belonging is a fundamental human need. It is also a birthright. When someone feels they genuinely belong, they are able to bring their whole self to whatever group they are in and unleash their full potential. As coaches, the extent to which we can create this sense of belonging within our team is the extent to which we can enable them to thrive.

1 Māori are?the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand (Aotearoa).

Wellbeing and Belonging

There is a profound connection between belonging and wellbeing. Research shows that chronic loneliness directly corresponds to poorer health and shorter lifespan. In contrast, when people experience belonging, their bodies produce a cocktail of hormones including oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine and endorphins. This allows people to flourish. Our need to belong is not just psychological - it's physical.

With a lack of belonging, we have a sense of dis-connection, anyone not just athletes, feel insecure and threatened, as if their survival is at risk. Their performance suffers. They are more prone to injury and burnout.

But when belonging is present, so too is motivation, resilience and determination in the face of challenges. This collective spirit uplifts teams to accomplish more than the sum of individual talents. Wellbeing comes from belonging.

Performance and Belonging

People perform at their best when they feel secure within a group. Trust, psychological safety and healthy social connections enable us to take risks and give our all. We extend ourselves more for the team than we would just for ourselves.?

Without belonging, we hold back. Anxiety and self-preservation kick in. The same parts of our brain are active when we experience social rejection as when we feel physical pain. Our thinking narrows to focus on survival rather than excellence.

As a coach, aim to build team cohesion and foster social connections. This provides the foundation for members to invest fully in team success, not just individual progression. A sense of belonging to something bigger than oneself is the starting point for remarkable human performance.

Storytelling and Whakapapa

Storytelling is vital for belonging. People need to understand where they have come from and where they are going. Leading sports teams involves crafting an 'Us Story' - the history, purpose and future vision of the group.

This is embodied in the Māori concept of whakapapa - genealogy stretching back through generations. Whakapapa gives people a sense of perspective, continuity and meaning. We carry the strengths, dreams and lessons of ancestors. And we have a duty to pass these on to those who come after us.

Connecting the team with their whakapapa. What is the legacy of this club or code? Who are the ancestors whose trials, talents and values live within the team? How do we honour them? Visualising the unbroken chain back through time gives players a sense of who they represent and where they are headed. Their performance today shapes the story for future generations.

As legendary football coach Bill Walsh put it: "The score takes care of itself when the team plays as one."

Identity and Belonging

Crafting an 'Us Story' involves defining a shared sense of identity and purpose. What values and behaviours characterize this team? What is our vision? Identity provides a compass to guide decisions and unite people behind common goals.

With diverse groups, a unifying identity is especially important. As we embrace difference, anchoring everyone to collective beliefs and standards helps build cohesion and belonging. Defining identity requires input from all team members - diversity of voices strengthens, not weakens, the team narrative.

Establishing identity and listening to each person's perspective allows us to shape an 'Us Story' that resonates with who we are and where we are going. Our identity enables us to belong.

The Challenge: Maximizing Diverse Talent

Belonging means that everyone feels valued and able to contribute, regardless of difference. This is the great challenge - and opportunity - of coaching diverse teams. How do we create an environment where people with different backgrounds, beliefs and personalities can thrive together?

It begins by upholding belonging as a fundamental value, not something people need to earn. Making inclusion the norm rather than the exception. Focusing on our shared humanity rather than areas of difference.

It continues by being vigilant to signs of exclusion faced by minority groups. Calling out comments or behaviours that signal someone doesn't belong. Moving beyond tolerance to active appreciation of diversity.

And it culminates in converting difference into competitive advantage. Seeking out diverse perspectives to gain new insights. Tailoring coaching to connect with each individual. Unlocking the unique value that every person adds to the team.

This is the purpose of a coach - to unleash the full potential of every athlete and bring out the best in people, regardless of difference. Our diversity is our strength. Belonging allows us to harness it.

Whānau: The Wider Community

In te ao Māori, the concept of whānau - family and community - is intertwined with belonging. People draw strength from whānau, and in turn have obligations to support the collective.

As coaches, we need to recognize that athletes belong to family and friend networks outside the team. Engaging positively with parents, partners, kids - understanding the roles they play - enables us to support the whole person.

And belonging goes beyond those close to us. It encompasses heritage, land and the wider community we represent. Helping athletes appreciate this bigger picture and serve something greater than themselves is transformational.

When people know why they belong, who they belong to, and what they are contributing, they gain purpose. This ignites performance more powerfully than any external motivators. Whānau inspires excellence.

The Legacy We Leave

Belonging gives life meaning. When we feel part of something timeless - a lineage, a land, a legacy - we grasp our place in the world.

Long before us, ancestors gazed up at the same sun, stars and mountains. They faced trials, celebrated victories, lived their lives. Now the sun shines on us.

What will we do during our brief time here? How will we carry forward the story? What difference will we make, what progress toward the vision before passing the torch?

Our actions shape this ongoing narrative. Our relationships create a legacy far beyond ourselves. Our collective effort writes the next chapter.

As coaches, we have the honour of nurturing this spirit in the teams we lead. We set the tone through our own example - staying grounded, modelling service and shaping culture. We remind athletes that right here, right now, they are writing their chapter.

This is the optimal team environment: a sense of belonging to something timeless and meaningful. An 'Us Story' that frames the past and lights the way ahead. A team identity that embraces diversity as strength. Athletes unleashed to achieve their full potential.

This is the final challenge for every coach - to provide the gift of true belonging for all. Do this, and your team will become the stuff of legend. Their 'Us Story' will inspire generations to come.

And is that not, after all, the greatest success of all?

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With reference to James Kerr - Legacy, Owen Eastwood – Belonging, tobysinclair.com, edelman,com