 You Can't Be Tough AloneI love wolves. I think they’re cool. For me, they have an aura of strength and power about them that other animals don’t. They exude courage, often hunting prey much larger than themselves. Yet, they also display massive amounts of kindness, staying behind to be with an injured packmate.
What I like most about wolves though is their toughness. I think they have mastered what tough is all about. I know most people will quickly point out that lions and tigers are bigger, stronger … more intimidating than a wolf. To which, I agree. But you don’t see a wolf in the circus, do you? No, because for a wolf it’s not about the wolf. It’s about the pack. This simple, and profound, understanding is exactly what makes the wolf the biggest badass in nature. A wolf doesn’t try to be anything except a member of the pack. They understand they are no more, or less, important than every other member. They’re undeniably tough. But, that toughness isn’t the result of superior strength, speed, or size. It’s a result of the pack. Why Should We Care? I know there are leaders out there bigger than life, bigger than their organization. They have star power, deliver charismatic speeches daily, and move people to action with their mere presence. That’s not me. I’m not that good. I need other people. And, I’m good with that. I think that’s where true toughness resides - in a group, on a team ... we always beats me. For those of you like me, that are better in a pack, the question becomes: how do we find the right pack? The answer is simple. Wolves hang with wolves. That’s what makes a pack a pack, the other wolves. We need to search for other wolves. People that have similar mindsets, pursuits, and motivations as us strengthen both the wolf and the pack. We are hopefully all aware of how impactful the people around us are on our perspective and outlook on life. REAL TALK - Action Steps The purpose and drive to turn visions into realities must align but, the roles and process for each individual does not need to be the same. As a matter of fact, it shouldn’t be. The diversity adds strength.
To think we have ever truly done anything on our own is laughable. No matter how tough we might get, it pales in comparison to our toughness within a team. Just like there is no ‘I’ in TEAM, there is no TOUGH alone. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!
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 Given the CircumstancesLet me just say it to start with: it doesn’t matter.
The circumstances we face never serve as justification for the result. Far too often, we search for excuses when things don’t go the way we want. We want to feel better, to soothe our ego. One of the most common, easiest ways to do this is to blame our circumstances. I had no choice … what was I supposed to do … I couldn’t do anything about it … Our circumstances are such a convenient scapegoat. And, if you don’t attribute the substandard performance to your circumstances quickly enough, someone will do it for you. One of your ‘friends’ will help you justify the result. The phrase ‘given the circumstances’ immediately lowers the expectation, which is what we’re going for. It relieves us of responsibility, and makes whatever the result is more acceptable. At least we think it does. But, it doesn’t. See, we know what we are capable of. We know, regardless of what we say out loud, that the circumstances must be irrelevant. We know the standard is the standard - not the standard is the standard as long as something doesn’t make it too hard to reach it. Why Should We Care? The problem isn’t the use of our circumstances as an excuse anyway. The problem is that we feel like we need an excuse. If our focus was on the process, on testing ourselves, on constant growth; then we would see excuses for the pitiful, useless waste they are. It’s our obsession with the result that drives the need for excuses. The search for unfortunate circumstances is simply a window to the focus of our mind. Shift to a process-centered mentality and suddenly the circumstances become irrelevant. Actually, the more challenging, the more adverse, the better. The difficulty gives us more opportunity for growth, which those in love with the process cherish. When we accept the circumstances, we are freed to commit fully to the process. Only then can we perform without the fear of failure and judgement. The performance process becomes very simple.
REAL TALK - Action Steps Accepting our circumstances while maintaining the standard is a challenge for those pursuing excellence within teams or as an individual. Here are a few ideas to simplify it.
Remember, it’s not the excuse that’s the problem. The excuse is the symptom. The real issue is that we think we need to provide an excuse. When we know where home is, excuses become completely irrational because they only lead us away from it. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!  What Are You Chasing?More is usually the answer - more wins, more money, more fame. You work for it, plan for it, and network for it but do you ever have enough? Enough wins, enough money, or enough fame? The pursuit of more is not only exhausting, it’s a waste of your time. Yea, all that time you spend “grinding” is pointless if it’s in pursuit of the wrong thing. What are the wrong things? Well, money for one. Like everything else, money isn’t inherently good or bad. It’s just money. What we choose to do with it, what we will do to get it, and our purpose for making it will determine the good or bad. Status, or fame, would be another. Similar to money, the pursuit of status will never fulfill you enough. More simply leads to the desire for more. The likes, rankings, and rewards may lead to short-term motivation and results but it doesn’t provide the substance to maintain. Happiness. That’s right, happiness. Chasing happiness is one of the surest ways to not achieve it. With happiness as your focus, comfort becomes the most logical means … and comfort kills. Happiness, like money and status, isn’t something to be pursued; it’s the byproduct of pursuing the right things. Why Should We Care? So, what are the right things to be chasing? These are going to seem simple. They’re not. Progress. That’s right, progress. One of the most motivating, inspiring things in the world is progress. The feeling that you are further along today than you were yesterday creates an undeniable energy that drives you to do it again the next day … and the next, and the next. Consistent progress is the only path to excellence. ChopChop. Contribution. When you provide value to someone or something else, you feel needed. The contribution doesn’t need to be publicized or even significant in the eyes of those outside the arena. You must feel like you contributed. That’s it. The feeling of contributing to something outside of yourself is powerful and a worthwhile chase. Meaning. For some this would fall under faith, it does for me. But, in any case, seeking to understand why you are here and what you are here to do is a noble pursuit that will lead you to a way of life that is unordinary. People who understand their meaning and purpose in life are different. You can tell from the moment you first interact with them. Their presence inspires because how they do everything is an offshoot of their purpose. The simplicity and clarity they live with is clearly the result of a fantastic chase. REAL TALK - Action Steps To focus on what you should be chasing is challenging. Most get pulled off track and down the road of the wasted pursuits. Here’s a few ideas on how to help those we lead in this chase.
The things we should be chasing seem simple. And, they are. However, simple does not mean easy. The ability and toughness to stay focused on the right chase, is available to all but only embraced by those striving for excellence. Make sure you’re running the right race. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!  Do Things That Take AwhileI’ve been a high school teacher and coach for over 20 years now. Everyone wants to talk about how different kids today are and how much they’ve changed. Some of which is true and some is not - like every generation before them, I suppose.
I’d like to focus on one aspect of society, not just our kids, that has changed drastically since I first started my education career: the willingness to persist. It’s not debatable. I’ve personally watched the steady decline in grit. As a whole, society does little reinforce the need for it. Actually, we do the opposite. We expect immediate service at the drive-thru window - forget the fact that you are sitting in your car doing literally nothing, while someone else is fixing your food for you. We expect immediate replies to our text messages - never mind the rest of the other person’s entire life that should now be on hold to reply to your likely trivial request. We expect our teams to click and have great chemistry within the first week of being together - disregard we are typically pulling together individuals from completely different backgrounds with completely different expectations to try to accomplish a common goal. Why Should We Care? That has changed. It’s different now. It wasn’t that way 20 years ago, but it was trending in that direction as it probably always has been. Our expectations grow with each advancement. What hasn’t changed? The best things aren’t achieved quickly. It hasn’t changed and isn’t going to change. The best things require us to wait ... as they should. Work must be put in, obstacles have to be overcome, and failures must be confronted. Teams are the perfect example. The organic nature of team development is on it’s own timeline. We can influence it, guide it, even push it but we can’t force it. It’s going to take time. Time for shared experiences, time for knowledge of each other to develop, and time for vulnerability to be embraced and trust to be built. I think our obsession with instant gratification is a major player in the significant increase in poor team performance in all arenas. Leaders, team members, and stakeholders are not accustomed to waiting. This lack of patience is a considerable problem in the team setting, mainly because there is no way around it. Even the best teams, ones that perform well early in their time together, have not tapped into their true potential at the early stages of existence. They may be good, but they’ll be better later. REAL TALK - Action Steps The interesting part of this is applying it. Even if we recognize it, how do we defy the societal norm and embrace the time excellence and true teams require? Here are a few thoughts to help pave the way.
Just as teams require a certain amount of time to truly develop, the same can be said for individual performance. We take time too. Excellence requires time. As Trevor Moawad’s book title states, “It takes what it takes.” Accept it and embrace it - for yourself and for your team. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!  My Bad I’ve heard several hard-nosed disciplinarian leaders recently share their disdain with their people uttering the phrase “my bad”. It seems to be viewed by these leaders as a way to shirk off the responsibility of the necessary action and remove themselves from the accountability of it not being completed up to standard.
It usually comes off like this: “My bad? I know it was your bad. Who else’s bad was it? It wasn’t mine.” I can see, and appreciate, this perspective, but I believe it neglects a few significant benefits that “my bad” can provide. It’s not all bad … there is actually some significant good that can come from “my bad”. However, it will require a shift in our mindset. Why Should We Care? “My bad” simply means, it was my fault. It is meant to accept responsibility, not avoid it. From this view we can begin to see the value in saying “my bad”. Owning our mistakes is clearly a much needed attribute of a good leader, and anyone pursuing excellence for that matter. Great leaders take more than their share of the responsibility for mistakes, they take all of it. Everything that goes wrong on your team is your fault. It’s all your bad. If you aren’t willing to accept that, then don’t lead. A leader’s job is to serve the team members. Make their job easier, improve their experience, and help them perform at their best. Accepting responsibility for their mistakes is part of serving. I’m a basketball coach. If my team doesn’t execute something in the game properly, that’s my fault. Maybe I didn’t allow enough time in practice for it. Maybe I didn’t explain what I wanted well enough. Or, maybe I had the wrong players in the game. In any case, I could have done something better. Of course the player should have remembered the play or followed through on his job and what he had been coached to do. But he didn’t. If he chose to not do it intentionally then you have a whole separate set of problems, but that’s not the norm. Most people want to do their best and want to contribute to their team. So, there must be a reason he didn’t. That reason is the responsibility of the leader. REAL TALK - Action Steps The application of this mindset requires us to know our team in order to balance accountability with support. Both are needed and possible with “my bad”. The key is knowing who needs what. The diagram above is Jeff Janssen’s Commitment Continuum. It does an excellent job of breaking down the buckets most team members fall into.
On elite teams, there is no “My Bad”. Everything is OUR bad. Each mistake, mishap, and failure is viewed by everyone on the team as their problem. All contributed to it and all will own more than their share. It’s one of the things that makes elite teams elite. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!  Bet On UsOne of the most common phrases being thrown around professional sports right now is the flamboyant proclamation of arrogance, “I’m betting on myself.” I guess it’s supposed to impress us with the unwavering confidence this athlete magically possesses or shock us by the determination he maintains through a difficult situation.
It does neither for me. Don’t get me wrong, confidence and determination are critically important in achieving our goals and maximizing our potential. We have no shot without them. However, other things matter too … and maybe more. Why Should We Care? Proclamations mean nothing. Action is what matters. In the pursuit of excellence claims, slogans, and promises fall by the wayside. It’s too tough, too challenging, and takes way too long. The emotional claim to bet on yourself is only significant if the following actions and habits reflect this newly found commitment. Habits persist far beyond any bet. I’ve found that those who proclaim the most, persist the least. One of the aspects of teaching and coaching that I’ve always found interesting is what different people do when things get hard. We all know that anything great is on the other side of hard. We like to think of doing hard things as an option, but it’s really not. Atleast, not if excellence is what we seek. If things are going to get hard, then clearly we have to find a way to overcome them. Our ability to display toughness during adversity is a critical element of excellence. And, I believe those betting on themselves are attempting to be as tough as they know how. Here’s the thing though ... you can’t be tough alone. Atleast, you can’t be as tough as you can be alone. By going it alone, we are leaving money on the table. There is more in us that only others can bring out or that we will only give in order to help a teammate. If it’s only about me, it will never be enough. And finally, humility matters. Betting on yourself implies that you’re in the position you’re in solely as a result of you - your efforts, your sacrifices, your work. It’s absurd. Think of all the people that have contributed to making you the person you are. Of course, your family and friends but also people you’ve observed, mentors that have given their time for you, and your competition that provides the challenge that pushes you further and further. REAL TALK - Action Steps So how do we go from focusing on ourselves to focusing on us?
Instead of betting on ourselves, we would be better off betting on us. The willingness and desire to pull together when things get tough rather than scatter and attempt to solve the problem on your own is the mark of a true teammate. They may still be betting on themselves, but they’re doubling down on us. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help  Will You Sprint?Most workouts I’m accustomed to have a specific number of sets and reps. Maybe three sets of ten reps. As we complete these workouts, we are careful to be sure to count our reps. And, we typically stop at the scripted number.
Crossfit-style workouts have become popular over the last several years and offer a variation to the traditional set-rep model. Many workouts in the Crossfit model require you to do a certain exercise as many times as possible in a given amount of time. Your score for the workout is usually your lowest rep count in the allotted time. Not counting the reps is close to a catastrophic event. You either have to guess or repeat the round, neither of which make you feel good about the workout. The same mindset surrounds running. Ask a group of friends if they want to go for a run and one of the first questions will be, how far are we running? I share these examples simply to highlight the finality mindset we have become accustomed to in virtually all parts of our life. Why Should We Care? Here’s the problem with it though: it doesn’t apply in the most important aspects of our life. The ones that really matter, that your friends talk about when you’re not around, that we share at your funeral ... those are centered on things in your life that you can’t count and that don’t end. Your relationships, your faith, your personal growth, and your pursuit of excellence do not fall into the finality mindset bucket. There is no destination on these. We can’t get to a point that is “good enough”. As Coach Z used to say: “That’s the funny thing about good enough … it never is.” There is nothing wrong with goals having specific destinations or end times. I like to think of them as benchmarks rather than goals, but what you call them is secondary to your overall understanding of their use. Benchmarks, or goals as they are described here, are nothing more than small, tangible evidence of progress. However, everything is not good about goals. At times, the achievement of, or failure to achieve, a goal will lead directly to that finality mindset. People become so consumed by the benchmarks and minor victories that they lose sight of the true mission: Growth. REAL TALK - Action Steps The realization that there is no finish line should be a freeing thought. Mistakes can be absorbed and used as growth and the race is never over. Remembering that in the daily grind is difficult. Here are a few ideas to keep that long term mentality front and center.
The courage that’s required to sprint when you’re not sure about the finish line is different. But, excellence is different. Anything great in life requires different. Even if those around you are slowing down or dipping their toes into the water to check the temperature, don’t do it. Sprint … Do a cannon ball! For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!  Patience or AccountabilityToo patient and you become soft, a pushover.
Too strict and you become cold, a drill sergeant. Neither is a good recipe for an effective, transformational leader. I’ve found the best leaders to balance patience and accountability masterfully. They seem to have an innate ability to know just when to push a little more and when to allow space - when to demand and when to forgive. When we allow excessive time to reach the standard, we are also saying the standard isn’t that important. Passivity, relaxed, cool doesn’t produce excellence. Likewise, a tyrannical drive to the standard dismisses the process we all must pass through in order to reach new heights. Suppressing creativity, working through mistakes, and remaining focused only on yourself doesn’t produce excellence either. There must be an appreciation for the dichotomy between the two. Why Should We Care? Whether we aspire to excellence as an individual, or for our team, we soon realize both patience and accountability are required. The question becomes, how do we know what we need when? The first concept to understand is that excellence requires friction. And, friction requires time to work through. We all know nothing significant is accomplished without overcoming many obstacles. Hard work, persistence, and a positive attitude are all necessary. Patience is too. The second concept to understand pertaining to excellence is that you get what you accept. You don’t get what you want. You don’t get what you ask for. You get what you accept from yourself or those you lead. The standard of accountability you establish within your team will determine your team’s performance level as much as anything else. Notice both of these concepts are centered on the process, not the result. Trusting the process means being patient and realizing excellence will not come immediately. And, our accountability applies to how we go about our work also. By taking care of the process, we give ourselves the best possible chance to achieve the desired result. REAL TALK - Action Steps Executing this balance between patience and accountability is much more of an art than a science. It requires emotional intelligence along with a high level of self-awareness. Here are a few ideas to help you walk that line.
Patience and accountability should not be looked at as opposite ends of the spectrum. They are both tools in your bag as a leader. The best, most impactful, leaders know which tool to pick ... and, equally as important, when to use it. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!  We > MeI think Daniel Coyle said it as well as it could be said in his book The Culture Code. His introduction is titled, “When two plus two equals ten”. This is exactly what happens on great teams. The performance of the team defies logic. We are trained to look at the pieces, add them up, and it should equate to the sum of the parts. But, for teams, that is rarely the case.
On some teams, two plus two might equal ten. On other teams, ten plus ten might equal two. And, sure, sometimes two plus two will equal four. The point is, there is something else at play that significantly impacts the performance of your team beyond the talent the team possesses. Why Should We Care? Every leader wants their team to overachieve, perform at a level beyond what their talent should dictate. As leaders, our ability to consistently draw this from our teams is the essence of coaching. It should be the gauge used for awards such as coach or manager of the year. However, like most everything else in society, those are more often given to the team that wins the most or the branch with the highest earnings - with no regard to the team’s performance relative to their potential. There are a few things teams that consistently outperform their talent always seem to have:
REAL TALK - Action Steps This is really the essence of coaching. How to get the most out of your team. Sometimes things work out that way for us and sometimes we fail in our attempt to get the best out of them. Nonetheless, this is the goal for all leaders. Here are a few things that I think enhance your chances of tapping into that unseen potential.
It’s not for everyone. There are a lot of reasons there aren’t a lot of great teams out there. This is one of them. Being on a team that overachieves is tough … and you can’t be tough alone. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!  Unified: Speak & Act with UrgencyMost would agree that teams need to be unified to be successful. However, what unified means to you may not align with the rest of your team. It’s not enough to say we want to be unified, work together, or have great teamwork. All teams say this.
If you want to be different, you need to articulate what each of your values looks like in action. The behavior that makes your value ‘real’ is the juice that runs your culture. Why Should We Care? Unified is one of my, and our team’s, core values. In the process of uncovering this value I reflected on all of the great experiences I’ve had on various teams. I thought about team accomplishments and failures along with my personal achievements and shortcomings. One of the things that stood out to me throughout my reflections was how much better I was on a team. The stronger, more connected, the team the better I enjoyed it, and the better I performed. This led to a few questions: What does a unified team look like? How do they act? What do they do? Of course, teams that work together do a lot of things. They show up, they talk, they share, they take action, they are unselfish, and many more … all of these are important. They all matter. Here’s the deal with your values though. Everything can’t be of the same importance. If so, you end up with some watered down version of the culture you aspire to have that is a little bit of everything and a lot of nothing. As Lencioni puts it, “If everything is important, then nothing is.” A unified team is urgent. They realize the importance of every moment and are unwilling to waste any of them. Unified teams are willing to speak up when behaviors don’t match the expected standards. They call out hurtful or unproductive actions for the good of the team. Unified teams are comprised of individuals who realize that ignoring damaging behaviors is selfish. When doing so, they are choosing their comfort over the good of the team. Choosing to avoid the discomfort of confronting teammates is not unified. The best teams I have been on, not only speak with urgency, but they also take action. They’re compelled to improve and do not hesitate or delay in doing so. For me, being unified is speaking and acting with urgency. REAL TALK - Action Steps Here are a few ideas on bringing a core value of unified to action. You’ll have to come up with the equivalent to your team .. good luck!
Speaking and acting with urgency is the essence of being unified on our team. When the situation and time requires it, the willingness to say the hard stuff is critical. It’s the time our unity is called into question. Be ready. Don’t flinch. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help! |
About bcI'm a teacher, coach, and parent seeking excellence while defining success on my own terms. Archives
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