 That's ImpressiveWhen is the last time you’ve been truly impressed by someone?
What did they do? Why were you impressed? Chances are, whatever they did was extremely challenging. Often even something you didn’t think was possible. I mean, doing easy stuff isn’t impressive, right? We are impressed by people accomplishing incredibly difficult feets. There’s nothing impressive about people doing things that everyone else is doing. I believe a number of great things take place when we are impressed by someone else. Maybe their accomplishment provides you with hope that what you previously thought was impossible is, indeed, possible. Their conquering of the task removed the mental roadblock you had held on to - see Roger Banister and the 4:00 mile. Maybe someone else simply going for it - giving their absolute best - inspires you to do the same. I know I’ve been inspired by a fearless, relentless effort numerous times. Or, maybe someone taking a risk for something they find worthwhile allows you the opportunity to consider what you are settling for in your life and what is worth taking risks for. Why Should We Care? When is the last time you’ve been impressed by yourself? What did you do? Why were you impressed? Chances are, whatever you did, others have done. Although you think your obstacles were more challenging and difficult to overcome than that of others, they weren’t. It’s human nature to think this way, but it’s a perspective that stunts our growth and limits our impact. When we consider our accomplishments and achievements greater than those of the people around us, we begin to struggle performing the primary role of any leader: to lift those we are serving. Being impressed with yourself is a dangerous proposition. We are often drawn to that line of thinking in the vain claim to confidence. That’s not confidence, it’s arrogance. There is a significant difference. Confidence was created in the past, but only lives in the present. The arrogance around the impressed version of yourself fights to stay in the past, still talking about what you did. REAL TALK - Action Steps It’s funny how much credit we attempt to take for our accomplishments. Yet, so little of it’s true. We do very little on our own. Whether it’s our family that has forged our beliefs, our friends that have impacted our mindset, or our challengers that have provided the opportunity to overcome; we owe virtually everything to someone else. Here are a few ideas to help you remember that.
Stop talking about what you did and start talking about what others did. As the leader, our message should be focused on lifting those we are serving, not ourselves. What’s really impressive is the performance that is truly remarkable yet treated by the performer as an expected outcome - no tweets, no posts, not even any pictures posted … imagine that! 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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 Don't Tire of Doing the SimpleWe are clearly in the highlight era. It started with Sportscenter in the 80s and has been on a roll ever since. Social media has provided rocket fuel to the now booming personal highlight video industry - at a basketball tournament last summer people were purchasing highlight videos for their second grade son … second grade!
As you are fully aware, Sportscenter doesn’t show too many singles. They don’t show the bounce pass for a layup or the lineman doing his job snap after snap. No, no, that’s not what gets you on ESPN. You have to make a great play. Extraordinary. A regular play won’t do. And, I get it. That’s what people want to see. It’s what gets clicks. Why Should We Care? Fortunately for us un-extraordinary people, clicks don’t correlate to excellence. Simplicity and consistency do. Unfortunately, too many people are fooled into believing Sportscenter. We watch them so often now people are beginning to believe the highlights are the mark of excellence, not winning or performing at your best. That’s not where excellence resides. It’s in the dark, early mornings filled with grueling work. It’s in disappointment and the recovery from those failures that caused it. It’s in the consistency of showing up day after day after day with the same determination and hope you started with. It looks nothing like a highlight. Nothing. And, we’re doing a major disservice to those we lead by honoring the highlight over the simple. We must be intentional about recognizing and lifting up the simple, consistent work that leads to excellence. I’m discussing this from a sporting perspective, but it clearly applies to the corporate world. Consider the celebration of the last big sale or promotion at your company compared to the celebration of the employee that hasn’t missed a deadline or a day of work in the last five years. REAL TALK - Action Steps We can’t get tired of doing the simple. The draw is there, and probably always will be. But, excellence requires the daily service of the mundane. When we begin to seek the approval of the highlight we are sacrificing the essence of what excellence is.
Highlights just seem to happen for those that have been faithful to the simplicity and consistency excellence requires. The interesting thing is, they’re not impressed by themselves … maybe because they were there for all the work and failures leading up to that point. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!  The Team. The Team. The Team.Some call me old school … I’m ok with that.
Guilty as charged. And, I’m not looking to change that anytime soon. One of the best pieces of advice I received when I was a young coach was to operate by way of standards, not rules. The more rules you have, the more policing you have to do, and the less freedom you have to consider each individual’s situation. I learned very quickly that fair is not equal and equal is not fair. For example, a player late because he overslept and a player late because his mom arrived home late from work so he had to put his little sister on the bus are two completely different situations. We would not treat them the same in our program - fair is not equal and equal is not fair. We do, however, have one rule that is equally applied to all. It’s been disputed, debated, and argued numerous times over the years but remains a steadfast rule for our teams.
If you watch a basketball game this week, take note of how many teams have zero players without one of those items. The number will be small, likely zero. I know. I know. You don’t see what the big deal is. And, maybe it’s not. But, I’m not changing it. Let me explain because I think it applies to all teams, not just a basketball team. Why Should We Care? One of the central aspects of being a part of a team is choosing - yes, choosing - to make personal sacrifices for the betterment of the group. That’s the price you pay for being part of something that can accomplish more than you ever could on your own. The team is not about you. The team is about the team. It seems we have started to attempt to dilute this reality under the guise of individual freedom. Well, it’s not individual freedom. You’re not an individual. You’re a member of a team. By choosing to be on the team, you’ve also chosen to sacrifice some of those individual freedoms. That’s the deal. Welcome to a team. I’ve heard all the claims about how I’m thwarting a player's personal expression, limiting their performance, even stunting their growth. And, I get it seems trivial to most. That’s ok. I’m not asking for approval. Let me ask you a question: What is the tipping point for teamwork? At what point does a team either tip to be all about each other, the team? Or, at what point does the team fail to function as a cohesive group? Do you know the answer? Yea, me either. I just know this rule is a tally mark on the side of the team. We all have to pick our battles based on the significance of their impact. This is a battle I choose to fight for the ‘look good’ police. That’s the most common refute - “Coach, I like the way it looks … look good, play good, right?” No, that’s not right. In a team sport, you play ‘good’ when you play together. You play ‘good’ when you are connected to your teammates. You play ‘good’ when you have deep trust in those you are playing with. You play ‘good’ when you are invested in the team and faithfully do your job. You play ‘good’ when you give yourself to the team. And this is where I have a problem with the … accessories. I think these accessories are ways to separate yourself from the team. Sure, it might be your thing, but this isn’t about your thing. It’s about our thing. Anything pulling against our thing is an issue. Of course this isn’t the final straw or the end all be all. But it’s definitely a part of the bigger picture that is often accepted at the expense of a tiny chink in the armor of team cohesiveness. A bunch of tiny chinks leads to a crack. I’m sure there are similar areas in your profession that correspond to these accessories. REAL TALK - Action Steps So what about the individual? They’re important, right? Yes, the individual is important. Teams are made of individuals. Individuals that accept the standards and norms of the team. Individuals that prioritize the team over themselves. This is the essence of a team. No sacrifice equals no team. Here are a few ideas to help your team place us ahead of me.
I love teams. How awesome is it that we can do things as a team that we could never come close to doing on our own? Or how about the fact that a team with far less talent could outperform a team with far superior talent? Embrace it or fight it, but the truth is clear: Life is a team sport. Your willingness to embrace the sacrifices required within your team will determine the level of excellence it can rise to. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!  Lockdown DefenderAs a high school basketball coach, I certainly value defense. It’s the most important part of the game, in my opinion. A good defense can keep you in a game when your offense is struggling, which it will definitely do from time to time.
As much as I love it, there is a time I’ve found a great defense to be detrimental rather than beneficial - when we play it on ourselves. And … we’re alarmingly good at being our own lockdown defender. Why Should We Care? You know the two most dangerous body parts in our pursuit of excellence? The butt and the eye. “But, I …” is typically the first line of defense when we raise our guard. The only thing that proceeds it is the victimhood thought that jumps up at the first sign of subpar performance. It is, afterall, this singular thought that drives all of the upcoming defense mechanisms we will choose to implore. Of course, it’s not the last line of defense. No, no - far from it. When it comes to defending ourselves, we like to point out a tidal wave of impossible odds that no one, not even you, could overcome. Leaving only one logical conclusion: it wasn’t my fault. Responsibility averted, we carry on just as we were. And, therein lies the problem, we’re “just as we were.” No better, no worse. We’re the same. Too often our defense denies us the opportunity for growth. We are built to protect ourselves, to deflect things that might hurt our pride, and surround ourselves with the comfortable. There’s no growth in that. And, no growth means no excellence. We must find ways to avoid putting on this armor in order to become the best version of ourselves. Remaining as we are should not be an option. REAL TALK - Action Steps I certainly don’t have all the answers to this, or anything else, but I’ll share what has allowed me to fight the urge to defend myself.
I’m a defensive guy on the court. But off it, I’m doing my best to defend as little as possible. Sure some people will give you advice that is off-base and even unwarranted. That’s ok, you are the filter. Take what you want and leave what you don’t. But, whatever you do be sure to invite the feedback that is your lifeblood to growth rather than defending against 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! |
About bcI'm a teacher, coach, and parent seeking excellence while defining success on my own terms. Archives
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