Teams can easily fall apart when everyone is focused on their own goals without having a group mission. Everyone needs to know the “rules” of the game.
What game is your team playing?
It is dependent on how many people & the type of team you have.
Track
When you are on the “track” team you practice with your teammates, but it is all about your own PR. This is usually for start up companies or side hustles.
Golf
You go out on the golf course with friends. You share a golf cart, but your results are completely up to you. Others see how you play so there is some peer pressure.
Basketball
You have a small team that you know all the positions. You work together to make great plays to win the game. You are in sync with each other and can do other positions when needed. Most teams get stuck and comfortable at this point.
Football
This is when you have a large team that takes 2 buses to games with the offense & defense. The offense doesn’t know or even care what the defense plays are and that’s okay. This gets into empowering your team. Thinking about who knows what and who needs to know.
Are you Playing the Same Game?
You will see these signs if your team members are playing different games.
You will see frustration at the lower level management
Your meetings keep taking longer and longer to finish. People are not aligned on the objective or not being empowered.
These next few blog posts are inspired from the Sticky Teams RightNow media series.
If you are a leader of a team, these posts are full of great insights & takeaways to not only make your team better, but your organization also.
First, you need to have a clear mission or vision. The team has to know & understand that vision. Don’t try to make it this fancy statement that may or may not be true and can be interpreted in different ways. Keep it simple and true.
Have your mission visible as a reminder. When things get hard, we may get tunnel focused on the small goals that we lose sign of the big picture/vision. As a leader, it is your job to make sure your team is headed in the right direction. This means you can’t get into the weeds. You have to be the one to see in front, back, and all around.
Three P’s that can tear your team apart:
Power
Prestige
Preference
Be aware of these 3 behaviors. “Guard the gate” to your teams time and influence. Don’t let the wolf into the sheep pen.
Having real relationships with your team builds your team. They will have trust in you and you can trust them. Getting to know them you can understand how they work to make sure you are being the leader they need.
Remember that people problems are not like wine. They don’t get better with time.
Speak up when you first see a problem. This will take courage. Trust your gut
When adding someone new to the team, your team dynamics will change. You will start back to the storming phase. Make sure to go through the steps to get back to norming & then performing.
Questions to ask before adding a team member:
Do they fit within the current team’s personality and character?
Do they fill a need in the team? Don’t just add to add.
Do they play in the sandbox well?
Are they flexible? Especially when it isn’t their way.
Are you are struggling about whether you should go for that big goal?
Getting out of your comfort zone is SCARY. You are moving into the unknown, but you are also fulfilling your purpose. Living a life of purpose means that you will not have regrets at the end. You will be able to say you went for it.
First step in making a big decision is to dig deep to understand your why? Why do you want to this? This is important because when things get hard this is what is going to keep you going.
Next, think about the truth. What things will hold you back? Are they true or a limiting belief? How can you knock down these barriers. If we continually tell ourselves lies, we will start to believe them. Find the truth. Remember your why.
Third, do your research. Don’t go into a big decision blindly. Understand what it will take to get there.
Finally, you have to have faith. Have the courage to pull the trigger. This is where we definitely get stuck. You have your why and it means something to you. You have done your research & know what roadblocks you might face, but know that you can get past them. It may to be easy to get passed them, but you are ready. Now it actually do it….
Take that scary step forward. You can do hard things. You can fulfill the purpose for your life if you just have the courage to go for it.
Every morning, I spend 20 minutes on my treadmill and watch a Bible study series on RightNow Media. I love taking this time to learn about God and pray. It just starts my morning out right.
The past few days, I watched the “This is the Day” by Tim Tebow series. Here are my takeaways:
Life isn’t about ONE day. It’s about THIS day.
Question: Are you living out what God is putting on your heart?
You have today so you need to make it count. Live the extraordinary life and not the comfortable one. This means risking what people think about you to do what God is putting on your heart.
You can be extraordinary & humble all at the same time. This is what Jesus was. He did extraordinary miracles and always humbled himself with others. It’s not about the fancy exterior and external actions. It’s about the interior motives and your heart. Strive to have a Jesus heart.
When you get out of your comfort zone, the giants will come. Giants of self doubt, criticism, fear, ….. Remember that God is bigger than any giant that can come at you. Pray about it and more importantly listen.
We are not guaranteed tomorrow – only this day so live it to the fullest.
Here are some great verses to go with this message:
““When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”” Luke 14:8-14 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.14.8-13.NLT
“How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” James 4:14 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/jas.4.14.NLT
We hear it all the time – Fake it until you make it. Well my challenge to you this week is to FACE IT until you make it.
Which of these do you feel when you fake it:
Dishonest with yourself
Inadequate
Goal is too far away that you will never get there
This list can go on, but I think you get the point. We can’t be our true self and grow into what God wants for our life when we are just faking it.
Facing the hard isn’t something you want to do, but it is something you NEED to do. You learn new skills as you try to figure it out. You are humble because you don’t know it.
Surround yourself with like minded people that are interested in the same things you are. Create a support system of 2-3 people that you can really trust and be honest with.
Don’t worry if people know you don’t have it all figured out because they don’t either. We are all going through life one day at the time.
Count your blessings.
Learn from your mistakes
Be yourself because there is no one else exactly like you
You are loved by a creator that will never stop loving you no matter what.
When you start to get out of your comfort zone, you move into the unknown. At least unknown for you. This means that it will get tough and you may fail or not go exactly as you wanted.
If you are “in the tough,” first you need to remember why you started in the first place. Getting back to your why and reflect on where you want to go. Then give your next step a quarter twist. Figure out what was working and what isn’t and keep on going.
Sometimes the tough is happening not by anything you are doing, but by getting negative response and feedback. You start to care more about what they think of you than your big dream. Recognize what you are doing. If they are true friends, they will support you if they understand why you are doing. Make it known to them.
If you are still struggling to find that ambition – here is some advice from Bob Goff:
Find ambitions that will positively impact the lives of others and get you fired up to pursue a few more ambitions for yourself. If you’re going to spend your time, talent, and treasure to get some of those dreams off the ground, isn’t it worth the investment of time and conviction to find the right ones?
I don’t want to be an advertisement for Jesus; I’d rather be proof.
How you spend your time is how you live your life.
This was a quote from a Bible study video session. It’s one of those things you don’t really think about, but it’s kinda deep.
How do you spend the hours in your day? We all have the same 24 hours each day. Let’s say you are at work for 9 hours + 8 hours sleep. That still leave 7 hours EVERY DAY!! Do you spend that time scrolling your phone on social media, binge watching tv, running your kids around, working out, ….. ?
Think about this past week. What did you do? Were you doing things that gave you joy or were you numbing your brain?
Think about your core values. Does your life reflect those values?
If faith is one of those values, did you spend time with God reading his word or doing a Bible study?
If family connections is one of those values. Did you spend meaningful time with them? Can you recall the conversations you had?
There are so many different values you can have. Ask the hard questions to reflect upon if you are truly spending your time where you should.
It’s easy to caught up in the day to day. After a long day at work, you want to just watch a cooking show with a glass of wine. (Or is this just me… ). It’s setting your intentions and following through with those intentions.
Here are some tricks that I use:
Start your morning WITHOUT your phone. Use it for an alarm, but leave it on the charger until you are ready for work.
Start the day with intention. How do you want to show up today? What might stress you out & how will you handle it?
Make a plan for after work. When you get home before you walk in the door. Take a few seconds or minutes to reset your mind. Again how do you want to show up for your family?
Doing a weekly reflection or even a daily reflection. What went well today? What could have been better (if you are an over thinker don’t spend too much time on this)? Did you follow your intention for the day? What are you grateful for that happened today or this week? Don’t fluff it…give yourself honest answers.
This week’s challenge – Take time to think about your ambitions and rank them in three sizes: easy, kind of hard, and seemingly impossible. Then rank them according to the magnitude they would have on your life and others.
Here are some great excerpts from Dream Big. I couldn’t say it better than Mr. Bob Goff.
“Finding your genuine, lasting ambitions is not an easy task. If it were, you’d have already accomplished it. It requires asking the questions What do you care about? What are you willing to risk everything for? and Why are you so afraid? All at the same time.
It’s going to take some digging and sorting and thinking and rethinking. But the effort is worth it, because when you figure out what lights you up and will outlast your other ambitions, this will inform most of your next steps. Trust me when I say the answer probably won’t come the way you want it to—all downloaded in a nice and clean package without any rough edges or hard chapters.
God often wraps His presents like a guy did it. (Guys, it’s okay—we know most of us are bad at this.) The ambitions worth pursuing usually come a little crumpled and Scotch-taped together at first. Don’t let this vetting process bum you out; let it spur you on and steel your resolve to do what it takes to get after your beautiful ambitions.
When you’re vetting your ambitions, you’ll likely end up with a number of possibilities in a range of sizes and difficulties. Let’s say your dreams come in three sizes: easy, kind of hard, and seemingly impossible. The size of your ambitions doesn’t necessary indicate the difficulty of achieving them. Think instead of the magnitude of the impact they’ll have on your life and the lives of the people around you. Small ambitions can be things we’re just curious about. These will stretch us personally, physically, intellectually, or relationally. They may not be laden with the kind of purpose that defines the arc of our lives. For now, they’re just something fun and worth the effort to accomplish.
Small Size
It’s helpful to have some ambitions on this smaller, easier scale because they’ll invigorate you and give you the momentum you’ll need to carry you toward the harder stuff. These things will also fan the flames of your other desires and make you spring out of bed in the morning. Small ambitions can sometimes lead to larger ones.
Don’t confuse small ambitions with tasks or tasks with small ambitions.
Medium Size
medium-sized, kind-of-difficult ambitions. These were things that were going to take some additional effort. You have to remind ourselves why we do it.
Large Size
Large and seemingly impossible ambitions are going to require equally large sacrifices. They’re not going to be achieved easily or quickly, so don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll stumble upon them some day.
Your big ambitions may exact a high price as well. Don’t expect your biggest ambitions to walk into the room like a puppy and lie down by the fire. These ambitions are the fire.
Do you have the right ambition for you?
Is your ambition meaningful? Stated differently, Is it worthwhile and lasting? Don’t busy yourself with things that merely occupy your time. “Try on” your ambition as you decide whether it’s worth the time and sacrifice required to make it happen.
Ask yourself if your ambition lines up with something God said He valued for our lives. Remember, your ambition will only have value to you if you give it space in your life. If you’re not willing to try it on first, maybe it’s not worth pursuing.
Will it last? The ambitions worth pursuing are those with the longest shelf life.
Will it matter in a year? Ten years? How about in one hundred years?
Is it all about you or will it help others?
Your greatest sense of fulfillment will come in the service of others, not yourself.
What do you want to be remembered for? Think about what kind of legacy you want to leave behind.
Is it possible? Don’t discard an ambition because it seems too hard or is seemingly impossible. There’s a difference between “my ambition isn’t realistic” and “I’m afraid to try” or “this will be really hard.” Don’t let the scale of your ambitions head-fake you into abandoning them.
Do your ambitions live up to your abilities, attributes, desires, and willingness to act?
Your abilities are unique to you; they’re a mixture of how God made you and the life experiences you’ve had up to this point. Does your ambition at least feel adjacent to things you already know or have experienced or can learn?”
Availability usually means that you are engaged and engagement gives you a greater chance for success. This availability isn’t just focused on the tasks, but it’s also focused on the people around you. It also means being available to yourself to give yourself the rest time you need.
Start with these questions:
How do you I really feel?
Does God feel near?
Am I working on the top priorities to achieve my goals?
Do my choices and actions reflect my values?
Am I allowing others into my life or pushing them away?
Where am I spending my time & energy?
The choices and actions we make will define our legacy. How do you want to be remembered?
I love this section from the Dream Big book:
“A porter’s job is to get up early each day, walk down to the city gate, and greet people. Porters ask travelers this question: “What can I do to help you on your way?” Taking an interest in people means asking the same. If you want to make progress on your ambitions, ask other people about theirs. It was this kind of reverse economy Jesus spoke about often. It worked then, and it works now.”
