When unconditional participation became the norm, children grew into adults that didn’t expect to be held accountable for their actions. They grew up without the “if…then…” proposition. Great teammates get it. They understand their responsibility and seek accountability to make their contribution to the team effort better. Accountability should be a non-negotiable for a teammate. Let’s set
Accountability is difficult in today’s culture. We are not supposed to judge people, except when we are. In the “everyone gets a trophy” culture there is an expectation that accountability will not apply to them. In the old days the best eleven players on a football team played because that put the team in the best position
Great teams understand that their operational values and team rules have to be enforced consistently. This allows everyone on the team to be able to predict outcomes of certain actions. When “A” happens, then “B” will happen. This makes accountability easier because everyone understands what should happen. Every team is tested to see if partiality will invade
Great teams do not get bored of the process. They stay on the path to victory because they have an understanding of the effect of consistency. Immediate change can feel good, but it’s not always the best course of action. Slow, steady, and consistent is the way to move a mountain-sized obstacle. Short bursts of effort will
Discipline requires security because we can be shamed into poor behavior. Daily habits and the ability to say no to good things requires a lot of will power. It doesn’t help when those that are closest to us pull us away from our discipline in an effort to normalize the less disciplined lifestyle. The visible gap between
Which came first? Insecurity or my lack of discipline? I believe that one is the antecedent to the other. I am not sure which though. If I am undisciplined I can become insecure about not doing all the responsible things I am supposed to do. This is especially true when I am around a teammate who is
Effort requires commitment. Commitment has to last over time. In order for a commitment to last, it must have proper pacing. Too fast and our commitment approach will waver and burn out. Too slow and our commitment will fade as we forget what we committed to. Pacing our effort manages the tension of intensity and time. What
Binge. Crash. Hack. Those words describe the frantic pace of our culture. The ordinary person isn’t looking for the best method. They are looking for the cheapest and fastest for least amount of effort. Learning is relegated to a Google search and a how to video. Relationships are reduced to a daily like and comment on our
Every team has teammates that are at different levels of discipline, skill and experience. When we grade on a curve we set a low bar. The best is only the best in a small sample size. Best on the team isn’t necessarily the best a teammate can be. Our skill relative to another means very little. It
Great teams are unified. That unity is accomplished and maintained by great teammates. Nothing defeats a team more consistently than the selfish agendas of poor teammates that spread strife. Great teammates confront division head on because they know what “divided we fall” means. They know the difference between asking questions and questioning. A question communicates a need