WEEKLY FOCUS
To Engage or Disengage
That is the question!
Listen here
Sport has always played a big part in my life. The challenges to test yourself on a personal level both mentally and physically and of course against others.
As I have progressed from playing to coaching, the leadership of people has interested me more and more…and also the link with business. People are people no matter what the discipline. So to the emotions, mental strengths and weaknesses…Hence the leadership element!
I was recently talking with a current professional footballer and who has graced the Wembley turf. I asked him the effect of the “half time hair dryer treatment”!
His reply… “I had no problem, but I knew which lads would contract into their shell come the second half and play the easy option by way of movement, purely to avoid making mistakes” Not what the Manager intended!
Leadership is about understanding the key drivers of individuals and not a broad brush. An arm around the shoulder, a quiet word in the ear, making the person feel so special, and yes for some… “You are letting yourself down…You can do so much better than this”.
If you want your teams to perform to the highest of levels, you need to know them in such a way that you know exactly which levers to pull and with whom. Failure to do so, could result in an even further loss of performance.
Get under the skin of your teams. The emotional needs of each is different. Only by talking with them all and individually, can you learn this. Do you understand all of your team this well?
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way”
John. C. Maxwell