Culture is Action
Gilbert Enoka, mental skills specialist for the New Zealand rugby team, the All Blacks, shares insight on building world champion players and teams.
His message is clear. Teams are built of individual players- yet the best teams have mastered a culture where the collective is cherished and worked toward daily. Players with egos are readily replaced by players driven to succeed for good of the group. Enoka says, “if you can’t change the people, change the people.”
To truly understand what Enoka is getting at, I find it important to personally define ‘team culture.’ Defining team culture broadly is challenging, almost impossible. That’s because there is not one objective definition. Every team interacts, motivates, communicates, and drives towards goals differently.
To be a world champion you must define culture.
First, break it down. For teams, this is important to do together, accompanied by coaches, trainers, and managers, who are also invested in a team’s culture. Involving everyone in the process promotes inclusion and commitment to upholding and enforcing standards daily. It’s easiest to understand when you actually break it down. Team culture refers to daily actions: what you do in practice, in games, in the locker room, off the field, with your family, with fans…
You must start small, to dream big...
Culture is a step-by-step process, demanding continual effort, critique, feedback, adaptation, and belief. Every member must feel like they belong, that their effort in the process is noticed and appreciated. Creating a culture that fosters belonging, where everyone has a role, a place, a say in the system is essential. Beyond vision and values, it’s the glue between players and coaches, created by shared belonging, that overcomes trying times and advances success.
Belonging = action, care, and conversation.
The take-away here is that sometimes we say 'team culture' without actually unpacking what that means; what that looks like day in and day out. We focus on big picture values and goals without supporting them with actionable steps to fulfill such expectations. And we may forget that the secret lies in belonging. People must feel like they belong if they are going to buy-in to the culture.
Positive Practice
Strive to be a leader on your team. If your team hasn’t defined a true ‘culture’ suggest doing so. It can help solidify a team and provide momentum and guidance going forward.
Action steps are key. Focus on what must be done (action) to get to where you want to go. Action steps can look different for each individual, but where they lead must be the same.
Hold your teammates accountable. If you see teammates not living up to team standards core to the culture, speak up. Remember Enoka’s advice...