Helping your team work with the level of urgency and intensity they didn’t know they had is part of your job as a leader and a coach. The goal is to show your team their potential and help them get there.
In September, we were fortunate enough to have record-setting sales. Part of that success came out of working with urgency, intensity and remaining positive through this time. Our leaders stepped up and worked with our team to support and show them it was possible.
It reminded me of a story from my freshman year of high school. When I was in 8th grade, I was on a basketball team that only lost one game. Because of our success, we came into high school thinking we were going to pick up right where we left off. Our freshman team started at 1-3. I remember we were playing a game and losing in the fourth quarter. Something clicked inside of us and we kicked it into high gear. We played with more intensity than we had played all season long. We were running, diving and out of breath from playing as hard as we could. Eventually, we lost the game. I remember our coach talked to us right after and said that if we played every single game with the intensity we showed that night, we would have a successful season.
We did just that. We went on to finish the rest of our season only losing one or two more games and it was because we took it our level of focus and intensity to the next level. Leading up to that change, we thought we were playing the best we could, but we weren’t. Our coach showed us what our next level was and helped us get there.
The next time you have the opportunity, I urge you to show your team what they’re capable of and help them get there. Of course, this won’t succeed every single time, but over time you will win way more than you lose. Now is the time to push your team forward, come alongside them and help everyone succeed. Let’s make it happen!
