By Lilian Beh
How is a high school volleyball tournament similar to the corporate world? During a varsity volleyball tournament in Manila some years back, I came away convinced we could learn a thing or two about leadership from our kids.
My daughter made varsity volleyball in her junior year at high school. This gave her the opportunity to play in the volleyball circuit against other international schools in the region. We arrived in Manila, in a mix of emotions – curious, anxious yet excited. This was my first time as a Volleyball Mom and my daughter’s first competitive match.
Day 1 saw the teams warming up, with the girls sussing each other out. Coaches were hopeful to see some good plays. Our team won their first game. Hurray! I became Cheerleader Mom but unfortunately, it was a one-woman cheerleading team. From then on, it became a rollercoaster ride of emotions for me.
What struck me was how the co-captains of the team tried valiantly to keep the team spirit up. When on a winning streak, it was so easy for the players to be feeling high and somewhat cocky. But even when our team was ahead with a 15-8 lead, the team’s motivation wavered. Our girls slowly lost their lead and, in the end, lost the match. The agony of defeat!
Day 2 saw a similar situation but the girls went on to win their match. What was the difference? Of course, the opposing team was a different one. But in terms of team strength, the two teams seemed equally good. So, taking into consideration the relative similarities in team capabilities, what made it different? As I reflected, I realised there were three key differences. I call them The Power of Three:
- The Power of One Voice: We had a group of cheerleader moms that arrived later. It was the calvary to my one-woman cheerleading team. Each time our girls lost a point, we moms quickly grouped together and sung school cheers with gusto. We quickly became a supporting force to be reckoned with and pushed on for a more encouraged team.
- The Power of ‘The Eye on the Ball’:The co-captains increased their energy to keep the players focused on winning scores. Shouting encouragement, hands shakes and energetic high fives all had their focus on one thing – to win.
- The Power of Connectedness. The team never felt alone. The coach, showed that she was there and kept the team together. She called time often and reminded them of their winning strategy or made adjustments when needed. The communication within the team increased. Point by point, they clawed back up and went on to win their final match.
The Power of Three is often used by leaders in the corporate world. When on a profitable streak, it is easy for leaders to become overly confident. Overconfidence can lead to poor decisions and lower performance. In an organisation where you lead a confident team, losing one deal may not have immediate impact on your team. However, when deals are consistently lost, your team will start to lose hope when they see the reality of lost revenues.
As a leader, take charge and communicate the Power of Three with your team members:
The Power of One Voice: This is the time to check on where the goal is for everyone. Do you need to re-align everyone to the business goals? Is it still relevant? Are your team members still on the same bus, heading in the same direction with you? A winning strategy requires One Voice with the same winning message communicated.
The Power of The Eye on the Ball: In a profitable year, a business strategy can easily get side-tracked to diversify or invest efforts in non-prioritised activities. A leader’s role is to keep everyone’s eye on an identified business strategy that is expected help the organisation achieve its goals. Having a clear set of criteria to help qualify where efforts should be invested in would help.
The Power of Connectedness: A leader’s role is not merely to communicate their goals and plans to the team, but to get their people actively engaged too. Engaged players will give their efforts more willingly. Keeping them informed is not enough.
How an organisation performs is highly dependent on the encouragement and motivation of the leader. Take a deep breath, refocus and call on the Power of Three as you lead your people to success.