We all know that every great team has an amazing leader. But the world’s most high-performing leaders understand that in order to bond with and motivate others, you must be able to show your team that you truly understand their position, fears, emotions, motivations, and drivers before they will give you the permission to help them move to a new way of thinking. It’s the key to admission into your team’s world. Without it, you’re sunk. 

How many times have you launched a project and had everybody show up on day one with their hair on fire, ready to go full blast, only to have their gusto and energy disappear somewhere along the way? 

Many organizations loudly champion a culture of genuine and open communication in the workplace but only the greatest team-builders really walk the talk. They understand that by building a culture of trusted communication, they ensure the people around them feel valued and heard.

The most well-connected, successful people understand that in order to bond with and motivate others, you must be able to show them that you truly understand their position, fears, emotions, motivations and drivers before they will give you permission to help them move to a new way of thinking. It’s the key to admission into their world. Without it, you’re sunk.

All of us know that no matter how hard we try, no matter how well we’ve planned, and no matter how much we know…sometimes the you-know-what has hit the fan, and that fan is on high speed.

How many times have you launched a project and had everybody show up on day one with their hair on fire, ready to go full blast, only to have their energy disappear the minute things start getting tough? My guess is you’ve seen that happen more times than you can count. Frustrating, isn’t it? 

We all know that every great team has an amazing leader, one who keeps their teammates on board for the long haul, focused, and driven to succeed. They don’t drag their teammates toward working on their organizational goals but motivate and inspire their team to own the project.

“Motivation is for now. Inspiration is forever.” —Robyn Benincasa 

All of us know that no matter how much we try, no matter how much we plan, no matter how much we know, no matter how much we prepare, sometimes the journey ends very badly.

How many times in our lives have we put something off because we’re not ready, we need more time, or we don’t feel comfortable?  

A company is only as strong as its team. The teams that fall apart are the ones that leave the suffering wildebeests alone at the back of the pack and just go on without them, thinking that will make the lame ones go faster.

We all talk about loyalty and trust, and how essential they are to a great team and a strong corporate culture, but we often forget that loyalty and mutual trust, like any aspects of an enduring relationship, need to be built and updated and cared for and maintained.

“A great adventure racing team operates on four brains, eight legs, eight arms … and one heart.” — World Class Teams Motto

During the 23 years I spent as a full-time firefighter, I had an annual evaluation each and every year. But I was never (and I mean never) asked about my Captain and his/her leadership performance.

My teammates and I have learned about building World Class Teams the hard way: by competing in and winning the world’s toughest ultra-endurance Adventure Races.

Right now, leaders are facing a situation similar to those I’ve faced when going into adventure races: they have small teams of employees trying to navigate their way through totally uncharted territory and working towards a challenging end goal amidst extreme time pressures and ever-changing conditions.

If there’s one thing that all of us know right now after the last few years of a global pandemic, the accelerated pace of technology, supply chain challenges, volatile markets, new and unique competitors entering our industries, etc, it’s that change is the only thing that’s going to stay the same in our lives, right? It’s ultimately how we and our teammates respond to times of challenge and change that creates our long-term success. 

Over the past few years, team leaders have had to cope with a lot: whether it’s adapting to remote work practices, keeping their remote team motivated, going through layoffs and furloughs, or more recently, grappling with the transition to hybrid work.

Great leaders and teammates have a keen insight into what makes each of their teammates tick or come alive.

All of us know that no matter how hard we try, no matter how well we plan, no matter how well we prepare, sometimes the journey ends very badly.