Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
Recently, I was in the gym spinning away on the bike when I observed three teenage boys. They were roughly between the ages of 15 and 17; based on their t-shirts I am guessing they were baseball players. It was inspiring to see these young men working very hard as individuals while cheering each other on, pushing each other, laughing and joking – and with no foul language. They had a plan – they knew what they needed to work on, and they really worked at it. As you might suppose, one of the boys seemed to be the catalyst for himself and the others to do more. And they did. As I was watching them, it brought a smile to my face (despite the pain I was enduring on the bike). From my observation, these were fine young men.
Why did this make me smile? Simple – these kids were passionate. Whether it be for baseball, some other sport or merely because they were clearly very motivated and passionate about their work. They were having fun, competing against one another and pushing each other in a supportive way. Their “plan” is quite the same as the Strategic Plan we so often discuss. The boys were executing the plan – training – because they believed in it. Their coaches clearly have done a great job connecting the dots for these athletes so that they work together as a team, push themselves as individuals and realize that a lack of hard work will likely impact the team negatively. In business language, even if your employees are motivated and passionate about your strategic plan but don’t understand where it is taking the company and why, then it will be challenging to get them all on the same page to do the hard work to move the company forward.
Do you have a long-term strategic plan that extends at least three years out? Have you communicated that plan to your team? Was your leadership team involved in developing your plan? Do you have company buy-in to the plan? Do your people know what is in it for them (let’s face it, your staff cares more about themselves than they do you). Is your plan broken down into bite sized baby steps, monthly and quarterly, with celebrations along the way? Are your employees motivated? Do they have the resources to be wildly successful?
As you observe your team, are they having fun? Are they encouraging, supporting and mentoring each other? If so, you will feel an awesome energy in your organization.
One last thing worth noting from watching these young men. Regardless of age, people who are passionate, believe in what they are doing and are having fun will happily do the hard work that it takes to excel and succeed.
Let me know your thoughts.
By Blair Koch
