Crazy to think we are already a third of the way through this series, click here to get caught up. While I am recommending things, might as well shamelessly recommend trying SCN membership for only $1 for 24 hours since it is the best place for continuing education.
Moving right along, the last time we talked we focused on making the boat go faster within the high-performance team. Now, we need to make sure we are all rowing the same boat and in the right direction (above image on the right) rather than independently (above image on the left). This image comes from the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and is closely tied to the notion of making the boat go faster – is what you are doing essential to success?
This is strength coach network and this series is dedicated to the high-performance manager. So, it is assumed that you are the day-to-day strength and conditioning coach for a team, that will also serve as the high-performance manager. Or, you might have been promoted from head S&C coach to high-performance director of a team, either way, for purposes of this article it is assumed the high-performance manager is/was an S&C professional.
Alignment
The word alignment is defined as “arrangement in a straight line, or incorrect or appropriate relative positions, a position of agreement or alliance”. Again, note the alignment in the image on the right of the above picture. Alignment is what we all want in our high-performance teams, so how do we get there? With a clear and concise vision and mission statement within the high-performance team. Does every member of the high-performance team know what they should be doing (vision) and how they should be doing it (mission)? Chances are, at your university/college the vision and mission statement ramble on longer than a filibuster that leaves you more confused than before you read it. If the people within the high-performance team don’t know what the vision and mission are, they don’t know which way to steer the boat, nor do they really know why they are rowing in the first place. Sure, they are working to make the boat go faster, but at the end of the day, if you don’t know why you are doing what you are doing, you won’t enjoy what you are doing.
Simple
As the high-performance manager, it starts and ends with you – as former president Truman famously said “the buck stops here”. The buck stops with you, what is the vision and mission statement for your high-performance team, and does each and every member within the high-performance team know what they are? If not, chances are you have created a vision and mission statement that might sound nice when you wrote it, but just like coaching – it’s not what you know it’s what your athletes know/can do. The same applies here. If the key members within the high-performance team can’t tell you what the vision and mission statement of the team is, all your hard work coming up with the perfect wording doesn’t mean anything.
So, how to make a simple vision and mission statement? For starters, don’t try to impress people with how smart you are – you are the high-performance manager, the people on the team are following you and your guidance, they already think you are smart. Use wording that you already use when communicating with other people in your day to day. This way the members of the high-performance team will understand the vision and mission statement better. When designing your vision statement you are essentially saying who you want the team to be and where you see them going. Your mission statement is effectively – how you are going to actually get it done. Remember, vision without action is just a dream; action without vision is a nightmare. So, you need to have both in order to have long term success.
Why?
Why go through the process of creating a vision and mission statement – can’t we just all start working and get going? Sure, but like it was said in the movie Alice in Wonderland and has been said from Keir in prior articles if you don’t know where you are going, it doesn’t matter which way you go.
Remember, this article is about getting everyone to row the boat in the same direction. So it is EXTREMELY important to know where you are going because it will determine which way you go. With a vision and mission statement, high-performance team members can self-organize within their area of expertise what they need to do. This also allows for optimal clarity without micromanaging your staff. You are not trying to force things down on your staff, rather your vision and mission statement will help free your staff. In Daniel Pink’s book Dive, one of the key concepts that drive people to a higher level of performance is autonomy – the quality or state of being self-governing. This is the exact opposite of micromanagement. Therefore, as the high-performance manager, when you take the time to create a vision and mission statement that is clear and broadly defines how the team will be successful and how to get there, you are creating guidelines for the rest of the high-performance team to operate in. And you are doing this in a way that will create happier, more driven team members who have autonomy in their life. Win and win.
Examples
I was once told there is never an original thought in sports and music – so, yes you will help formulate your vision and mission statement from other teams/organizations. You might even find them from outside of the sporting world. Here are a few examples to help spark your creative mind:
Microsoft – a computer on every desk and in every home
Facebook – connect with friends and the world around you on Facebook
Ikea – to create a better everyday life for the many people
JetBlue – to inspire humanity both in the air and on the ground
Pretty simple right? But guess what, they are effective. As these are some of the most successful organizations within their respective field. Complicated does not always mean better.
So, now that you have these examples in your head it is time to start asking yourself:
After you chew on these questions, figure out what are the best vision and mission statements for your high-performance team. Then, create them and make sure they are simple enough that any of the members can tell any outside person what the vision and mission statement are any time of the day. Remember each member wants to make the boat go faster, but make sure you are all in alignment going the same direction.
Moving right along, the last time we talked we focused on making the boat go faster within the high-performance team. Now, we need to make sure we are all rowing the same boat and in the right direction (above image on the right) rather than independently (above image on the left). This image comes from the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and is closely tied to the notion of making the boat go faster – is what you are doing essential to success?
This is strength coach network and this series is dedicated to the high-performance manager. So, it is assumed that you are the day-to-day strength and conditioning coach for a team, that will also serve as the high-performance manager. Or, you might have been promoted from head S&C coach to high-performance director of a team, either way, for purposes of this article it is assumed the high-performance manager is/was an S&C professional.
Alignment
The word alignment is defined as “arrangement in a straight line, or incorrect or appropriate relative positions, a position of agreement or alliance”. Again, note the alignment in the image on the right of the above picture. Alignment is what we all want in our high-performance teams, so how do we get there? With a clear and concise vision and mission statement within the high-performance team. Does every member of the high-performance team know what they should be doing (vision) and how they should be doing it (mission)? Chances are, at your university/college the vision and mission statement ramble on longer than a filibuster that leaves you more confused than before you read it. If the people within the high-performance team don’t know what the vision and mission are, they don’t know which way to steer the boat, nor do they really know why they are rowing in the first place. Sure, they are working to make the boat go faster, but at the end of the day, if you don’t know why you are doing what you are doing, you won’t enjoy what you are doing.
Simple
As the high-performance manager, it starts and ends with you – as former president Truman famously said “the buck stops here”. The buck stops with you, what is the vision and mission statement for your high-performance team, and does each and every member within the high-performance team know what they are? If not, chances are you have created a vision and mission statement that might sound nice when you wrote it, but just like coaching – it’s not what you know it’s what your athletes know/can do. The same applies here. If the key members within the high-performance team can’t tell you what the vision and mission statement of the team is, all your hard work coming up with the perfect wording doesn’t mean anything.
So, how to make a simple vision and mission statement? For starters, don’t try to impress people with how smart you are – you are the high-performance manager, the people on the team are following you and your guidance, they already think you are smart. Use wording that you already use when communicating with other people in your day to day. This way the members of the high-performance team will understand the vision and mission statement better. When designing your vision statement you are essentially saying who you want the team to be and where you see them going. Your mission statement is effectively – how you are going to actually get it done. Remember, vision without action is just a dream; action without vision is a nightmare. So, you need to have both in order to have long term success.
Why?
Why go through the process of creating a vision and mission statement – can’t we just all start working and get going? Sure, but like it was said in the movie Alice in Wonderland and has been said from Keir in prior articles if you don’t know where you are going, it doesn’t matter which way you go.
Remember, this article is about getting everyone to row the boat in the same direction. So it is EXTREMELY important to know where you are going because it will determine which way you go. With a vision and mission statement, high-performance team members can self-organize within their area of expertise what they need to do. This also allows for optimal clarity without micromanaging your staff. You are not trying to force things down on your staff, rather your vision and mission statement will help free your staff. In Daniel Pink’s book Dive, one of the key concepts that drive people to a higher level of performance is autonomy – the quality or state of being self-governing. This is the exact opposite of micromanagement. Therefore, as the high-performance manager, when you take the time to create a vision and mission statement that is clear and broadly defines how the team will be successful and how to get there, you are creating guidelines for the rest of the high-performance team to operate in. And you are doing this in a way that will create happier, more driven team members who have autonomy in their life. Win and win.
Examples
I was once told there is never an original thought in sports and music – so, yes you will help formulate your vision and mission statement from other teams/organizations. You might even find them from outside of the sporting world. Here are a few examples to help spark your creative mind:
Microsoft – a computer on every desk and in every home
Facebook – connect with friends and the world around you on Facebook
Ikea – to create a better everyday life for the many people
JetBlue – to inspire humanity both in the air and on the ground
Pretty simple right? But guess what, they are effective. As these are some of the most successful organizations within their respective field. Complicated does not always mean better.
So, now that you have these examples in your head it is time to start asking yourself:
- Do we already have a vision and mission statement?
- Do I or anyone else on the high-performance team know what they are?
- What would be a better vision and mission statement?
After you chew on these questions, figure out what are the best vision and mission statements for your high-performance team. Then, create them and make sure they are simple enough that any of the members can tell any outside person what the vision and mission statement are any time of the day. Remember each member wants to make the boat go faster, but make sure you are all in alignment going the same direction.
