PURPOSE, MEANING, and GRATITUDE | Team Thursdays

With the transfer portal blowing up and transfer culture pouring down to club sports, high school sports, and youth sports, creating a great TEAM and HUMAN experience might be the most important thing that we do as coaches. 

According to the book Making Work Human, PURPOSE, MEANING, and GRATITUDE are at the heart of the team experience.

Purpose belongs to all. Meaning is unique to the person. Gratitude builds lasting connections.

Purpose, meaning, and gratitude help teams THRIVE because they connect us to the work we do, why we do it, and who we do it with.

Simon Sinek has said, “Teams with a strong purpose and a strong sense of ‘WHY’ are able to inspire their athletes.”

Our purpose is our reason for being together.

Without a shared purpose, our athletes (and coaches) might see our work as transactional and not transformational. Create a shared purpose through regular communication and building connections between the work we do together and how it can benefit the athlete individually. Show them how everything we do connects to the team’s purpose, and be willing to align their meaning - their life experiences, wants, and desires to the greater purpose of the team.

Athletes on purpose-driven teams transcend the transactional because they know that they are a part of something that is bigger than themselves. 

A shared purpose belongs to everyone. Everyone knows why they are here. Having a shared purpose means we are all a part of a shared journey. Having a shared purpose means understanding how our personal purpose connects with the team’s purpose. Having a shared purpose is how we attract, and keep, the best of the best.

Teams with a shared purpose outgrow and outperform teams without a shared purpose. Purpose is reinforced by strong relationships. Teams are formed through common interests, but they stay together when they form strong relationships.

With the transfer portals filling up more and more, it becomes more important to build strong relationships through a shared purpose. A shared purpose is the emotional core that ties us together and keeps us together.

Purpose is so important that if teams and coaches can tap into each athlete's individual purpose - knowing why they are here, knowing what they do is valued, and being part of a shared journey - then athletes will feel attachment far greater than the ordinary.

Action Items:

1 - What is your team's purpose (why are you here as a team)?

2 - What is your purpose (why do you coach, and why are you coaching this team)?

2 - What is your athlete's purpose (why do they play, and why do they play on your team)?

3 - How aligned is your team's purpose, your purpose, and the purpose of each one of your athletes?

If we can align these four things, we might be able to have a more connected team and resilient team that is strong enough to withstand the storms and adversity that inevitably come.

References:

Mosley, Eric, and Irvine, Derek. Making Human Work. Globoforce Limited,