It’s almost here. Gather the chips, the salsa, the cheese wiz, and the football-shaped desserts and settle down on your favorite couch in front of the biggest TV in your house. It’s time for the Super Bowl!
Now, we’re not taking sides here at the Integrity HR office. But one of our consultants was born and raised in New England, thus she has asked that we focus this blog on the ever so attractive and equally talented, Tom Brady.
Tom Brady seems to have it all. The good looks, the gorgeous hair, the glamorous wife and even the fantasitc football stats if all else fails to impress people.
But Tom Brady isn’t just a pretty boy who isn’t afraid to be the spokesman for men’s UGG boots. No. He is a great leader. And, as we all know, it takes a great leader to have a winning team.
Look at the Colts for example. One season without Peyton Manning and you would think the boys forgot how to play football all together! Without their leader, they lost their mission, their driving force to be better, to win.
Many business owners struggle to motivate their team to attain the type of success they want to achieve. Your company can’t afford to have your business struggle the way the Colts did if you go out of town for a week or two. You need a team that follows your lead, but isn’t afraid to succeed on their own. So what does it take to create this dream team? One that is possibly a Super Bowl championship team? Well, it takes a great leader of course!
Today, we are going to go through some of the characteristics that leaders should possess in order to create a high-performing and successful team.
First up—Discipline: It’s simple: Practice what you preach. If you are telling your employees they need to be constantly improving their performance, you need to show them how you are improving. People learn by watching others. So set a good example for how you want your employees (your team) to perform.
Did you know Brady contacts his personal mentor after bad games for passing tips? Even if the Patriots win, the super-star quarterback isn’t afraid to admit that he, “Really sucked today.” This shows you that Brady is never satisfied with his own performance. He knows he can do better, should do better and has to do better. He understands his job is to lead by example. If he’s not satisfied with the job he’s doing, no one on the team should be satisfied with their performance.
If you want your employees to be disciplined, then show them how it is done. A coaching leader, one who works with his or her employees to guide their improvement, is one of the best leaders to strive to be. You can be strict so that your employees know you mean business. But you also need to take the time to develop your employees so that they grow as individuals and as a team.
Dedication: If your team is working late, whether if it is to finish a report or study pre-game tapes, you better be right there with them. We know you need to step back and let your team work on their own sometimes, but when the going gets tough, you need to show that you are there for them.
As a result of Brady’s endorsement deal with Ugg boots, Decker Corporation (which owns the shoe company) provided UGG boots for all the players in the upcoming Super Bowl game. Now, their feet will be as comfy and stylish as Brady’s. While this wasn’t exactly Brady’s doing, it was as a result of his ties with the footwear. But according to one teammate, Brady has provided his fellow Patriots with multiple pairs of UGGs so they have different styles and colors to choose from! What a nice guy.
Now, we don’t suggest passing out slippers to your employees to make them feel more at home. But you can make working at your company more enjoyable by simply having a positive attitude. By showing your commitment to your business, your passion for the company will rub off on your employees. When they see that you love what you do, it creates a better atmosphere to work in. It’s no coincidence that when people are happy in their jobs, they perform better and stay longer.
Character: What kind of person are you? Are you setting a good example for your team members? Brady paused during his big game preparations to appeal to donors to give his life-long mentor a life-or-death kidney transplant. Talk about character. It is through your actions that your employees will see what kind of person you are. Leaders must ensure they are leading from their values – that they have strong convictions for themselves and for their business and employees – that they have a foundation for their decisions and behaviors toward others. Here are some values your business should strive to uphold:
- Honesty and trustworthiness
- Accessibility and communication – taking the time with other to talk about vision
- True collaboration – using the imaginations and creativity of those around us every day
- Listen – hear the words, and understand the feelings behind the words
- Value one another – make everyone a hero
Now, great leaders aren’t made over night. As most sports fan know, Brady struggled to get playing time in college and he was overlooked in the NFL draft until the Patriots took him as the 199th pick in the sixth round. But he used those challenges to turn himself into one of the top quarterbacks.
So don’t worry if you aren’t there yet. Integrity HR can help you get there. We have the expert knowledge on how to turn every day leaders into championship winning leaders. We offer organizational effectiveness training programs to help develop your employees and your managers.
With this service, our professionals will lead training sessions for your company that has been proven time and time again to significantly improve the productivity and effectiveness of your organization.
We also provide services to implement an effective performance management system. Spending a small amount of time on implementing an effective performance management system within your company can have a large impact on the overall performance of your employees. And with better performance from your employees comes a better bottom line for your company.
Don’t wait. Contact Integrity HR today to get your team ready to tackle the Super Bowl and achieve success!
