Fun Momentum Defuses Terrorists
The footballing nation and beyond is having their say on the brutal sacking of Claudio Ranieri.
Whether you have close interest in this or not, the thoughts of the team’s former performance psychologist are fascinating.
Ken Way was shown the door once the fairytale title was won.
Claudio, it seems, has no time for such explorers of the mind.
Since the axe fell, the players have been roundly berated. Was it a player coup? Then when their next game saw them mystically return to old rampant, winning form, tongues loudly wagged. Shameful being the most common label plastered on them. Such is the lot of a bunch of “treacherous”, “ungrateful”, “spoiled” millionaires?
Mr Way highlighted three elements which have strong resonance for any salesteam you might be running. Or trying to navigate within.
Momentum Switchers
Specifically, arresting the mushrooming force of a backward slide. He referred to this as a “proportion factor”. Equating it to the “kick up the backside” needed to turn things around.
Intriguingly, this appears to often come from a single event. One generating a sense of indignation. Which galvanises minds together. In football terms, suffering an atrocious tackle or bad ref’s decisions were his examples. The unsaid implication in this case included a collective media battering.
Identifying such if you (or your team) is hitting a brick wall could just swivel the difference.
Terrorists
Yes, these are bad. Very bad. They are the malcontents. A term I’ve blogged on before (most recently via cricket). Who are terrorists?
“people who, without thinking, suck the lifeblood out of a squad”
I’m sorry to report I encounter one in just about every sales team I meet. Even when they’re No.1, they must be got rid of.
Who has the “potential to go rogue” in your team?
Never let terrorism rise.
“Unfortunately terrorists are good at recruiting other terrorists – simply by asking obvious questions: Why are we playing these tactics? Why do we keep losing? The questioning causes you to lose focus on the very essence of what got you there in the first place.”
“Intervene early”, “defuse”. Have you someone that “injects genuine vitality” into the team? At its best, “you need someone who is looking out for that team spirit at all times”.
Happiness Quotient
Who’d’ve thunk it. The happier you are the more you achieve. On subsequent radio slots, the psychologist alluded to several studies which suggest having fun is a significant factor in success.
Indeed, I can picture that ‘single tip’ finding that pursuing something considered slightly challenging gives the highest motivation.
A smile while you work and gain enjoyment from it are a potent platform for winning. Forget all those muppets who claim personal pride is the real drive, regardless of how much you might ‘like’/”dislike’ your boss. How happy is life in your team?