August 2, 2016 ·
DeAngelo Wiser
·
Uncategorized
DeAngelo Wiser
Coaching a group of players certainly presents challenges and opportunities. It can range from life altering situations to questions about where to stop and eat on the way home from the game.
What exactly is a team? And how do we blend so many personalities and interests into one common goal or mission of doing what’s best for the team to achieve success?
I believe one of the best analogies lies in the awe and splendor we see when looking at a stained glass window. While many remember them in churches and cathedrals, stained glass is used in homes for windows and can be appreciated in many forms of art.
I think a successful team is like a beautiful stained glass window. Let’s do a comparison.
What do you see when you look at a stained glass window? Usually the image portrayed is our first and lasting impression, but is their more? What about our team, what do others see as they look at the team and how they interact and blend together? What image do we portray? We know there is more to a stained glass window than immediately meets the eye.
As we look closer at a stained glass window, we see many pieces of glass, some are small while others are quite large. Some are vividly bright and others are fairly muted in color. What about our team? Are some roles bigger than others? Does size make them more or less important? Are there days when some players shine brightly with their play while others struggle under a cloud of mistakes? Will there be times when those not in the starting lineup shine brightly just by encouraging their teammates? Are their times when the least noticeable pieces of glass will have the chance to shine?
Do all the pieces of glass fit together automatically? No. Our players come to us with varying degrees of ability and demeanor. Having a vision of what our stain glassed window should look like is something we and our players have to determine. Through practice and leadership, we guide our players every day and smooth those edges to fit in the vision of success for our team.
How is all that glass held together? Strips of tin and lead are soldered together to hold each glass in place during the process before being permanently sealed. How about our team? What holds it together? Is it the commitment and encouragement we use every day to build confidence? Is it our players’ ability to understand that giving up themselves for the team is essential? Is it our ability to explain to each player their role and how important it is to the team?
What if the tiniest piece of glass were missing as we gazed at the stained glass window? Would we notice? I feel certain we would, and it would impact our impression and the beauty of the glass. What about our team? Would we be impacted by a player not showing up, being injured, quitting our team or having to sit out a game? Certainly, but just as a master craftsman can repair the window, so do we have the ability to restore our team.
Stained glass windows aren’t usually built quickly, especially the older, magnificent ones. Those craftsmen used painstaking detail and labor to make sure everything was just right, just as you do with your team. If you look closely, you’ll see the glass perfectly fits together and the image is striking. You may also notice that the only wear and tear is the lead and tin that holds it together. It may look worn. Not surprising since the lead used to keep our team together, the commitment, dedication and encouragement, takes a lot of effort and can become a labor. But that’s the process you control and, just like the master craftsmen, always pay attention with pain-staking detail.
Take the time to look at your team as they shine brightly during a game, with each player contributing a great deal to the success of the team. Let them know how important their role is and how much you appreciate everything they do. Remember, stained glass windows wouldn’t be the same without all the pieces.
I wish you and your team the best!
July 17, 2013 ·
DeAngelo Wiser
·
Uncategorized
DeAngelo Wiser
With technology being in the forefront, companies and CEOs are increasingly relying on that same technology for a huge percentage of employee training. Online courses seem to be the norm for required certifications for many jobs, introductory video clips about the history of the company, goal setting, learning what is expected in the work place, and much more. Technology has advantages, allowing employees to do this in the comfort of their homes at any time, with the ability to pause the presentation and pick it back up later. Certainly there are situations where this can work wonderfully, especially in technical aspects of the company.
However, I wonder what price we’re paying to replace quality human interaction with efficiency. It may be costing your company more that you know in a revolving workforce.
I want to challenge every company and CEO to train their employees in face-to-face settings, either with a company trainer or an immediate supervisor, whenever possible. Just as coaches prepare their players for any sport, corporate training should incorporate the following:
1. Game Situations- Every coach puts his or her players in game situations in practice. So can you. Place employees in small groups and give them situations they need to resolve, such as an angry customer, conflicts with another employee, practicing a proper sales technique, etc. Then have each group leader present the group’s resolution. Give the best group a bonus of some kind–free lunch, fun money, etc. We did this when I was a sales manager in front of the owner, who was a tough audience. We undoubtedly improved.
2. Listening- Probably the most overlooked area in training topics is listening in the workplace. Great coaches always listen to their players with respect to what they think is best and how to improve the team. With the same groups, ask each one to come up with the five biggest challenges their job presents each day. Follow up with how they would resolve these. Simply by listening you can gain great insight in your company and how it can improve.
3. Leadership Classes- Every team has one or more leaders willing to step up in tough situations on and off the field. Coaches simply can’t do it all. Offer leadership classes for those interested in expanding their careers, allowing potential leaders to emerge. Challenges are what true leaders thrive on. In this setting, you can take role playing to a higher level and see what solutions they come up with respect to employee relations, discipline problems, how to negotiate a deal with another company, etc. These classes need not be related to your company. By doing more for your employees and looking out for their welfare, you will gain loyalty and expand their careers.
4. Engaging- Coaches engage their players every day. Rapport is necessary for any team to succeed. People work for people. Do your employees know who you are? I believe they need to. If only a matter of walking through your business every day and engaging them with true, sincere conversation, you gain valuable information about those in your work force. You will teach them by your example. Employees want to know what kind of person you are, and base their decisions and performance on it. Dedicated employees have great loyalty for a leader they believe in.
5. Trainer/Coach- Certainly a big key to your company’s success is the Coach or Trainer. In today’s world they have to be many things. Motivator, Supporter, Driver, Enthusiastic, Confident, Solid Decision Maker, Trustworthy, Strong Character, High Integrity and many more. When you think of all the successful sports teams, you understand when you see the Coach. This same type of individual needs to be the one who trains your employees. When I was in sales, we had the best trainer I’ve ever seen, he was so enthusiastic about the company and his job that we were just naturally drawn in to succeed. Invest in someone who has all the attributes of a great salesperson, with a loyalty to your organization and a commitment to make those around him or her better.
Technology is a terrific tool, making your company more visible, more efficient, and providing resources never before thought of. However, it can’t produce enthusiasm, dedication, loyalty, and determination in your employees. Only you can do that.
Our successful experience in this area can get you started down the path for success, whether evaluating current conditions, exploring new options, making recommendations or setting goals. Contact us today: coachwiser@gmail.com
July 11, 2013 ·
DeAngelo Wiser
·
Uncategorized
DeAngelo Wiser
As the leader, what would happen if you missed a day of work or practice? Would everything be in chaos? Would your employees or players just take it easy and do nothing? Would the day be wasted?
Often we feel our organization couldn’t function without us, that we have to be there driving those we lead to success. That, in most cases, isn’t true. If you’re a great leader, you’ve trained your team, and employees over and over again for just about every situation, including the fact that you might not be there.
In my soccer coaching career, I always felt I had to be there. It was just my personality, my sense of responsibility, since I wanted to be an example for my players. Soccer taught me valuable lessons. There are no time outs or quarters, only halftime. This left only one time during the contest that I could talk with my team–halftime. And, honestly, I’m not sure how valuable that 10 minutes was. During the game, I had to allow my players to do what they do best, which is play. I couldn’t help them by yelling or calling them to the sidelines, which early on in my career bothered me. I figured out the only thing I could do was prepare them to the best of my ability in practice every day. Then on game day I had to allow them to make their own decisions (just like life) and evaluate how effective I had been.
Leadership in the work place is exactly the same. We strive to train and empower our employees to give them independence to do what they do best, utilize their talents. By doing this we create an environment of encouragement and positive support for everything they do, granting our company the right to succeed. Our involvement then becomes minimal and allows us to do our job as well.
To look out and see our employees or team working like we weren’t there is the greatest achievement we could ever hope for. Do your job as a leader, then enjoy that day off.
