I was leading a digital transformation for a global brand. There was a lot of work ahead of us, and the journey was going to be full of uncertainty, chaos, and unexpected twists and turns. And the results were going to take a long time.
During the initiative’s early days, a senior executive at work came up to me after a meeting. He said, “Tanvir, the hardest thing won’t be implementing the technology or dealing with issues when things go wrong. The hardest thing will be keeping your team’s morale up during a year where you have a lot of work ahead of you with long days, with many setbacks, and where you will see no immediate results. So, make sure you celebrate the journey.”
And that’s precisely what we did.
The nature of business today is disruptive. Results take time, and many roads lead through failures.
Here are five motivational strategies leaders can tap into gleaned from the world of sports.
5 Motivational Strategies
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Celebrate the small wins.
Find time to celebrate the small wins on your journey. As a leader, break up your primary goals into milestones and celebrate the small achievements throughout the timeline. Great athletes celebrate the smallest of plays, regardless of the score. This keeps the morale high and the journey enjoyable.
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Show the promised lands.
Show the team that whatever is waiting for them on the other side of the journey is worth a lot more than the pain and hardships they’re going through today. In sports, holding that trophy at the end of a season trumps all of the grueling workouts and practices and helps the team to bounce back from tough losses. Identify what drives you as a leader and what drives your team. Keep that front and center, especially during moments of hardship.
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Rest and recover (as a team).
Sports teams prioritize rest and recovery as much, if not more, than training and working out. Similarly, teams executing in today’s business environment need to take the time to recover. Everyone is working harder and longer than ever before. If your team has hit a wall, then call it a day. Find the time for recovery and be deliberate about it. Your team will come back stronger, more productive, and more engaged.
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Punch above your weight class.
Elite athletes and teams always aim for the championship regardless of how many games they won the previous year or their rank. In business, start by setting lofty goals—even if they feel daunting and out of reach. It forces you to find ways, or the means, to get results you didn’t believe were possible. You’d be surprised at what you can accomplish with the right people, execution, and leadership strategies if everyone is marching in the same direction. Aiming high will shift your perspective and unite your team toward a common goal.
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Give a locker room speech.
You’ve probably heard or seen a coach in a movie (or in real life) give a motivational, heart-pounding speech to his or her team before a big game. It gets the team fired up, ready to take on a formidable opponent everyone expects to win. Similarly, a leader needs to speak to their team from the heart during times of crisis or adversity. Share your story with your team. Be authentic; share your personal why and the significance of the moment for your team. This will get your team ready for the final push.
