Dr. Peter Dry

"What does an effective offseason look like?"

I often get asked this question. Great coaches know that the “die is cast” before the season begins. If players do not arrive fit, strong and mentally ready, the season becomes a struggle. There is little time between games to focus on improving skills, technique, game sense, awareness of opposition, strategy, fitness etc.

The post and pre-season is like gold for effective coaches. The time is filled with great opportunities for reflection, growth and preparation.

Typically, coaches give players off season training routines that revolve around strength training. This is essential as lifting can build fitness, core strength and reduce chances of injury.

What else could coaches be asking of their players?

Preparing for a season of competition is complex. Getting mentally prepped is important for players to build confidence, manage stress, and increase focus. Many sports psychologists argue mental readiness is even more important than physical preparedness.

Here are 5 powerful ideas that focus on mental skills to take players to the next level:

1. Reflection on the past season: What did I do well? What can I improve on? When was I at my best? How can I be that more often? When was the team at their best?

2. Setting realistic goals: Have a plan for the next few months. Include action steps to ensure goals are activated and tracked.

3. Building mindfulness: Improves self-awareness and the harnesses the power of being present.

4. Journaling: Players will benefit from writing prompts that lead to self-awareness, interpersonal dynamics, and goal-setting.

5. Visualization: Many elite athletes routinely use visualization techniques as part of training and competition. This cultivates a competitive edge, mental awareness, and a heightened sense of well-being and confidence.

These factors contribute to an athlete's success.

 This is a question coaches often ask me.

Good coaches want to know the answer to this question. They know if they are able to meet the needs of their players, the players will be better equipped to consistently compete at a high standard.

Poor coaches unfortunately are more concerned about their own needs being met and pay little attention to the needs of their players. There is a belief that players should “show up ready to give it all.” While it’s true that players do need to take responsibility for how they show up, coaches also have a role in creating the environment for players to be at their best.

Following a study of 10,000 people, leadership science shows us that team members have 4 main needs.

Some benefits of meeting these needs are greater engagement, higher levels of motivation and collaboration with team mates.

Here they are:

Trust: Players know their coach is someone they can believe in; someone who is authentic. Traits like honesty and integrity are valued. And a coach who will tell the truth even when it’s hard to hear.

Compassion: Players know their coach sees them as more than an athlete. They are seen as a whole person with feelings and emotions. Great coaches have a connection with their players that allows them to lead and coach the whole person, and give them the care and support they need to be their best selves.

Stability: The coach provides a sense of calm, clarity and control. Highly effective coaches bring stability to the team by being consistent with their own values, behaviors and expectations.

Hope: Great coaches offer a way forward even in the midst of on and off field challenges. They provide a sense of hope that good things will come. Coaches inspire hope by painting a picture of what could be and creating a clear purpose for the team. This helps players aspire beyond the challenges presently faced.

Leading through these 4 lenses helps your athletes perform better!

Great leadership starts with self-awareness. It is the most important capability for leaders to develop and therefore a must-have for coaches.

But, many talented coaches lack self-awareness.

Self-awareness has many benefits. It helps coaches:

• Understand their strengths and weaknesses.

• Be better problem solvers.

• Lean more intentionally into their area of strengths.

• Improve their interpersonal skills.

Successful coaches know where their natural tendencies lie and use this knowledge to boost those tendencies or compensate for them. Effective coaches recognize:

Lack of self-awareness creates problems for the team.

Coaches may claim they have strengths and talents that they don’t actually have. This means they are leaning into areas that are in fact weaknesses. For example, a coach I worked with believed he was an excellent communicator when in fact his team was often in the dark about selections and game plans.

Awareness of your actual strengths allows you to better leverage those natural talents.

As this coach gained a deeper awareness of his strengths he was able to use them to ensure team success. He was a natural strategic thinker. He leveraged that by looking for patterns and issues in games and creating alternative ways to move ahead. He was also more aware of his communication challenges and relied on his assistant coaches and captain to create more open dialogue.

A need to develop areas of weakness rather than growing your areas of strength.

This coach looked to build and area of strength rather than focusing on fixing his weaknesses. And, he was open to receiving feedback instead of being defensive. This was crucial to his growth. You grow further and faster in an area of strength. Simply having an awareness of your weaknesses is part of the solution!

Coaches, self-awareness is the key to your and the team’s success!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we should consider the role of gratitude in our workplace.

Gratitude fosters wellness. The benefits are better trust, teamwork, collaboration and communication. All crucial skills to create a robust and healthy team.

An attitude of gratitude is a key mindset that creates a calmer more joyous outlook on life.

Leaders must intentionally build a culture where mental wellbeing is nurtured. 

Here’s what can be done to sustain the mental wellbeing of your people.

Take time to be grateful

Here are ways to encourage an “attitude of gratitude” in your team.

1.     Positive psychology points to the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal by your bed and writing in it each night.

2.     Model gratitude by writing thank you cards each week for your team members (and others). There’s nothing like receiving a handwritten note!

3.     Be a strengths scout. Catch people doing good. Have “strengths-in-action” cards made up to leave on a person’s desk/letter box/inbox that comment on their strengths in action.

4.     Encourage your team members to take time once a week to write a handwritten thank you note to someone in the office.

5.     Just before the Thanksgiving break, gather the team to celebrate success. Provide cards for them to write notes of gratitude to their peers.

The results I have seen in organizations across the globe? A significant uptick in a sense of being seen and appreciated. This has bred an abundance mentality and higher engagement.

Coaches coach how they were coached. Maybe they make a few tweaks here and there to their approach, but basically they mirror their former coaches.

The result? Coaches have not developed their understanding of how to engage players.

Traditional approaches of managing players must change.

Gen Z (aged between 10-25 right now) expect higher levels of clarity and communication. They have lived with iPhones in their pockets. They have always had access to any information they need. When this generation posts content, feedback is immediate. Within seconds the likes, dislikes, smiling emojis and so on appear.

New generations are demanding that coaches re-examine the way they coach their athletes.

Yet, traditionally coaches provide very little transparency on selection, game plan, expectations and why certain drills, tactics and approaches are being taken. Players don’t know why they are benched, what success looks like, or what they should be working on to improve. Seldom are 1-1 conversations had where feedback is sought, and players hopes, dreams and concerns are heard.

The result is disengaged players. But, player engagement is key to success!

When players are engaged they give more, play harder, are better team mates, and are happier!

Here’s how to measure the engagement of your players. If you want to be successful and get the very best out of your Gen Z athletes, you must be able to answer the YES to the following statements:

• My players know precisely what is expected of them on and off the field.

• My players have received recognition or praise in the last 7 days.

• My players feel cared about as people.

• My players’ development is being encouraged.

• My players feel their opinion counts.

• My players are clear on the vision of the team.

• My players know their areas of strengths and areas for improvement.

• My players feel like they are growing.

Coaches can raise engagement levels in their players to unleash the full potential of their team. That means traditional coaching approaches need to change.

I was an administrator at a school that was behind the game. Graduates’ final results were fairly strong, but students particularly in the middle years were disengaged.

Change was needed.

I had to work with the leadership team to move the faculty to a more contemporary style of teaching.

I learned that taking a change approach to search for the best in people and the school would have driven change in a different kind of way – one that was more appreciative and collaborative. One that shone a light on what was already good, and one built a clear positive vision of what could be.

Drop the focus on the negative and build an exciting vision of a desirable future with your team.

In traditional problem solving, the first step is to fully explore the root causes of a problem, create alternatives, and then choose the best solution.

But, this created a self-perpetuating downward spiral of negativity, hopelessness and even disunity. Why? It rekindled those emotions connected with the problems and contentious situations!

I needed a change approach that was positive (not necessarily easy), collaborative and energizing.

Here’s what I learned to ensure you don’t make the same mistake:

Take time to have team members interview each other about the organization’s best practices and desired future.

#1. Amplify your organization’s peak experiences.

• Think back through your career here. Locate a moment that was a high point, when you felt most effective and engaged. Describe how you felt, and what made the situation possible.

#2. Amplify your organizational best practices.

• When has the organization been at its best?

• Describe our organization’s best practices.

• What makes these stand out to you?

#3. Imagine a hopeful and inspiring vision of the future

• Describe your three concrete wishes for the future of this organization, or for yourself.

This is powerful work that creates a sustainable increase in the team’s potency, transformational leadership and builds a stronger sense of team!

Meetings are a problem. My clients always complain about them. You cannot have an extraordinary team if your meetings are ordinary.

There are many issues with meetings: The meeting-after-the-meeting; no agenda; late attendees; lack of participation; too much participation from one person; lack of accountability and follow through.

I see one of the biggest problems being the lack of candor. In other words scarcity of openness, honesty and truth.

Why is this the major issue? Because lack of candor kills open communication. It destroys creativity, collaboration and innovation. It extinguishes the ability of the team to be great.

Here is a powerful practice to build candor into your meeting and ensure the team thrives and enjoys peak performance.

Collaborative Problem Solving.

1.     Identify a single business-critical question.

(E.g. explore innovations for the company’s tech strategy; identify new to-market strategy; an admissions model; prioritize agenda items for the next quarter).

2.     Nominate the decision-maker/s.

(You want to avoid bitterness over whose idea gets chosen to move forward). 

3.     Have a robust dialogue about the question.

(Consensus is not the aim).

4.     “The Power of Three”: Breakout into groups of three-person groups to brainstorm.

(People have greater courage in small groups and they tend to bring that candor back to the larger group).

5.     Report back to the larger group.

(The decision-maker/s give immediate feedback on the ideas ensuring the collaboration sparks action. “Yes, let’s do that and here’s why,” or “No, and here’s why not,” or “Let’s have another look when we have more research/data.”)

Have someone capture the notes in a shared document. An accurate version of the conversation is recorded in real time for all to see. This creates trust. It also means those ideas can be iterated.

Source: Keith Ferrazzi, A New Social Contract, HBR (Sept-Oct, 2022).

People spend a lot of time in teams. And, they are often the first thing my clients complain about. That’s a red flag for me. You cannot have a great team if people don’t want to be in them. A successful team has some core ingredients, but leaders often fail to spend time nurturing those. Leaders must commit to the transformation of their teams.

These are the 5 steps that I use to help teams move from good to great:

1. Use a diagnostic tool to gather data.

Before we can change how team members interact and function, we need to get a picture of how they are currently operating. This tool looks at the key elements of successful teams. Individuals look at the degree to which statements reflect the team’s behavior. Statements are around themes like conflict, silos, shared mission, accountability, generative conversations and trust.

2. Use interviews to gather data.

Team mates interview each other asking questions like, “When were we at our best?” And, “Can you describe how the team functioned at its best?”

3. Discuss the results starting by examining the strengths of the team.

Use the diagnostic tool and the data from the interviews to create a list of features of when the team was at its best.

4. Examine what would be required to have the team consistently be its best.

Ask questions like:

• “What would it take to be at our best more often?”

• “What behaviors do we need to see more of?”

• “Do we have the desire to relinquish behaviors that are not serving us?”

5. Commit as a group to transformation.

Discuss and prioritize, “What are the 4 to 5 things we could do that would have the most impact on us being a great team?”

People spend a lot of time in meetings. And, they are often the first thing my clients complain about. That’s a red flag for me. You cannot have a great team if you have poor meetings.

Good meetings are a sign of a successful team.

Leaders must commit to the transformation of their teams and good meetings are a place to start.

These are the 5 steps that I use to help teams move from good to great:

1. Use a diagnostic tool to gather data.

Before we can change how team members interact and function, we need to get a picture of how they are currently operating. This tool looks at the key elements of successful teams. Individuals look at the degree to which statements reflect the team’s behavior. Statements are around themes like conflict, silos, shared mission, accountability, generative conversations and trust.

2. Use interviews to gather data.

Team mates interview each other asking questions like, “When were we at our best?” And, “Can you describe how the team functioned at its best?”

3. Discuss the results starting by examining the strengths of the team.

Use the diagnostic tool and the data from the interviews to create a list of features of when the team was at its best.

4. Examine what would be required to have the team consistently be its best.

Ask questions like:

• “What would it take to be at our best more often?”

• “What behaviors do we need to see more of?”

• “Do we have the desire to relinquish behaviors that are not serving us?”

5. Commit as a group to transformation.

Discuss and prioritize, “What are the 4 to 5 things we could do that would have the most impact on us being a great team?”

I was in Los Angeles this weekend to see the South African (known as the Blitzbokke) win the LA Sevens and take the World Rugby Sevens Series. They were at the top of the points table and had just won gold at the Commonwealth. Things were looking good.

Things fell apart.

The Blitzbokke failed to qualify for the semifinals, and ended up coming 13th.

The coach, Neil Powell, explained the poor results saying effort was not an issue. Instead, a lack of “defensive cohesion and an under-powered team effort” were responsible for the poor performance.  The defensive effort was “too individualistic, and we did not trust the system. When we play as a unit, it brings us success, and that did not happen out there.”

The issue was that in critical moments, on defense, the team failed to operate with cohesion.

South Africa has some of the most exciting players on the planet. But, they went unnoticed this weekend. Why? They did not have the foundation of a cohesive team to play off.

When teams move from good to great they have both cohesion and individual flair.

Cohesion is important during times of stress, volatility and competition. Cohesion comes through knowing, believing in and sticking to the plan. Cohesion emerges when there is clarity, purpose and strategy - why we are doing what we are doing and how we will get there.

But what of individual flair? Gallup says a great team is “a group of imperfect but talented contributors who are valued for their strengths and who need one another to realize individual and team excellence.” In the game of Sevens it’s individual brilliance that can win a game. The key is that it’s off the back of a strong team effort.

The team creates the platform for individuals to shine. And a great team allows individuals to shine.

We spend so much time with our team mates. We work with them under intense pressure, make important decisions, and strategically plan for the future. But, we don’t always know what make them tick. This creates misunderstandings, slows down communication and eats away at trust.

 As a leader, do you know:

• What motivates each of your team members?

• What they need in order to be their best?

• What they truly love to do and contribute?

• What you can count on them to deliver on?

• What their strengths are?

When a leader can confidently answer each of these questions about the individuals on the team, the team will move from ordinary towards extraordinary.

When all team members can answer these questions about each other, the team absolutely moves from being ordinary to extraordinary.

The team becomes a highly functioning team filled with trust, high levels of collaboration and productivity. And, people are more likely to take risks, innovate and support each other.

I use these four sentences to prompt team members to describe themselves to create their “Personal Operating Manual”:

1. You get the best of me when …

2. You get the worst of me when …

3. You can count on me to …

4. This is what I need from you …

Individuals complete their Personal Operating Manual in writing. Each person reads their points to the entire team. Team mates are free to ask clarifying questions.

The best of people are no longer shrouded in mystery!

Here’s what the experts say matters:

1.     Engagement. Teams who have strengths-based development understand how team member strengths contribute to performance. These teams are more engaged and productive.

Only about a third of US workers are fully engaged. Fully engaged employees have lower absenteeism, lower turnover rates, and higher levels of customer loyalty, business growth, and productivity.

In extraordinary teams, the whole team is fully engaged. And, there's a connection between strengths and engagement. Strengths-based development is a powerful approach that managers can use to build an engaging environment for their teams.

2.     Psychological Safety. High levels of psychological safety where it’s ok to take risks, voice thoughts, and be curious make teams more productive.

In extraordinary teams, two essential elements are highly evident, namely embracing difference and strengthened relationships. Google showed that teams in which team members felt a sense of psychological safety were far more productive.

Extraordinary teams have curiosity as a team value, put ego aside and allow candor to surface. 

3.     Purpose. A clear and obvious purpose gels, guides and inspires a team.

Studies show a mission, or a compelling purpose is highly related to employee cooperation, and creates the climate for innovation, and supports work satisfaction.

Extraordinary teams use their purpose to help guide their strategic decision making and use it as inspiration to conduct day-to-day work.

In a nutshell:

• Engage your team members using a strengths-based approach.

• Have high levels of psychological safety where it’s ok to take risks, voice thoughts, and be curious.

• Use a clear and obvious purpose to gel the team.

See more from Dr. Kevin Coray Co-Author of Extraordinary Teams Inventory

As a new leader I used to stress about 1-1 meetings. I didn’t always know what to say or which questions to ask. I was worried about being seen as a micro-manager or disinterested. Basically, I dreaded the conversations!

Looking back, the questions I learned to ask transformed my meetings from awkward and ineffective to powerful and productive. And, the meetings allowed me to develop trusting relationships with my people.

These questions have been responsible for 90% of the success I know have in 1-1 conversations (and would have saved me years of angst):

1. What are you working on and how can I help?

This puts the employee in the driving seat. They get to talk about what they are doing. You show care and empathy in seeking to help. As leaders we often as “how can I help” but when it comes after seeking to know more about what the employee is working on, there is greater likelihood the employee is specific about the help they need.

2. What obstacles can I remove that will help you be your best and truly work in your strengths zone?

This is a strengths-based question. It keeps the focus on the employees talents and how they can be maximized in their role. People move further, faster and have more fun in their strengths zone.

3. What are you working on now that you are most proud of?

People want to be proud of their work. They want to be sure that what they do matters. This question gets to the heart of joy, purpose and engagement.

Quality 1-1 conversations help people feel seen and cared for and to discover the best version of themselves.

We need mentally healthy teachers to help our students learn and thrive. Yes, keeping junk food out of the teachers’ lounge and encouraging physical wellbeing is important. But, school leaders cannot ignore the mental health of their teachers.

What areas of wellbeing should leaders be focusing on?

According to Gallup there are 5 elements of wellbeing. These elements are the stuff in life that matters. They don’t include all aspects of what's important in life. But, they do embody five broad categories that are vital to most people.

1.     Career Well-Being: you like what you do every day.

2.     Social Well-Being: you have meaningful friendships in your life.

3.     Financial Well-Being: you manage your money well.

4.     Physical Well-Being: you have energy to get things done.

5.     Community Well-Being: you like where you live.

An emotionally intelligent leader asks: “What percentage of my people are suffering, struggling or thriving and how can I help?”

1.     Put well-being goal-setting and milestones in your 1-1 meetings.  Encourage teachers to track their well-being goals. This will also improve employee engagement (“I feel cared for”) and deepen your manager-employee relationship. Ask, "Is there a facet of your well-being that I can support?"

2.     Explicitly connect a well-being activity to one of the five elements. The five elements of well-being add intensity to the notion of "feeling cared about," which is a key element of engagement. Individualize activities to each teacher's situation through conversation and by creating a focused set of goals.

School leaders should also show how the five elements are important school values. Communication that emphasizes that leadership cares about the wellbeing of teachers and their families increases engagement.

Schools will benefit enormously by adding wellbeing to their staff development programs. Teacher performance will improve and consequently so too will student performance.

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened long-standing mental health challenges for students. Inequities in resources to deal with those problems are also more evident than before. But, school leaders can’t forget about the adults in the building. That would be a huge mistake.

 Gallup research shows us that:

• 1 in 4 Americans reported feeling a lot of sadness the previous day.

• 28% of US employees experience burnout on the job often or always.

• 7 in 10 people globally are struggling or suffering in their lives.

 Schools and district offices can and should improve their employees’ wellbeing. When leaders and managers nurture the whole person at work, not as just the teacher, they stimulate the success of every individual in the school.

 School leaders need to find innovative solutions to responding to the pandemic’s impact on teachers.

These three strategies can be used to increase teacher engagement and well-being:

• Have well-being activities and encourage participation in them as part of setting job expectations. E.g. I know a school who offers health and wellbeing vouchers that include 1-1 CliftonStrengths sessions. This highlights each employee's unique talents and interests and helps them apply their talents for a more fulfilled life.

• Celebrate employees for committing to their well-being. Remember, “recognition reinforces what is valued!” and is a strong motivator.

• Gather employee ideas about wellbeing and incorporate them into school initiatives. Asking for and using ideas creates engagement, buy-in and makes people feel they are contributing to a healthier workplace.

A focus on adult wellbeing in schools may sound like a stretch. Time, money, resources and school cultures all make the shift to healthier school a challenge. But, we ignore teacher wellbeing at our peril. If we truly want schools were students thrive, we need schools where teachers can thrive.

In the recent work I have done with hundreds of teachers, I see three challenges.  

1.     They cannot fully verbalize their natural talents and strengths.

2.     They are not intentionally using their talents in their role.

3.     They don’t know how to apply their talents to their role.

Research studies suggest that strengths-based development is linked to higher engagement and productivity.

But, it’s no good just talking about natural talents and gifts. They need to be applied.

Here are 5 steps to help your teachers craft a personal brand promise so they can powerfully apply their talents at the classroom.

• Step 1: Name your Top 5 talents. (If you don’t know what they are, ask your peers!)

• Step 2: Use your CliftonStrengths report (if you have one) and own experiences to gather words that say, “That’s me!”

• Step 3: Summarize each of your top 5 talents into 1-3 words (no more!). e.g. Focus: purposeful, clear, prioritize.

• Step 4: In 1-3 words come up with one activity or behavior that you can connect with that talent theme that you want to become a world class teaching strength. E.g. Focus: Purposeful Goal Setting.

• Step 5: Craft a memorable succinct, clear brand promise. The essence of what you bring as a teacher. E.g. “I will teach innovatively with purposeful goal setting to develop great students, always speaking courageously while wisely coaching my peers.”

 Talents are mobilized into strengths in 30-minutes and the benefits for teachers and students are huge!

Teachers are tired. Yes, it’s only the start of the semester but they are tired. have spoken and presented to over 300 teachers across the country in the past few weeks. This is a problem we have to solve.

Tired teachers don’t make for effective teachers. If we have emotionally drained teachers how can they possibly motivate and inspire students? If we have exhausted teachers, they are not being their best selves.

If teachers are not being their best selves, how can they inspire their students to be their best?

Teaching is a tiring job. But, how can it be made a little easier? There are plenty of systematic issues at play from low pay, poor conditions, ineffective training, lack of on-the-job support, irrelevant curriculum, lack of materials, and shortage of trained support teachers. The list goes on.

As a school leader, what is the one thing you could do to make teachers less exhausted?

How could you have a faculty that is more energized, engaged and more likely to inspire students to learn and put forth effort?

Unleash the strengths of your teachers!

In the ten schools I currently work with, school leaders have given their teachers the opportunity to learn who they (and their colleagues are) at their best!

Using the CliftonStrengths assessment, teachers unlock their potential to instigate greater performance. They focus on their natural talents and gifts to unleash them in the classroom. Teachers see their uniqueness, and the value they add to their team and students. There is an almost immediate rise in self-confidence, joy, energy and teamwork.

Why? Because they are shining a light on who they are at their best, and aiming to be that more often!

You can do the same for your teachers!