Cristiano Ronaldo's Brilliant Team Talk

👋 Welcome to Elite Team Tactics, where we round up the tools & tactics from the world's elite to help you build a high-performing team.

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✍️ Coming up in today’s edition:

1. One quick win: A tactic to create an “ideal work week”

2. One proven system: Cristiano Ronaldo’s approach to team talks

3. One million-dollar question: Four questions that will test your priorities

1. THE “IDEAL WORK WEEK” EXERCISE

More than 80% of employees are at risk of burnout according to the 2024 Global Talent Trends report published by Mercer 🤯

This shocked me when I read it.

Fear not, there is a simple exercise that you can do with your team to make sure they are not on the edge of burnout and experience fulfilling work weeks:

1. Create a new calendar on Google or Teams

2. Get them to add time slots of what an ideal work week would look like

3. Colour coordinate each slot based on the Energy Calendar here

4. Add everything - from the time they wake up/go to sleep, work projects, commute, time with family, exercise, social events, and anything else they’d deem ideal

5. Now, analyse their current work calendar to their ideal work calendar

6. Make at least 1x move per week to bridge the gap

Not every week will be ideal but this will give them back a sense of autonomy over their time.

2. HOW CRISTIANO RONALDO CREATED TEAM PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY AT THE EUROS

The Euros have kicked off - what an incredible summer of sport ahead of us!

This is potentially Cristiano Ronaldo’s last tournament at 39 years of age.

No matter what you say about him as a player, this video clip demonstrates brilliant leadership ahead of Portugal’s penalty shootout in the 2016 Euros Quarter Final 👇

He demonstrates two fundamental drivers that people need. The need to feel:

1. Important

2. Safe

Here is the breakdown of how he does it 👇

1. “Hey, come kick. You hit them well.”

→ He in instilling confidence in his team mate and making him feel more important. They is so much certainty in his statement.

No matter if you’re dealing with a colleague, customer, CEO or a friend - the more you emphasise their importance, the more they will value the relationship.

It is easy to make people feel small or unimportant if you are on your phone/laptop while they are speaking in meetings or interrupt their flow to take a call.

Becoming the complete focus of someone’s attention is so rare in today’s world that it makes a memorable impact instantaneously.

2. “If we lose, then let it be. It’s in God’s hands now.”

Ronaldo also makes João feel psychologically safe by taking the pressure off.

→ If the result has big consequences, people will naturally focus on the outcome which impacts performance. Reduce expectations as much as you can by highlighting their will be no punishment for mistakes.

How can you make your team feel important and safe this week?

Quiz question: Did Portugal go on to win the penalty shootout after Ronaldo’s speech? Drop us a reply with your answer… ⚽️

3. THE TIME MANAGEMENT QUESTION

The ideal work week method above is a great tool to reflect on if you’re spending your time in your zone of genius and enjoyment.

Here are four more important questions to ask yourself:

1. If someone observed your actions for a week, what would they say your priorities are?

2. What are the areas and priorities where you seem to be cutting corners?

3. What do your actions say about your priorities?

4. What changes do you need to make this week?

Let your actions do the talking this week 🙌 

MY FAVOURITE FINDS 🔗

For your performance:

• Map of Productivity: How to maximise your time (Link)

• Busyness doesn’t equal productivity: Use the Eisenhower Matrix (Link)

For your team:

• NZ Rugby Coach on how to get the best out of your players (Link)

• Tom Brady’s brilliant lesson in leadership from his Hall Of Fame Induction Speech (Link)

For your health:

• Video exercises to reduce back pain from sitting all day (Link)

• Full body workout exercises to bookmark if you have no equipment on the road (Link)

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