The #1 Tactic From A World Cup Winning Team

✍️ Coming up in today’s edition:

1. One quick win: This special ingredient helped SA win the Rugby World Cup

2. One proven system: How to create an office that enhances your culture

3. One million-dollar question: Why superstars build personas to handle pressure

1. HOW “CURIOSITY” HELPED THE SOUTH AFRICA TEAM WIN THE RUGBY WORLD CUP

Communication patterns have been built around hierarchy.

Those in positions of authority typically tell their subordinates what to do and thus the culture of organisations is built upon the concept of the “heroic leader”.

Sounds a bit like a dictatorship if you ask me. 

This command and control culture is rife across Western business culture, but it is deeply flawed.

It leads line managers to question their ability and they end up relying on you for approvals, leaving less time for you to work on the bigger-picture projects as you are constantly fighting fires.

The world is changing at such a rate that the leader of a group can no longer expect to have all the information they need to make the best decision. As much as we crave it, it just isn’t possible. 

The concept of “Curious Enquiry” is a way to combat this.

Asking genuine questions of your team helps in many ways:

1. Encourages upward communication so you get a much clearer picture of what is happening within the team

2. Inspires your team to take more control of situations and challenges

3. Builds a closer bond and relationship as you get to know each other on a deeper level

A perfect example of this in action is the South African rugby team who have won back-to-back Rugby World Cups 👇

The coach applied “Curious Enquiry” and asked all the players to put their family members as small images on the back of their jerseys.

Even this simple change made an impact as players started to bond over the stories of their childhood and upbringing.

But their star winger, Makazole Mapimpi, could only add photos of himself as he’d previously lost all his family members.

It’s thanks to this emotional story that the squad grew closer and gave them a purpose like no other.

And you won’t be surprised to read that Mapimpi went on to score the first try in the World Cup final 🏆

This approach will make you feel vulnerable and temporarily dependent on your team, but as you can see by the emotion from Rassie Erasmus in the clip, it can create an incredibly powerful environment of psychological safety.

I used to think being a leader meant being the one with all the answers, but turns out, it’s being the most curious person in the room.

I dare you to be that person this week. 

2. YOUR ENVIRONMENT IS AN UNTAPPED WELL FOR CULTURE

When you walk into your building, is your purpose instantly visible/obvious?

It is for the strongest cultures in the world.

In Pixar HQ, you’re immediately met with a full-size Woody and Buzz Lightyear which not only takes me back to great childhood memories, but also acts as a daily reminder of the magic that you can create by working at the company. 

Even the main building itself is named after previous CEO, Steve Jobs, whose vision helped establish Pixar as a major player in the industry.

The smallest details can have the biggest impact. A Bank of America study highlighted that shifting to “synchronised lunch breaks” from “randomised lunch breaks” tripled retention rates and improved performance by 23%. 

So why not invest in a killer coffee machine and spaces for employees to socialise at lunch.

The new San Antonio Spurs training facility is another great example of how to design an environment that exudes your culture 👇

It is now the largest mass timber training facility in professional sports.

This strategic construction decision benefits them in two ways: not only does it reduce their carbon footprint, but medical research has shown timber improves performance by lowering heart rates and reducing stress.

As a professional sports franchise, these little changes to the environment give you an immediate sense of their culture. Their focus on wellness is clear to see with the amount of new areas outside that allows players to recover in nature with natural light.

They still kept their famous “Pound The Rock” mantra as you enter and images on the court of all previous title wins to act as constant reminders to players of why they are pushing their bodies to the limit in training.

Both of these examples hopefully inspire you to add elements to your physical space that act as vivid reminders of your purpose and enhance the culture as soon as you walk in the door.

3. WHAT CHARACTER DO YOU NEED TO BE TODAY?

As a leader, we have to wear many hats throughout a day.

This state shifting can be extremely hard as each situation might require different energy and personality.

Creating an alter ego can be a powerful psychological tool to enhance your performance and manage the emotional highs and lows associated with your work.

The top performers and athletes in the world have done it for centuries 👇

Beyoncé - Sasha Fierce

Kobe Bryant - Black Mamba

David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust

Stefani Germanotta - Lady Gaga

Tyson Fury - The Gypsy King

Anna Mae Bullock - Tina Turner

Dwayne Johnson - The Rock

It is know as the “Proteus effect” - a phenomenon in which your behaviour is changed by the characteristics of your ideal avatar.

It helps you create a psychological barrier between your personal self and your performance self, reducing the impact of fear and anxiety on your performance.

It can help you embody qualities that you aspire to have for certain situations like confidence, fearlessness or strength.

Action for this week: Write down the different roles and identities you need to embody at different times of day.

As a father of two, one of my characters is “Super Dad” - this person is present, emotionally and physically when the kids get home from school (I try hard to not pick up my phone or lock it in another room!)

Whereas my character for deep focus work “Morning Machine” - is built with discipline and focus in mind to make sure the most important tasks get done each day.

The one thing I’ve found that really helps is using a trigger (e.g. walking through the front door or a sign at your work desk when you sit down) to remind you to “turn on” the character when it’s time to adopt each character.

Hit reply to this email with your best super character persona to give me some inspiration for this week 🦸‍♂️

MY FAVOURITE FINDS 🔗

For your performance:

• This rule of 100 can make you better than 95% of the world in that discipline (TikTok)

• This coaching question from ex-football player RVP is a way to shift your team’s mindset to a winning one (Shorts)

For your team:

• Former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty on how she changed the way they hire forever (Chief)

• Try this novel approach to “play” at work with your team (Insta)

For your health:

• This is such a smart way to use your brain to tackle physical pain or fatigue from health psychologist (Insta)

• The scary link between lack of sleep and cancer from expert Matthew Walker (Twitter)

Thanks!

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