T.E.A.m. Together everyone achieves more
I am headed to the stadium again today. I love the fall and all that it holds: the changing leaves, sweater weather, and football.
My sons all played college football on the offensive line. If you don’t know much about football, bear with me and I’ll explain it. Their job is to protect the quarter back and make holes in the LINE so the football (and whoever is holding it) can move forward down the 100 yard football field towards the endzone and score a goal. My son’s are part of a “union” of sorts. This group of men on the field is the tightest unit. They HAVE to know the person next to them in order to do their job well. If a misstep happens, they will not achieve the goal of forward motion on the field and they may possibly get injured or their teammate will.
You will usually find these guys also spending all their time together off the field. Knowing each other is so important. They generally live together as well. (I am always nervous for them and the people living under them if and when they don’t live on the ground floor of their apartment or dorm – multiple 300+ pound bodies is a lot of L.B.’s.)
The thing about Offensive Linemen is that usually, they never hold the ball. They have one assignment every play. One thing they do very well. They trust the other guys to do their job. And then they win!
The other thing about Offensive Linemen, is there are no stats for them. At the end of the game, there are no running yardages, catches, or sacks to report for them. They do their job as a team player, for the greater good.
Why do I tell you this about football? This is a system. The players are all assigned a job. They are gifted and talented in various ways. These O-Linemen were given large strong bodies. They hone them and use them for a specific purpose- we see behavior. But what is their motivation for playing? Extrinsic motivation is for fame, winning, even getting that scholarship. Intrinsic motivation would be something different. Usually we see intrinsic motivation around being known. They perform a behavior to be seen, to be part of a team, a whole. To belong. When that doesn’t happen, their performance lacks, they might not show up as well, or work out as hard and the entire team suffers.
Next time you watch a game, whether it is basketball, football, corn hole, I challenge you to look beyond the rules of engagement, the plays, the uniforms, and see the stories of the players, coaches, owners, fans that are present. This is a system. How it runs is dependent on so many factors. I focus on emotional intelligence and self-awareness. When motivation is uncovered through the Enneagram, it is helpful to streamline communication, feedback, goals, and conflict. Happy, productive, winning workplaces are possible.