What Are Your Success Rituals: Are You Wasting the Moment ??

One of my all time favorite movies is The Expendables. Really, I am thinking “Movie of the Year”! The movie follows the typical action packed movie plot of “shoot, strut, and sneer” at the camera.  In the midst of all the one line jokes and shoot outs one element that could be easily overlooked in the movie is when the leader of the group has a huddle to talk about the upcoming assignment, challenges, and goals for the task. This was not just a funny scene in the movie it was something that this group did before they went to work. For them this was a vital part of their routine in making sure everyone was on the same page. It allowed for them to get on the same page and to understand how they would each contribute to the success of the mission. For them it was a vital ritual to enable success.

Most of us have daily or weekly rituals we attend to. I listen to “Good to Great” by Jim Collins every morning on my commute to work. All jokes aside of me not having a decent music collection. I have probably listened to the audio book a hundred times over the last three years and still I find that it is a perfect catalyst for a new thought. As I listen to Jim Collins talk about some core concept I find that my mind travels to what I need to accomplish for the day. It is not long before his voice and my own thoughts merge on some new thought.  This morning ritual is a way for me to consider my day in an abstract manner and not just go through a mental checklist of fires I need to put out.

This concept of rituals is something that was recently addressed by Peter Bregman in his blog article The Value of Ritual in Your Workday in which he described the following, “Rituals are about paying attention. They're about stopping for a moment and noticing what you're about to do, what you've just done, or both. They're about making the most of a particular moment. And that's something we could use a lot more of in the business world.”

Consider the possibilities of every branch manager in your branch network pulling their staff together every morning for ten minutes prior to the branch opening.  They started each morning with recognition of prior top contributors for the branch goals.  In these huddles they were able to connect your staff’s collective attention on collaborating and to dedicate themselves, without distraction, to achieving the goals of that the group has to meet. What possibilities could happen if that branch manager acted more like a branch leader that acknowledges that each person's views, goals, and priorities are important and need to be heard in order for the group to be successful?  Only you can look at your own organization and consider what the possibilities might be if your front line community leaders developed these types of rituals or activities.

Make no mistake- everyone comes up with some type of morning ritual. It might be you have team members who read a dozen emails and drink their morning coffee. Other people like to be quite and gather their thoughts while others are social butterflies that go from one person to another to see what is new with them for the morning. The question you have to address,  “are these defaults rituals helping you or your team tackle the day as a group?”  Are they focused on the right things and do they know what your thoughts are on what you need the group to accomplish? 

As fans we watch our favorite sports teams huddle before big plays. As parents we have seen our sons and daughters in huddles as they work with their teams. We watch pro fighters huddle in their corners between every round getting advice and encouragement. Yet, in business the concept of a huddle seems silly to some. Somehow in business we are supposed to be able to convey our thoughts without sharing them, excite people without talking to them, and recognize people without interacting with them. It simply doesn't make sense. 

One step in changing this mindset would be to simply start with just yourself and your team.

• Write down who were your top contributors for yesterday
• Write down what the group needs to accomplish for the day
• Write down the pace they need to set to reach the groups goals

Now put it all together and send it out to your group. Congratulations, you have just had a virtual huddle!

The next step is to ask them later if the email was helpful and what they would like added. Then change it and repeat. Once you have your structure you can play with the setting by having the huddle in person. Then you can have others lead the huddle and have each person make their own behavioral commitments on how they will contribute. 

As leaders we know our people look where we look. Each time we pause, notice, and offer respect for their efforts, it reminds you and them to appreciate and focus on what each of us has committed to do. By elevating each activity and the contribution it makes to the team success each person on the team takes it more seriously. Each person gets more satisfaction from it. Our teams with whom we work will feel more respected and as leaders we'll feel more self-respect.