I remember when the Jacksonville Jaguars nearly went to the Superbowl. I don’t even particularly enjoy football and I was swept up in the excitement, the anticipation, and the hope of the big win. The city came together, people bought shirts, put on bumper stickers, and had signs in their yards. Something about the idea of coming out on top, being the best, and winning exhilarated and united us. It feels good to be part of a winning team.
Do you lead a winning team?
Do your volunteers have a sense of collective excitement?
Do they get swept up and engaged as they work together towards the winning point?
Here are some things to think about as you create ways for your team to win together.
1 – Define the “win”.
Does everyone know what the win would actually be?
If you don’t define it, team members will come up with their own. You will find people working towards different end goals – causing an overall loss of momentum and conflicting energy.
Make sure the win is clearly stated and easy to understand. You shouldn’t need to spend an hour in training to ensure everyone understands what you are trying to do and what their role should be.
What is the ONE thing you want to see happen on your team that means everyone has been successful? It doesn’t mean that you can’t ask your volunteers to do other things too, it just means that everyone should understand that this one thing is a priority.
2 – Talk about the “win” more than you think you should.
Andy Stanley says, “Vision leaks”. And he’s right.
Repeat the “win” in as many different ways and environments as possible.
When asking someone to join your team, use this language as part of your ask. When thinking about your training, define the win. When you send emails to remind people of their schedule, re-share the story of why they are part of the team. You will feel as though you are talking about the goal too much, but you aren’t. You are most likely the only one who is constantly thinking about your team and what they are working towards accomplishing.
You are the one who can keep the vision and the “win” in front of the team.
3 – Share stories of winning.
What gets celebrated, gets replicated.
With that in mind, make sure that the things you are celebrating are the actual things you want to see happen again in your organization or team.
Share stories of how the team is winning via email, social media, newsletters, training, and in person. Handwrite a card thanking your volunteers and point out the way you saw them winning. Publically give awards or prizes to volunteers who are accomplishing the win, and make sure to highlight the story of how they “won” in that particular way.
Sharing a story helps you not simply tell someone what the “win” looks like, but to show them. It gives the vision feet and legs to stand upon and allows your team to understand what a real, life version of winning might look like and then they can emulate it.
Think about the teams you are leading.
Can everyone clearly articulate the goal?
If not, spend some time this week defining the “win”, planning how to share it in multiple communication streams, and how you will celebrate it. It’s more fun to be part of a team that’s winning – help your team understand how to win and keep celebrating it.
Katie Evans 