″You Win the Locker Room First: The 7 C′s to Build a Winning Team in Business, Sports, & Life.

In the world of sports, motivation is the fuel that drives the sportsmen to the limit, ensuring results on all fronts. NFL main coach Mike Smith led one of the most notable improvement ever seen in NFL history. Before his arrival in the NFL, in 2008, the Atlanta falcons had a poor score sheet of 4-12 and the franchise had lost all its hopes of ever achieving greatness in its entire splendor (Gordon, & Smith, 2015). During Smith’s tenure, the Falcons regained their former glory and the team’s scoresheet was 11-5 at the end of the first season, under the leadership of Smith. Consequently, the team proceeded to the playoffs of the super bowl earning the coach an award in 2008. In fact the coach went ahead to win consecutive coach of the year award in 2010 and 2012.

‘You win in the locker room first’ has some valuables lessons and contains astonishing experiences of Mike Smith and his peer Jon Gordon who is a part time consultant for professional sport bodies (Gordon, & Smith, 2015). Hence, the book has elaborate business principles pertaining business enterprises, firms and colleges that sport teams can implement to upgrade their outcomes.

 One step at a time, the writers takes the reader through the uncertain waters of formulation of strategy for the sake of constructing a solid institute or business and facilitates an actionable framework (Gordon, & Smith, 2015). Therefore, the reader gets the tools needed to generate a great culture couple with the right attitude, formation of robust associations, upgrade teamwork coordination performed at a higher level, and dodge the drawbacks that may disruption the smooth running of the organization and its leaders.

Apart from sharing aspects that made him successful at Falcons, Smith transparently divulges wrongs actions he made during his losing seasons and gives valuable lessons derived from his personal experiences in life. It seems hard but everyone can learn something from the life of Smith, from corporate leaders to college student.

 The book leaves the reader glued to each chapter and every word the reader reads is meaningful in its own way. Each chapter of the book can separately make a single book due to the numerous lessons gathered as the reader turns each chapter with the anticipation of learning something useful and powerful (Gordon, & Smith, 2015). First of all the author does not rely on unique concepts or heavy wording to pass the message across the  board, rather he easily makes use of relatable issues and puts his experiences into an average life contexts thus the book becomes applicable to anyone who can read and join one concept to another. It is simply beautiful and an amazing book. Each chapter discusses a characteristic in action. More so, each one of the 7cs includes culture, communicate and consistency among the rest which I will mention as this essay unfolds.

 At the beginning of the book, Mike Smith and Jon state the principles and routines that any business can apply to run a successful business (Gordon, & Smith, 2015). Then, the authors narrate their life and professional experiences drawn from years of coaching and managing teams. In fact, the theme of the entire book entails how to build a cohesive team and channel combined efforts, which lead to realizing goals. In the book’s context, the administration, the assistants, and other people work hand in hand ensuring the victory of the entire team.

A wide body of literature proves that the sentiment made in the book to be right. For a team to win everyone should play their role correctly. Physical educators and trainers are as good as the team they motivate. As the saying goes, ‘change is the only constant’ and a good coach should be able to motivate his team in both rainy and sunny times. Even though most trainers are well informed on matters pertaining training and body habituation, game planning and formulation of game tactics and schedules, few know how to handle indirect aspects that may negatively affect the game (Sheldon, & Watson, 2011). Harnessing the external and internal factors of sports is what the authors term, ‘winning in the locker room’ even before the game begins. Hence, numerous factors including motivation go into shaping the game outcomes. In end, athletes can take part in numerous tactical training but with lack of proper management of external factors, the team may fail winning. Thus, coaches should know how to balance indirect and direct aspects of the game and ensure there is a constant balance so that none topples over the other. In the sports sphere, most coaches lay emphasis on setting realistic goals, simple yet challenging the athletes to push the limits. If an aim is too high, sportsmen may lose motivation and the vice versa is also true. In other words a goal puts into place various qualities of the players, the necessary resources, outside support and knowledge, which later materializes into a solid framework, operational facets of the society. In the end, the inclusion of relevant people and bodies affects the actual games.

 One of the most unusual elements about sports is its ability to mirror the rest of the society. Managers are like coaches and staffs are more like team players. It takes combined effort to realize victory (Sheldon, & Watson, 2011). In fact running a team is similar to coordinating business meeting and assessing market prices to come up with reasonable competing prices. Hence the whole process of setting up  workable plan with attainable goals may be difficult but with inclusion of the coach, team management and other relevant aspect, one can pull of a win, not once but numerous times. Some goals sharpen practical elements and routines while others raise a player’s interest and commitment. Hence, sports mirrors business practices and sharpens wits.

In sports, one either wins or loses, there is no in between. During a game, one team may prove superior and dominate the entire game through a solid game plan and scoring. On the other side, lies the weaker team, squandering its chances and failing to initiate moves and drop surprising winning formats (Sheldon, & Watson, 2011). In the end, one team loses and the other wins. Sometimes practice levels up the playing field but on the actual day, the most dynamic team carries the day due to the team’s layout and execution of concepts learnt in the changing room. The same thing applies to the corporate world, one organization enters the market with quality products with affordable prices, and they end up taking the market and dictating trends. On the other side lies the clueless veteran organization that struggles to get a firm footing on the ever-changing market trends. One thing may happen; the veteran team may come up with a solid criterion or lose its market share completely.

 According to the self-determination concept highlighted by different coaches, motivation drives change and puts other abstract qualities into order immediately. As per the sentiments of the authors of the book, one person can break a team and one individual cannot make a team. Thus, motivation puts together all the positive qualities of the players hence making the team quality and in high spirits (Balyi, Way, & Higgs, 2018). Motivation brings out the best in people consequently facilitating consistency and commitment. To emphasize further, the coach is like a human resource manager at an organization but the only difference is that he maps out performance strategies for his players. Motivation is not a passive factors but an active component able to shape outcomes into solid wins.

 Team dynamic depends on the relations and attitude of the individuals making the group. The relation between team members makes the team and dictates the degree of cohesiveness within the team. The response to roles and obligations impact behavior, which in turn materializes into outcomes (Balyi, Way, & Higgs, 2018). More so, behavior and relationships take a toll on the work culture of the team members. In the end, positive relations between team members determine work ethic and participation in a group. Simply put, the coach can bridge the gap caused by various personality traits and give enhance good relations between the team players.

In summary, apart from motivation and formation of an all-inclusive communication is a vital tool that initiates contact and helps the leader send his message without bias and bond with team members with a good choice of words. Hence, communication facilitates integration and a multiple approach to winning and running an organization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Balyi, I., Way, R., & Higgs, C. (2018). Long-term athlete development. Human Kinetics.

Gordon, J., & Smith, M. (2015). You win in the locker room first: The 7 Cs to build a winning team in business, sports, and life.

Sheldon, K. M., & Watson, A. (2011). Coach's autonomy support is especially important for varsity compared to club and recreational athletes. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 6(1), 109-123.