Season 6 Episode 14: March Madness: 5 Leadership & Culture Reminders

March Madness: 5 Leadership & Culture Reminders

Every year the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament reminds us of irrefutable lessons related to leadership, culture, and the best teams. Beyond basketball, Jason Barger reminds us of elements we can’t afford to forget.

SHOW NOTES

Jason introduces Season 6 episode 14 of the podcast, March Madness: 5 Leadership & Culture Reminders. Welcome back to the podcast on corporate culture and leadership and thank you for listening. We engage thought leaders like CEOs, CFOs, managers, VPs, directors, and more for this podcast. We wish to create content that engages your mind and heart and allows you to step back and think and add some positivity to your life. We deep dive into today’s topic.

We can’t control everything but what we can control is our response. Still a lot of work to do but wanted to remind the audience what is within our control is the temperature we create in the organizations and teams we work with. If you have a suggestion, please send it to info@jasonvbarger.com

Please leave a review for the podcast It really helps the podcast to spread these messages out into the world. Please share this podcast with your organization, on your team, or in your life to help spread these messages. Thank you!

Jason shares his insights about March Madness in this episode.

6:55 – Jason gets really excited when March madness comes around each year. He talks about the experience of believing and hope and what it means to be on a great team and working together.

8:00 – Foundational things that March Madness reminds us go beyond the basketball court. Such as:

1. The Most talented teams don’t always win. – In basketball it’s not the best 5 basketball players, it’s the best group of players that win. Listen to Shane Battier episode about his experience at Duke with head coach K.
2. If you’re in the dance, you can advance. – Every team in there has the chance to win. A reminder for any team out there, if you’re in the game, it’s possible to advance, to progress, to do things that others don’t think is possible for you.
3. Every team needs a little luck, and any team can stumble – Jason has great admiration for Gonzaga and by all metrics they were the best team in the country coming into the tournament. In a one-game scenario, you have a chance to get beat. Even the best teams can stumble. Teams also need a little luck and sometimes get it through hard work.
4. If you’re in the dance, you can advance. – Every team in their has the chance to win. A reminder for any team out there, if you’re in the game, it’s possible to advance, to progress, to do things that others don’t think is possible for you.

14:40 – Jason talks about the 5 elements of best teams. Jason steps back and reminds himself of these elements of best teams:

1. They believe that it is possible. – Everything starts with belief. Do you and your teammates believe that it’s possible? Do you have a vision? Do you have a dream? Do you believe in each other?
2. They are connected. – The best teams are connected to each other and connected in how they are going to get to where they need to be. Roles are clearly defined. They are committed to the strategy and pace of playing together.
3. Adversity arrives– No matter what you are involved with outside the basketball court or your job, something will not go the way that you planned. When it arrives, do you pull away from the team or do you pull towards the team? Does the team blame when something unexpected happens or do they take personal responsibility and lean in towards each other?
4. Execution matters – The best teams are prepared and have a game plan, a strategy, and can make adjustments along the way. What are we trying to accomplish? What is our plan of attack? What is your organizational strategy? Even in the midst of challenges, making adjustments is essential to success.
5. They Lead. – During big pressure moments, the leaders lead and set a temperature for those around them. They are honored to get a chance to perform. Jason talks about leadership at 22:00.

Questions to Ponder for Today:

1. What do you and your team believe is possible?
2. What are you doing to build connections and get clear on your mission, your vision, your values, and your strategy?
3. When adversity arrives are you clear on the temperature you hope to set as leaders?

Remember, the best leaders, teams, & cultures stimulate progress by recalibrating their thermostat together.

If you like the podcast, have a question, or just want to share your thoughts about daring to begin please leave a comment below or please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.

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ABOUT THE THERMOSTAT

Conversations and micro-thoughts to engage your mind and heart.

A thermostat is proactive. It sets the temperature in a room. Controls the temperature. Regulates the temperature. But in today’s distracted, fast-paced and digital world, it’s easy for individuals and organizations to act more like thermometers, slipping into reactionary thinking, becoming scattered and inconsistent. The most compelling leaders, teams, organizations, families, or collection of humans of any kind operate in thermostat mode. They calibrate their mind and heart to set the temperature for the vision and culture they want to create. Jason Barger, globally celebrated author, keynote speaker, and founder of Step Back Leadership Consulting, is the host of The Thermostat, a podcast journey to discover authentic leadership, create compelling cultures and find clarity of mission, vision, and values.

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