On Writing

Write down the first image that comes into your head.

Write down the first emotion that comes into your head.

Write down the first line that comes into your head.

It can be the first line for a story.

It can be the first line for a poem.

It can be the first line for anything.

Write down a different emotion.

Write down a different first line.

Write down a different image.

Write down another first line.

Write down another emotion.


Write down another image.


Write down an image that is an emotion (i.e. that will act as one).


Write down a first line that is an emotion (i.e. that will act as one).

Write down an image that is a first line (i.e. that will act as one).

Write down an emotion without mentioning the emotion.

Write down a first line that’s nothing but image.

Now remove the image (so that its absence can be felt).

Can emotion ever be removed from image?

Can image ever be removed from emotion?

Can you have a first line of a story, poem, anything, without emotion or image?

Team Performance: Learning from the Movie “Remember the Titans”

 

"Remember the Titans" is a 2000 American biographical sports film, Based on the true story of coach Herman Boone, and his attempt to integrate the T. C. Williams High School (now Alexandria City High School) football team in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1971.

In the movie it was demonstrated Approximately ten years earlier in the summer of 1971, at the freshly integrated T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, Herman Boone, a black head coach who was supposed to lead the black high school’s football team, is assigned to the coaching staff under current white head coach Bill Yoast, who previously led the white high school and has been nominated for the Virginia High School Hall of Fame.

High-performance Team requires below areas to be strengthened:

a. Effective Team Coaching

b. Appropriate Team Context

c. Balance Team Chemistry

d. Appropriate Team Composition

e. Effective Team Leadership

What I have discovered in any team, when all these areas are weak, the High-performance output cannot be obtained. It takes a long time for coaching to enhance these areas.

In an attempt to soothe growing racial tensions and the evidence that all other high schools are “white” only, the school district decides to change course and name Boone the head coach. He refuses, believing it unfair to Yoast, but subsides after looking at what it aids to the black community. Yoast is then offered an assistant coach’s job by the school board and initially refuses but reconsiders after the white players pledge to boycott the team if he does not participate. Dismayed at the prospect of the students losing their chances at scholarships, Yoast changes his mind and takes up the position of defensive coordinator under Boone, to his daughter Sheryl’s dismay.

There was great Team chemistry and black and white team members displayed in this movie. Team learned to respect each irrespective of the color.

In the movie it shown on August 15, the players gather and journey to Gettysburg College, where their training takes place. Early on, the black and white team members regularly clash in racially motivated conflicts, including some between captains Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell.

However, through persuasive coaching and rigorous athletic training by Boone—which includes an early morning run to the Gettysburg National Cemetery and a motivational speech—the team achieves racial harmony and comes out a unified team.

In the movie it has shown a great relationship between the two ‘Captains’ of the team that turns things around. They start out not liking each other at all, but over the course of the film, develop undying respect for each other – even going as far as to call the other one brother. Great Team Chemsitry!

The whole movie was about coaching! Through coaching, how can we establish a stronger team. There are many challenges but those have been overcome through better coaching and effective conversation.

It has shown the movie when the black students trying out for the team have a meeting in the gymnasium with Boone, but this turns into a fiasco when Yoast and several white students interrupt. After this, Boone takes Yoast aside and explains how he will run the team and that black and white does not matter to him, leaving Yoast with renewed faith in Boone.

Throughout training camp and the season, Boone and Yoast’s black and white players learn to accept each other, to work together, and that football knows no race. As they learn from each other, Boone and Yoast also learn from them and, in turn, the whole town learns from the team, the Titans.

The team formation was constantly happening. There is constant turbulence without the team. The teams and coach were steered through all these challenges till the end. This game needs rigorous exercise and training. It showed the heavy training schedule with a lot of strict deadlines to follow. Boon shows the best coaching by punishing the team until they complete something to his standard.

Gerry the captain, even has his best friend Ray removed from the team because of his racism following a game where Ray intentionally missed a block, which consequently led to the near-season-ending injury of starting quarterback Jerry “Rev” Harris.

Garry is the captain of the football team and shows influencing skills and encouraging team members to speak their mind

Also shown the main two reasons behind team success are the friendship between certain members of the team. Firstly, the coaches seem at war with each other. One takes the defense, the other the offense. They realize that without each other, the team won’t continue with the winning ways that they have started. It is a case of knowing how the other one lives.

Great movie to learn from....

Team Agility Development questions

	High Performance team Questions	Current Score
Appropriate Team Context
	How is the team collaboration being in the set?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How are team goals set?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	What reward systems are in place?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How are team members taking care of numerous High-performance attributes?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How are team members overcoming team performance barriers?	1-5, 5 Highest?
Appropriate Team Composition
	How well are team members’ competencies adjusted?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How well are team members maintaining a healthy relationship?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How well team facilitation is taken care of?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How well is team member’s emotional maturity developing?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How well are team members’ Passion, discipline, grit, accountability in place?	1-5, 5 Highest?
Balanced Team Chemistry
	How effectively is workplace positivity maintained?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How effectively is team happiness maintained?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How effectively are employee relations maintained?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How effectively does customer engagement maintains itself?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How effectively are team agreements managed?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How effectively are team members holding of each other?	1-5, 5 Highest?
Effective Team Coaching
	How are we coaching an underperforming team?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How well are team members holding each other and exchanging feedback?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How well are coaching skills established and are readily noticeable?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How effectively is group coaching happening?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How well are team members overcoming challenges through better coaching?	1-5, 5 Highest?
Effective Team Leadership
	How team leadership is establishing the best place to work for?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How are team leadership establishing team member’s prosperity?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How effectively is team leadership enabling stronger engagement in the team?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How effectively does team leadership inspiring individuals?	1-5, 5 Highest?
	How well are team leaders expanding the next leadership from the team?	1-5, 5 Highest?

 

Team Agility score could be = 25/25 = 100%; when we score maximum marks in all these areas.

Once you get the score, chalk out a plan of what to do with such a team.

It is not ending with the assessment; we also need to think about the improvement plans.

Always focus on these below factors

·       Team Members understand their purpose and share their goals - Prepare a one with them

·       Team members share their common goal

·       team members acknowledge and appreciate each other

·       Team members are motivated to become successful

·       Team members are committed to becoming successful

·       Team members have strong shared values and beliefs

·       Team members are engaged and satisfied with their work

·       Team ambient encourage team members are share and care

·       Team ambient has psychological safety

·       Team members are holding each other and supporting each other for the common mission

·       Team members complement each other

·       Team members are learning together and finding a way to learn from each other

·       Team members protect each other, support each other, care for each other

·       Team members trust each other

·       Team members give and take feedback

·       Team members are having open communication

·       Team members are open to new idea and discuss all the pros and cons

·       Team members are clear about roles, responsibilities,

·       Team members are accountable for their share of work

·       Team members decide with consensus and there is always group participation

·       Team members experiment and learn from those

·       Team members learn from each other bring those best practices and practice within the team

·       Team members take actions to improve the situation

·       Team members retrospect and improve upon

High performance formation will come automatically with the above actions.