Great teams and cultures feel different the second you walk in the room. There's a different look in everyone's eyes.
I had the privilege of leading a training session with Waynedale High School baseball on the eve of the Ohio High School State championships a few weeks ago.
Over the last four years Waynedale has been one of the best baseball programs in the state (if not the entire Midwest.)
State champions in 2022
State champions in 2023
State semi-finals in 2024 (lost to eventual state champion)
Ranked #1 in the state with a 25-2 overall record this spring.
District champions and advancing deeper and deeper into the Ohio High School state playoffs this week.
Their success isn't built on the accumulation of elite talent (though they have many college prospects on the roster) but instead it's built on culture and an impressive collective mindset.
They embody what all great cultures have figured out and what many teams are searching for in an era where individual pursuits are taking precedent over collective endeavors.
They’re flourishing.
Here's what I noticed about this group. (And what all elite cultures have figured out).
1.) They have a healthy level of comfort/safety (They're not taking themselves too seriously)
2.) They are completely committed to the process (Things in their control)
3.) Personal and collective behavioral expectations are very clear and agreed upon
4.) Their coaching staff has a high level of trust in their players, and their players have a high level of trust in the coaching staff.
5.) They have undoubtedly surrendered the outcome (They are not afraid of failure)
6.) They have completely subdued outside expectations (which is hard to do - especially when the expectations are high)
7.) They have fully agreed on a collective definition of success (one that emphasizes the process over everything.)
8.) They genuinely enjoy being around each other
9.) They have taken responsibility for their own confidence. They recognize that confidence needs evidence and it relies on work in the dark (work they've done for months).
10.) They love the arena. They truly believe the journey is the reward.
To some degree, every single element of the above list is encapsulated in the How To Flourish Framework. What we express in theory through this newsletter, and in practice through group coaching is that the components of a flourishing culture can be trained.
It doesn’t happen by accident or by chance. It doesn’t happen overnight. It is intentionally crafted, first in the leader and then in each member of the team.
So much of elite mental performance and leadership is rooted in our mindset and commitment to control things within our control, and release things out of our control (#2, #5, #9, #10).
Beyond mindset, every great team or organization has developed incredible relationships, not artificial connections, not check the box events and pizza parties - real relationships (#1, #4, #8).
After mindset, and relationships the truly remarkable teams and organizations have high standards of behavior and expectations within their environment, and they hold themselves accountable to those standards every single day. (#3, #6, #7).
This combination of mindset, relationships, and behaviors is only made possible when each member is aware of the impact their inner life is having on their exterior life - and actively engaging in principles and practices that enhance their inner life.
The formula is as follows:
Me (as in each individual) + The Intersection (Training to flourish in the four dimensions of well-being) + Relationships (The relational connectivity within the group) + The Environment (Standards & Behaviors).
This formula is what cultures like Waynedale Baseball have mastered. Through intentionality and commitment this group has cultivated a flourishing culture that produces results.
You’ll notice in the image, “Me” is in the center on purpose. This isn’t to suggest that you and I are the center of the universe or that everything is about us as the leader. As any great leader knows, when you’re the leader it’s not about you. It’s about everybody, BUT you.
But by placing “Me” at the center it is to suggest that a great deal of the group’s potential rises and falls on the health of each individual and each individual’s willingness to actively engage with their inner well-being.
A flourishing teammate has the capacity to give more to the group. Their mindset is sharp and firmly rooted on what they can control. They are available relationally at a level not possible when they’re languishing. They act and behave in ways that fulfill the team standard.
To an outsider, it’s described as “elite”
Through the How To Flourish framework, we call it “Flourishing.”
At some point the game of leadership and elite team performance has to center around flourishing inside-out.
Not as a “feel good” strategy that puts everyone’s happiness and feelings above elite execution - but as the very process that produces elite execution.
Flourishing individuals + Flourishing Relationships + Flourishing Environments, can’t lose.
Waynedale HS baseball has found the flourishing makeup of mindset + relationships + behaviors and they are reaping the full benefits of their intentional effort.
P.S.,
I’d love to work with your group this summer or next fall to train the principles and practices required to flourish individually and collectively. Book a call to explore how group coaching or a Flourishing Minds Workshop could take your culture to the next level.
Stay The Course,
