High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 157: How to be a Great Teammate

Episode Date: February 14, 2018

In this episode, Cindra talks with TJ and Lisa about how to be a great teammate. The 10 Practices are featured in Cindra's book, Beyond Grit, and you can find a PDF of the 10 practices of the world's best at: https://www.beyondgrit.com/bonus/. Magic Johnson once said: “Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for teammates.” High performers are a good teammate. They work to support and help others on their team and in their family. They praise others but give honest feedback. They celebrate others and assume whatever role is necessary. They check their ego at the door – instead, are humble and always growing. This Week’s Power Phrase: "I support and celebrate my teammates. I put We before Me!" Dr. Cindra Kamphoff is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Speaker and Author. She provide mental training for the Minnesota Vikings along with many other championships teams. Cindra speaks to and works with CEOs, businesses and organizations on how to gain the high performance edge while providing practical strategies that work. Her clients range from Verizon Wireless to Mayo Clinic Health System. Cindra's first book: Beyond Grit: Ten Powerful Practices to Gain the High Performance Edge was published in August. Her Ph.D. is in sport and performance psychology and she is a Professor in Performance Psychology at Minnesota State University. To book Cindra for your next speaking event, visit: cindrakamphoff.com For more information about Cindra's book, visit: beyondgrit.com 

Welcome to High Performance Mindset with Dr. Sindra Kampoff. Do you want to reach your full potential, live a life of passion, go after your dreams? Each week we bring you strategies and interviews to help you ignite your mindset. Let's bring on Sindra. High Performance Mindset on the Country Club with Dr. Sindra Kampoff. Good morning, Sindra. Good morning. It's great to be here. Good to have you in. How was your weekend? It was nice and relaxing, full of basketball for my kids. But enjoyed it. That's the good stuff, right?

Just kind of be a spectator. And I saw Dancing with the Stars. Yeah, they raised a ton of money over there for that one. Thank you. That was fun. So today we have a really great topic because I know that as far as like winter sports go at the young age, if you count the high school and junior high stuff. Kind of coming to a close, which means you're getting into your sections and your playoff things and whatnot.

And this could also translate to those of you that are on teams in the workplace, which is good. So the topic today is how to be a great teammate. Let's start with our quote. This is by Magic Johnson. He said, ask not what your teammates can do for you, ask what you can do for your teammates. So kind of a play, obviously, on another famous quote. That's pretty good stuff from Magic. Do you have a good example for us to start with today?

I do. This is an example from 2016, and it's about David Ross. So he was a catcher in the Major League Baseball for 15 years, a backup catcher for 13 years. I was going to say, speaking of dancing with the stars, wasn't he on that too? Was David Ross on Dancing with the Stars? Maybe. I can't remember. We better look that up. Yeah. But he most recently played for the Chicago Cubs and helped them win the World Series in 2016.

And a few things that are important about him and why he's a great example. So his teammates called him actually Grandpa Rossi. They showed up at spring training actually with a walker. And Rossi embraced it. So let me tell you a little bit of kind of backstory. So back in 2008, Ross had a reputation that he wasn't proud of. He was seen as a me guy.

And he was cut by the Reds and then re-signed by the Red Sox. But the Red Sox decided that they didn't want to keep him. And Theo Epstein, the general manager of the Red Sox, sat him down and he said, you know, you have a reputation right now of being selfish. And he said, you know, a bad teammate. And then he said, you know, reputations die hard. So it was really hard to get that feedback from somebody. And he said, you know, what David Ross said is like, it hit me hard to get that feedback from somebody, and he said, you know what David Ross said,

is like, it hit me hard because it's not the kind of player that I thought I wanted to be. It's not the kind of player that anybody wants to be, and it's the worst kind of player. And so he decided after that piece of feedback to really step up his game and be a better teammate. He later rejoined the Red Sox in 2013, was part of their World

Series championship, and then got picked up by Chicago. Now, if you remember, if you watched the World Series, it was in Game 7, where he became the oldest player to hit a home run in the World Series. And I think the powerful thing about this is he was carried off by his teammates. Cool. And why was he carried off by his teammates? Because he put we before me. So I'm guessing there's people like this. As you're telling this story, I'm trying to think of people like this. People that maybe take the accolades from somebody else.

Absolutely. People that just aren't as, you know, they're not afraid to put themselves out there. People, your suck holes in hockey. What? You know, the people, the cherry pickers. It escalated quickly. But yes, I know what you're saying. You know, there's people like that.

Yeah. And I think, you know, especially in our culture today where we get so many messages that it should be about me, me, me, me. And it's really hard to sometimes be about me, me, me, me. And it's really hard to sometimes be about we. Right. So you got to flip the M upside down and make it a we thing, right? So David Ross, by the way, runner up on Dancing with the Stars season 24. Lost to Rashad Jennings, who won it all.

Let's talk about why this is a great example of being a good teammate, though. Well, he saw his purpose as being a good teammate. And he was really intentional with, you know intentional after he got that harsh feedback to change his behavior. And it's one of the reasons that he lasted so long in the league that he put we before me. And sometimes, like I said, we're so concerned about ourselves, and we forget to be a good teammate. And I think he had a lasting impression because he was purposeful with being a good teammate. He was intentional about it, and since he got that feedback, And I think he had a lasting impression because he was purposeful with being a good teammate.

He was intentional about it. And since he got that feedback, he really worked to show up as a good teammate. And I think we can really be a good teammate in all areas of our lives, not just sport, in work, and at your workplace, and with your family. Yeah. There are a few ways that we can give you an example of how to be a good teammate. What's the first one? I'd say the first one is to praise others, but also give them honest feedback. And, you know, I think good teammates don't just give you a pat on the back, but they're willing to tell you ways that you can improve. And, you know, you think about all the stories in the NFL recently where like Carson Wentz with the Eagles, he got injured, couldn't play, but he was supporting Nick Foles and doing

everything that he could to support Nick Foles, right? So, you know, I think sometimes when things don't happen for us, we can get really selfish and feel bad for ourselves. But what the best do is they focus on mentoring others and they praise, but then also give feedback. And that's so important because great teams are really built on honesty. So what's another way you can be a great teammate? I think another way is to celebrate others, give them compliments, high fives, you know, bring positive energy. And I'm not just thinking about people that maybe are the best on your team in business or in sport, but, you know, you can celebrate everyone. And one way to do this is, you know, think about somebody on your team that doesn't typically get the spotlight. And so let's take an example in business.

And how can you celebrate them? Perhaps just sending an email to the rest of your team talking about the good work that they did could really, you know, help praise someone else but impact a positive culture, right? So maybe it's somebody who doesn't get the spotlight, someone in the lunchroom or in the mailroom or someone behind the scenes that you could celebrate. What's a third way that we can be a great teammate? Yeah, I think great teammates really assume any role, regardless of if they like it or not. But they're willing to assume any role so the team can be successful and in sport that might be to win. But they don't need the spotlight and they're willing to do the dirty work and they don't complain about it, right? And instead, they're looking for positives in each other and they

accept the role that's necessary so that they can help their team be successful. And what would you say is the fourth way to be a great teammate? The fourth way I would say is that the best kind of check their ego at the door. And what I mean by that is they're humble and hungry and they're always growing and learning, but they're not, you know, too sort of like big for feedback. And they're a great teammate. They really help foster kind of more of a positive family atmosphere because, you know, that's how great teams are built around relationships. And why is this all important? It's important because we're all a teammate.

And we can help support each other. We're a teammate in sport and business and in life. So I'd encourage people just to do one thing today that they could do to be a good teammate. And then every day this week, do one more thing just so you can start having that more of an emphasis. How can you really be there for other people? Make it a habit. Absolutely. Yeah. How do we summarize this whole topic today? This is a really good one though, because when you're in the competition type of,

whether it's a job or a sport or whatever it is, and you work as a team, it's not all about you. And it's not all about one other person. It's about all of you together. So the summary today is what? Is what? High performers, those people are working to reach their greater potential. They're a good teammate. And they work to support each other on their team and in their family. And they praise others but also give honest feedback.

And they celebrate others. They assume any role that is necessary. And they check their ego at the door. Instead, staying humble and always hungry. Be coachable. Yeah, that's a good way to say it. And then we like to wrap up with a power phrase that we'll find on social media. And we'll let you know where to find that if you'd like to follow along with Cindra.

But what is today's power phrase for this week? I support and celebrate my teammates. I put we before me. Excellent. Good stuff. If we want to follow along with you, where do we find you, Cindra? You can head over to my website, DrCindra. So D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A, and that's where you can find the podcast.

It's also on iTunes and Stitcher Radio, so that's where you can check it out. All right. Sindra with us today for High Performance Mindset on The Country Club every Monday at about this time. Join us for some good advice and some great stuff to start the week with, and this time around being a great teammate is the topic thank you very much, Sindra

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