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A Series: Optimizing Your Health Pt. 6

One of our core ideas at BETTER is that healthy leaders create healthy teams.

So - we are doing something a little different with our newsletter. This is the last in a 6-part series in our newsletter on “Leader Health”.

The core thesis of this series is an idea we call “100X”. This idea comes from BETTER co-founder, Jeremie Kubicek, in his book with Steve Cockram called The 100X Leader (we couldn’t recommend it more). If you are as close to 100% healthy, you won’t have to try to lead, it will happen. Your health will multiply (“X”) into those around you. We’ve examined, and will examine, what we, at BETTER, consider to be the pillars of Leader Health. We’ve looked at:

1. The 100X Idea: How your health multiplies into your team

2. Purpose: Aligning your values with Action

3. Self-Awareness: Understanding how tendencies drive behaviors

4. Physical Health: Building routines that cultivate peak mental performance

5. People: How to foster fulfilling relationships.

And to round it all out?

The Idea: Adaptive Leadership

As we conclude this series on Leader Health, we turn our attention to a trait that truly distinguishes extraordinary leaders from the rest: Adaptability. If there’s one thing that is constant in leadership in athletics, it’s change (forgive us the cliché but at least we only use the ones that are true 😅). Talk to anyone inside an Athletic Department right now, the topics of change, new, different, and adapting will come up within the first minute.

NIL, Congress, Collective-Bargaining, Foundations, Re-Structuring.

Some leaders shudder. As we tweeted about when we launched BETTER, change is causing coaches and leaders to leave the profession at astounding rates.

Others see it as an asset. They believe that they are just the right leader at just the right time. Their attitude is, “If anyone is going to figure this out, it’s my team.” They see it as a competitive advantage.

It is in this landscape that the ability to steer through change with grace and foresight stands out, not just as a skill, but a necessity for maintaining stability and confidence.

Research Insight: “Leadership in a (Permanent) Crisis”

A piece of foundational research on Adaptive Leadership comes from researchers at Harvard Kennedy School in 2009. They examined several key insights for leaders to be ready for and lead through ever-changing environments.

1. Leading Amongst Uncertainty: There is no getting around it. Leaders who embrace it and experiment with new approaches through it will be those who succeed.

2. Differentiating Technical from Adaptive Challenges: Leaders must distinguish between problems that require standard responses (technical challenges) and those that require leaders to change attitudes and beliefs (adaptive challenges)

3. Mobilizing People for Change: Effective leaders mobilize and engage their teams through change, acknowledging that successful adaption often involves a shift in values, beliefs, and behaviors.

4. Sustaining the Health of the Team: Adaptive leadership is not just about solving immediate problems but also about ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of the team.

It is the exception, not the norm that companies, organizations, and teams are able to withstand changes in leadership, cultural shifts, and the new that comes with technological innovation. These insights provide both some principles and some procedures leaders can use to lead themselves and their team through change.

Anecdote: Pep Guardiola, the Visionary

There is perhaps no name that resonates more deeply in the world of professional football (soccer) than Pep Guardiola. Renowned for his innovative tactics and strategic acumen, Guardiola is celebrated as one of the most successful and influential coaches in the sport’s history. Starting his managerial career at FC Barcelona, where he led the team to an unprecedented level of success, Guardiola has since taken the helm at Bayern Munich and Manchester City, leaving a mark of excellence at each.

His team’s list of titles and competitions won is far too long to include in this newsletter. But, for an idea, he won 14 titles at FC Barcelona in 4 seasons as their manager, 7 titles in 3 years at Bayern, and 10 titles in 7 years at Manchester City. He’s won the Champions League, the world’s most prestigious club football competition 3 times.

Known for his meticulous attention to detail and relentless pursuit of perfection, Guardiola’s impact transcends the trophies and titles; it’s seen in the way he has revolutionized football tactics and inspired a generation of coaches and players. His ability to adapt to different leagues, cultures, and challenges makes him a quintessential example of a transformative leader in sports.

In world football, the teams, clubs, and managers are too good to stay stagnant. Other clubs will catch up. When you are the best, other teams can quite literally build their team around stopping what you do best. So, what’s particularly notable about Guardiola is that while he has clear principles, he is always shifting, changing, and advancing. He refuses to stand pat. He knows that the success of his club demands that he adapt to the ever-changing world of football. This is why Pep is considered by his players, competitors, and opposing managers to be the most innovative mind in the history of football.

So, how do we follow Pep’s example and utilize the research insights in our own leadership? Consider these strategies.

Adaptive Leadership: Personal Action Plan

1. Embrace Change: Regularly assess your environment and team dynamics for changes and challenges. Be open to altering your leadership and strategies to your current situation.

2. Conduct Regular Reflective Reviews: Whatever the timeline (quarterly, monthly, biannually), schedule a session where you assess your current leadership strategies and team dynamics. What’s working? What’s not? Why?

3. Create a ‘Challenge Map’: Categorize each issue you face as technical or adaptive. Technical: Solved by expertise and existing knowledge. Adaptive: Requires new learning and change.

4. Feedback Fridays: Encourage open discussions where team members can offer suggestions on tactics and team culture.

5. Adopt a Personalized Communication Approach: Understand each team member’s communication style. People handle change differently. How you help the individuals on your team determines how your team will navigate through it.

Closing Thought: 

In embracing adaptability, we not only prepare ourselves and our teams for the challenges ahead but also unlock new horizons of potential and performance. Adaptive leadership is about more than just surviving change; it’s about thriving in it and leading our teams to do the same.

2024 Schedule

As mentioned above, there are plenty of ways to get involved with us at BETTER. Whether it’s a 5 Voices Workshop for your team or a keynote, we are already filling our schedule for the Winter and Spring! If you're interested in having us inspire and engage with your team, email us at [email protected]. Secure a slot now and ensure your leaders or athletes receive the guidance and motivation they deserve to maximize their mindset, leadership, and performance!

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The BETTER System

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Find out more about the System some of the top programs and athletic departments in the country are using to enhance their mindset, leadership, and performance.