In our work with teams and identifying issues that stop them from reaching their potential, one common issue that erodes teams from the inside out is judgement.

A team can’t connect, unite, or trust if teammates are judging each other or feeling judged by their teammates. When teammate A starts assuming they know why teammate B acts/thinks/responds the way they do, teammate A stops trying to get to know teammate B better. This is an early crack in the connection of a team that will be exposed before too long. So, let’s get teammates talking and connecting at a deeper level!

I’ve never watched Ted Lasso but I saw this clip on X (social media formerly know as Twitter) and I find myself watching it often. It has proven to be a great conversation starter with student athletes.

NOTE: The clip below is part of a longer scene, but this link starts where it matters most for this activity. This specific video from YouTube is a CLEAN version of the scene. The original scene does contain some language, so be careful if you just do a YouTube search for the clip.

After watching the video ask students to share their takeaways or things that stood out to them. I’m sure they all have examples of when they’ve felt judged or when they’ve judged someone. Ask questions to get them to share about those situations.

Other discussion questions:

1. How can curiosity about our teammates add life to our team?

2. How can assumptions about our teammates bring death to our team?

ACTIVITY: Let’s Get Curious!

The activity attached below is designed to create dialogue amongst your athletes to help them understand each other better.

After having them fill this out, have athletes share their answer to “What I would like my teammates to know/understand about me is…”. We would then recommend giving them the opportunity to ask questions of a teammate they are curious learning more about. You can do this multiple ways. Put one student in a “hot seat” and let their teammates ask them questions. Give them 10 minutes and tell them to find a teammate & ask their question. After a few minutes have them find a new teammate to connect with.

The goal is to create an environment of curiosity when it comes to their teammates.

FREE Mental Skills Sessions

Join us on Wednesdays during the month of February via Zoom! We’ll be offering FREE Mental Skills Sessions for Coaches. If you have something specific you’d like us to talk about, just let us know. To participate just respond via this email to get connected to the Zoom link.

PASS IT ON!

If you found value in today’s newsletter, please share this link with someone you think would find value in it as well!

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Are you in need of a resource over a specific topic or issue to use with your team? Reply to this email with your request and you may see it show up in a future newsletter!