October 2024

• tonydorigo
• Blog
• October 16, 2024

A Growth Mindset

A Growth Mindset

Afer previously detailing traits of a fixed mindset, let’s have a quick look at a growth mindset.

Here’s a powerful line:

“When you have a growth mindset, your past doesn’t define your future”

Someone with a growth mindset views intelligence, abilities, and talents as learnable and capable of improvement through effort. On the other hand, someone with a fixed mindset views those same traits as inherently stable and unchangeable over time.

I look back at my football career and I played as left winger/attacker up until I was 16 years-old. Through injury to a teammate I had to play as a fullback/defender for a period.

I’d never played as a defender, but a growth mindset allowed me to view the mistakes I initially made as great learning opportunities to develop new skills. I went on to win many personal and team accolades….as a defender!

A growth mindset also keeps you humble, as there’s always more to learn and improve. You CAN teach any dog new tricks!

Take England International Kalvin Phillips. A positional change by Marcelo Bielsa turned Phillips from an average Championship midfielder into the best holding midfielder England had. Growth mindset with new skills learnt and as humble as they come.

In business, take an entrepreneur. You’ll need basic finance skills to create your business’s budget and prepare financial statements. If you have a fixed mindset, you may think, “I’ve never been good with math, let alone financial statements. I’m not cut out to run my own business.”

Now approach the situation with a growth mindset. You might think, “I don’t have a background in finance, but I can learn and practice those skills until I feel capable.”

Subtle difference but a transformative one!

#Mindset #Teambuilding #PersonalGrowth #TeamExcellence #LeadershipDevelopment #HighPerformanceTeams

• tonydorigo
• Blog
• October 14, 2024

The Fixed Mindset

The Fixed Mindset

The one consistent thread that runs through individuals at the top of their game, whether in sports or business, is their mindset.

As ex-footballers, we spent hours, days, weeks, months, and years on the training ground or in the gym honing our tactical and physical skills. The mental side was left to chance; players navigated their way through, some successfully and a huge majority unsuccessfully.

I looked back to when I was 16 and starting at Aston Villa as an apprentice, along with ten other bright-eyed young men. When we started, the ‘best’ three or four players were not the best three or four players after one year. Why? Of those ten players, I went on to play for England, and another couple of players had careers at a decent but not top level, and the rest were nowhere. In football, that’s a terrific year!

Was the difference in physical attributes? Nope, as I was one of the smallest. Was it in their so-called natural talent? Nope, one of the most gifted players never progressed and had a career. Was it the tactical side, even though we all got the same coaching and training? Was it age, experience, luck….?

Whereas I could make a case, to a more or lesser extent, for a lot of the items above, there is one trait which overrides them all – it is MINDSET

Stanford University Professor of Psychology Dr Carol Dweck published a concept of Fixed and Growth mindsets. In varying degrees, these traits significantly impacted my group of 16-year-old hopefuls.

Fixed Mindset:

• The belief that abilities, natural talent and intelligence are static traits
• Tendency to avoid challenges to avoid failure
• Views extra effort as fruitless or a sign of weakness
• Ignores useful feedback
• Feels threatened by others’ success
• Blame others, looking outwards at the reason for non-success

These mindsets can significantly impact how people approach learning, obstacles, and personal development.

Take Michael Jordan – what many people may not know is that he was initially cut from his high school basketball team. In his autobiography, Jordan recalls feeling devastated by the rejection and doubting his own abilities. However, he also credits this experience as the catalyst for his drive to become the best player he could be.

While Jordan ultimately developed a growth mindset and achieved unparalleled success, his initial reaction to failure demonstrates a fixed mindset. He viewed his lack of success as evidence of his limited abilities rather than an opportunity for growth and improvement.

Understanding and recognising these traits is the first step – but such a significant one! The last thing to say is that it’s not black and white; we all veer from the top to the bottom of any particular spectrum, but the more “Growth” mindset individuals understand we can work on and improve our MINDSET.

Spot any of these traits in you or your team members?

Next up, the GROWTH mindset concept….

#Mindset #Teambuilding #PersonalGrowth #TeamExcellence #LeadershipDevelopment #HighPerformanceTeams

• tonydorigo
• Blog
• October 11, 2024

Celebration of Milestones – Last of 6 keys to Unlocking Exceptional Teamwork

Celebration of Milestones – Last of 6 keys to Unlocking Exceptional Teamwork 

Back in my football days, it was clear that some players celebrated milestones too vigorously! However, that masked an essential trait among high-performing teams – to celebrate milestones together.

Naturally, our team was diverse in its makeup, ranging from 18-year-olds who wanted to party all day and night to 36-year-olds who wanted to get home to their wife and children. So when we had a team celebration, we would start after we finished training, say 1:00 p.m. EVERYONE from the team was there, with no exceptions. We knew how important it was for morale and team culture, but we also respected each individual’s choice of when to leave the party!

It would roughly pan out like this: older guys with families were gone by 4:00 p.m., and those with partners were gone by 6-7:00 p.m., leaving the youngsters and a few wild ones to continue into the night! Training was interesting the next day…..!

Recognising and celebrating big and small achievements boosts morale, reinforces positive behaviours, and creates a positive team culture.

Key aspects:

• Regular recognition: Don’t wait for major project completions; celebrate small wins too
• Personalized appreciation: Understand how different team members prefer to be recognised and celebrate
• Learning opportunities: Use celebrations as a chance to reflect on what led to the success

I’ve found various examples via the companies I’ve visited: One implemented a “Win Wall” where members could post notes about colleagues’ achievements or helpful actions. This simple practice increased team morale and cooperation significantly.

Implementing the previously posted keys can transform a group of individuals into a high-performing team. Most importantly, building exceptional teamwork is an ongoing process that requires consistent effort and attention.

What’s been your experience with these teamwork elements? Have you seen other factors that significantly impact team performance? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

#TeamExcellence #LeadershipDevelopment #HighPerformanceTeams

• tonydorigo
• Blog
• October 9, 2024

Mutual Accountability – A key to Unlocking Exceptional Teamwork

Mutual Accountability – Another key to Unlocking Exceptional Teamwork 

I thought about Ilan Meslier, the Leeds United goalkeeper, when he made an almighty error during a recent game away to Sunderland. I was commentating on the game from the stadium and interviewed the manager, Daniel Farke, and the captain, Pascal Struijk, post-match.

They both offered support and collective responsibility, which was pleasing to hear. We will always make mistakes; we’re human. This is how strong teams respond – win and fail together.

Team members holding each other accountable creates a culture of reliability and high performance. It’s not about blame but supporting each other to meet commitments, especially when a teammate makes a howler.

In business, for your team, the key aspects:

• Clear responsibilities: Everyone should know who’s responsible for what

• Peer reviews: Implement systems for team members to provide feedback to each other

• Celebrate collective wins (and learn from collective setbacks): Reinforce the idea that the team succeeds or fails together

In team meetings, have members publicly commit to their tasks for the week. In the following meeting, start with a quick round of progress updates. In strong teams, no one wants to let their teammates down!

No one will feel worse than goalkeeper Ilan Meslier for his teammates at Leeds United. With the support of a strong team around him, watch him respond and play a leading part in the subsequent victory!

#Teamwork #DreamTeam #Leadership

• tonydorigo
• Blog
• October 7, 2024

Another Key to Exceptional Teamwork – Diverse Skill Sets

Another Key to Exceptional Teamwork – Diverse Skill Sets

Sport instantly makes you realise that each position on the pitch is very specialised, and even within a specific position, it can be done in different ways depending on the make-up of your team and the goals that have been set out.

Imagine a team entirely made up of goalkeepers…..no thanks! Or a team containing only wingers….. who plays in the middle or in goal? Chaos would ensue, and performance levels would be poor.

A team with diverse skills is required to approach problems and challenges from multiple angles, leading to more innovative solutions and comprehensive performance/project execution.

Key aspects:

• Complementary abilities: Look for skills that fill gaps in the team’s capabilities
• Alternative ways of thinking: Different thinking styles can lead to more robust problem-solving
• Continuous learning: Encourage team members to develop new skills

In football, recruitment is critical—who will be leaving the team and when? Has a member of the team sustained a long-term injury? What skills are we missing to make us a better team? What about the youngsters coming through? Football recruitment departments monitor, assess, and evaluate for the short, medium, and long term.

They plan, plan, plan for the most important asset a business has—its people. Does your business? Do you know where the gaps are in your team? Do you understand who the next hire should be and why? Or, like many businesses, you react when someone leaves?

Get ahead of the game and start building that Dream Team 😊

#Teamwork #Diverseskillset #Leadership #DreamTeam

• tonydorigo
• Blog
• October 4, 2024

The COVID-19 era – one of reflection and podcasts!

The era of COVID-19 was one of reflection…and many podcasts!

I enjoyed still having contact, albeit via Zoom or Teams, but I was asked many questions about my career – over and over again! How it started and ended, what I achieved and how I achieved it.

It was then that I started to reflect on my journey in a far more profound manner. Why did I achieve a certain level in my career when many others, given the same opportunity, did not? What were the differences? I’ve played in outstanding and terrible teams – what were their traits and learnings from all these experiences?

During this period, I knew I had more helpful information and experience to impart to others. Hence, my speaking career began. I’ve also been part of the business world, having developed an 84-unit resort in the Algarve, taking it from a brownfield site to completion. The lessons in sport and business align so well for the simple fact that we are all part of a team in one way or another.

I concentrate on two areas:

• The Team – understanding team dynamics and leadership
• The individual – how can I maximise my abilities and achieve my goals?

Of all the people I’ve worked with or encountered in business, one outstanding trait runs through the very best at what they do – and that is their MINDSET. Football was great at training physically and tactically but was late to the party when training the mind. My first experience was with England at the Euro 92 Championship and then at club level with Derby County in the Premier League in 1998 – but this was not the norm.

After devouring many team and leadership books, I found one that aligned with my experiences and beliefs. It’s imaginatively called “Mindset” …..by Stanford University Professor of Psychology Carol Dweck. Her concepts of a Fixed and Growth mindset are fascinating and so true. Well worth a read, but I’ll delve into this in future posts.

I’ll leave you with one of her quotes:

“You don’t know what your abilities are until you make a full commitment to developing them”

#Mindset #Teamwork #Leadership #DreamTeam