Blog – Page 9 – tonydorigo.com

tonydorigo
Blog
October 28, 2024

Oprah – Shift your Mindset

How to shift your mindset

I’ve previously posted examples of a fixed and growth mindset, but HOW do we shift from a fixed mindset to a growth one?

Well, it’s the same as when I played football many years ago. You don’t become an England International overnight, it takes a lot of consistent effort, practice, learning and time!

Some things never change! We spent hours and hours on the training ground or in the gym but very little time on the mental side of the game. It was sink or swim back then, but whether in sport or business, we now understand working on one’s mindset can yield considerable gains.

Oprah Winfrey – from an impoverished background to a billionaire media mogul, her hard work and resilience aligned with her learned business acumen is a remarkable example of a growth mindset.

It’s a gradual process that starts with self-awareness and recognition. It’s essential to identify and recognise fixed mindset thoughts and behaviours. This is one area I’m working on and will always continue to work on.

Do you notice you’re avoiding challenges or feel defensive about feedback? Then challenge that fixed mindset thought, pause, and ask: Is this thought helping or hindering my growth?

Consciously reframe challenges as opportunities for learning. Especially during my football career, I focused on the process rather than only the outcome, win, lose or draw. Celebrating effort, strategies, and progress is essential – even if the ‘result’ or ‘outcome’ didn’t go your way. Don’t see this as a failure but another opportunity to learn.

Set learning goals, not just performance goals. Regularly seek out new experiences and challenges. Seek and Value Feedback. Surround yourself with growth-minded individuals. Take on challenges incrementally – a marathon is achieved one step at a time.

I discuss and work on these points and more with businesses, but one item is vital—be kind to yourself! We’re human and make mistakes, but we must keep making consistent efforts.

Lastly, a misconception—shifting to a growth mindset is not always about being positive or pretending everything is easy. It’s about believing in your capacity to learn and grow, even when things are difficult. Choose a “Growth Mindset” and be constructive, not destructive.

#growthmindset #PersonalGrowth

tonydorigo
Blog
October 23, 2024

Sir Chris Hoy’s devastating news

The recent news of Sir Chris Hoy’s cancer diagnosis, along with his wife’s aggressive MS disease revelation, would be enough to put anyone into bitterness and depression.

However, Sir Chris Hoy isn’t anyone, and I’m in awe of how he deals with life-shattering news. I often talk about a growth mindset; Chris displays a turbo-charged version in the most challenging circumstances.

Sir Chris Hoy’s approach to his diagnosis has been remarkably positive, which aligns with his championship mentality from his cycling career. He’s talked about focusing on what he can control rather than what he can’t, a vital aspect of a growth mindset and elite sport.

Some key ways he’s demonstrated looking at the positives:

Being open about his diagnosis to help raise awareness and potentially help others
Expressing gratitude for the early detection of his condition
Focusing on his treatment as a challenge to tackle, similar to how he approached cycling goals
Appreciating the support from his family, friends, and the public
Using his platform to encourage others to get checked if they have concerning symptoms
Rather than think I’ve only got 2-4 years left, be grateful for the medicines that will allow you those precious 2-4 years

It’s a powerful example of how a growth mindset can help people face serious health challenges with resilience.

The whole nation is behind Sir Chris Hoy, and I’m sure of one thing: he will make the most of the time he has left, and those around him will be the better for it: some man, some mindset.

#growthmindset #PersonalGrowth

tonydorigo
Blog
October 18, 2024

What’s your go-to strategy for team building?

Intentional team building is crucial for developing strong, cohesive, high-performing teams.

The first time I experienced intentional team building was in the build-up to Euro 92 in Sweden. The whole England squad prepared for the tournament in a training camp in the middle of nowhere in Finland. A pre-eminent sports psychologist was with us, and we spent a week or so training and engaging in various indoor and outdoor group exercises.

To start, we all underwent a psychometric test and, based on the results, were put into four different groups. As you can imagine, back in 92, with a bunch of footballers, albeit internationals, there was plenty of hilarity and larking about rather than pondering the tasks and, more importantly, the outcomes. The psychologist, prior to any of the tasks being undertaken, wrote inside a sealed envelope the results of where the four teams would finish at the end of all the tasks.

You guessed it, he got the four teams in precisely the correct order – which blew my mind! At one point, we nearly played the tournament without our centre half, Des Walker, who managed to get lost on his own during an orienteering task in the middle of a remote Finnish forest!!

However, the activities and the reasons behind the outcome were powerful.

Here are a few limited examples of some effective strategies for intentional team building:

Team Building Activities like escape rooms, sports/fitness classes, volunteering together for a good cause
Establish Team Norms and Values by collaboratively creating a Team Charter
Implement a mentoring program
Regular 360-degree feedback sessions
Invest in shared learning experiences, group training sessions and workshops

Remember, the key to successful intentional team building is consistency and follow-through. It’s not about one-off activities but rather creating a culture of continuous improvement and connection.

So, what’s your go-to strategy for team building?

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

tonydorigo
Blog
October 16, 2024

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 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

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