It seems that this is a forgotten art form these days, yet it can reap such benefits from a simple thank you and public recognition for a job well done.
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This step isn’t simply a throw away activity as we can all pick up when people are blowing smoke up their butts, but a proper thank you reaps such major benefits both short term and long term.
Back when I was working as a cellar-man in my younger days, there were times when I felt like a piece of shit. I would get bossed around by a couple of the managers, get abusive phone calls by staff when they had run out of drinks, even though I had 4 or 5 other bars to look after, and they didn’t give me the heads up they were selling a specific product quickly. Don’t get me wrong, there were perks to the job, and I did have a lot of fun while doing it, but there were days and nights when it was the most thankless job around.
It seemed to be when I was getting low, people would pick up that I was frustrated and kicking myself while I was down, the nice ones would say a honest thank you, or the manager or boss would pull me aside and give me a compliment and tell me they could see the amount of work I was putting in and it wasn’t going unnoticed. It was little moments like these that would really pep me up and give me the energy to finish the night off strong, and come back for it all again the next night.
It is this philosophy that I took from my early career, and my sporting life that has translated into a program that has helped lower performing teams hit their stride, and rise above what they thought they could achieve.
There is no need to save a clap for just once you have won something, but it can be used for an achievement during an activity, or for someone going above and beyond. When I was playing football we wouldn’t just save the celebration for after the game, but we would use it at training, before the game, during the game and after the game - win, lose or draw.
It was the same when I was fighting. With MMA or cage fighting it is much more involved than just an individual sport. In fact I had 3 coaches, dozens of sparring partners, and my family at home that would help me with my food choices and staying grounded.
In order for a team like this to stay together we would celebrate often. We would celebrate a great session, or if things we have been working on it training comes off in full contact sparring. It wasn’t just just celebrating my work as a fighter, but the work of all my partners, coaches and family. Because if one element was missing I wouldn’t have had the preparation I needed to be in the right place physically, mentally and emotionally.
So we would celebrate as a team - win, lose or draw because this way we would get closer and know that we can count on each other when the chips are down or our backs are against the wall. Even to this day I am still very close to the members of the fight team, and if one of them needed my help I would help them out, as I know they would for me.