When no one is watching ...
The true quality of a person can be measured by his or her behavior in these two situations: under extreme stress and when no one is looking.
In the first case, (to put it simply), our cerebellum takes control, and in the second case we have to "prove ourselves to no one." The problem: a strong and positive character only works in the presence of consistency. This means that you cannot be an outstanding person when you are in the limelight and an average person when you are stressed or alone.
Your character is constant and is only reinforced by situations. Why is this important? Well, if you want to achieve more (whatever that means for you), you need to consistently want it (and not just from time to time). And you also have to want it even when nobody is watching.
This is exactly why so many teams and people remain to be mediocre and often even frustrated and stagnate.
Here are three ideas on how you can change that for yourself and your team:
- Your identity. Define your expectations for yourself. What standards do you have? I had already explained this elsewhere, so this is just the tip that it helps to describe yourself in three words.
- Your discipline. Make sure that you live and behave according to these standards at all times (even if no one is looking). There are different techniques you can do for this. It is essential that you notice and correct deviations immediately.
- Your progress. Evaluate yourself daily according to your criteria. How good were you? If you don't even manage to hold a mirror up to yourself, who else do you expect this from?
These three steps can also be carried out very well with your team. It also helps if you engage someone from outside for orchestration.