THE WARRIOR WAY

 Here is #5 of the new normal. 

5. COMPASSIONATE WARRIORS: Here is the fifth element of the new normal. As you get more familiar with the win the day cultural tenets, and the undergirding philosophy and foundation of my WAY OF CHAMPIONS brand, I can tell you that they have their roots in the ancient Tibet legendary kingdom of Shambhala, located high in the Himalayas. It was a culture of enlightened warriors, valiant fighters of indomitable spirit. They were considered fearless, tenacious athletes of iron will. They were armed with weapons of the heart such as courage, integrity and fortitude. (If not already, this will begin to sound familiar as you read on.) They perceived loss, obstacles and failure as opportunities to learn, grow and become more aware. These warriors sacrificed for others, worked hard when no one was looking, remained accountable and did not need to win to be successful. Opponents were partners. You became comfortable with being uncomfortable. You enjoyed the journey, willing to suffer, sacrifice and even fail if that’s what it would take.

So, as you might imagine, Warriorship is a rigorous spiritual training that awakens all who take the journey to higher levels of personal performance. It relies on this ancient tradition while providing a valuable modern application of such training for athletics, fitness, and present-day life. In the words of the Chinese sage Lao Tzu, “Keep the ancient, flow with the present.” You need to know this: the Warrior Way is a never-ending journey; mastering it simply means staying on track. My book WIN THE DAY is meant to help you to do just that, to keep you on this path, to continually win the day.

THREE ESSENTIAL TALENTS OF ALL CHAMPIONS

 

Here is the Fourth new normal concept from my book WIN THE DAY.

4) THREE TALENTS: If you are creating a win the day culture, you and your athletes must agree that there are three talents in our system. The first one is obvious and most teams you play will have this. It’s called PHYSICAL TALENT. You can work with athletes on improving this talent yet for the most part, maturation and time helps to develop this if you’re a good teacher. The second talent is MENTAL TALENT or mentality. Not every team is mentally talented but more and more, to train this aspect of performance, we see sports psychologists being hired on all levels of performance up to and including the pros. You even see this with kids as young as five or six in sports like gymnastics, tennis and golf. There’s so much room for development with this talent and it’s growing rapidly. The third talent is one I call SPIRITUAL TALENT. Very few teams are working on this aspect of performance and perhaps it is one of the most important pieces in championship cultures that I help to develop. Few people know how to strengthen this talent. My brand, WAY OF CHAMPIONS, specializes in this crucial aspect of championship performance. By Spiritual Talent, I’m not talking about religion. It relates to the specific “heart” directed character traits such as courage, commitment, patience, perseverance, tenacity, fearlessness, accountability, integrity, vulnerability and resilience, to name a few. The good news is these can be learned and therefore, taught. And this is what this book WIN THE DAY is all about. You’ll find all of these and more in Parts III and IV. As you peruse this book (WIN THE DAY), you will discover many more ways that I create outside the box, unconventional, new normal sports cultures.

INSTANT POSITIVE RESPONSE

 Here is #3 in my list of the New Normal for championship teams. It is practical, and easy to implement.

3. INSTANT POSITIVE RESPONSE – IPR: Once again, in traditional cultures, the athletes’ response to a mistake, a miscue or error is to drop the head and shoulders, feeling sorry for themselves and embarrassed because they believe they let the team down. During the time it takes to grieve the error, the opponent scores in offensive transition or establishes an advantageous position on the field. As a result, two mistakes are made at the same time: the original error, plus the mistake of not responding properly. Because of the frequency of such an occurrence, I developed the concept of IPR, instant positive response My teams practice this new normal daily and when an error occurs, they communicate loudly on the field “IPR, IPR” to get that athlete who committed the mistake back into the hurried flow of the next play. Being mindful of this idea actually helps to commit fewer errors. But as we know, there are two types of athletes – those who make mistakes...and those who will.

   
   

HEART FROM THE START

 Here is # 2 for The New Normal in WIN THE DAY

2. HEART FROM THE START: Here is a new normal idea that I know you’ll want to implement immediately. It is called “Heart from the Start.” It’s a simple concept based in mindfulness. How many times have you experienced your team, in practice or a game, come to the field and have a sluggish start? They sit back and wait to see what develops so they can go with the flow. Before they realize it, they have fallen behind and struggle to get back into the event. Admittedly, there are certain times when it might be a good strategy to go with the flow, but I believe that most of you reading this are thinking, “I want us to BE THE FLOW. If that is your goal, then your culture can establish your new normal called “Heart from the Start.” Being mindful of this phrase and attaching a specific action plan that describes what this looks like, what it means specifically to begin the game in this way, you can practice it daily and when the time comes, the execution is a precise replication of that action plan. The phrase “Heart from the Start” becomes the affirmation mantra that will “jump start” our competitive juices as you compete with your hair on fire. Remember, for this to work well, you must identify specific behaviors

or actions you wish to execute and practice that on a regular basis. Coming out on fire in the first five minutes of a game sends a convincing message to opponents that your mean business.

INVESTMENT SEASON

 Here is the first of several New Normals for you to implement.

1. INVESTMENT SEASON: Most athletic teams in the sports world have what they call an “off season”...that’s normal. My teams, and now yours, do not have such a season. In the spirit of Native American Tradition, we have as our new normal, the family “investment season,” based on a selfless, giving mode. Working together for something bigger than any one of us. Here’s how I implement this season with my teams. Let’s use lacrosse as an

th
example. When “Fall Ball” is over around November 15 , the athletes

typically have approximately two months “off” during the holidays and when they return, have lost the big edge they built up with hard work all Fall.

What I do for my athletes is invite them to INVEST in their team so that they can collect dividends down the road. I appeal to them through one of our core values (Selflessness – see Part IV) by asking them to find ways to give, through work, to their teams. Here is how it unfolds:

1. How do you specifically want to be physically and mentally when we begin our season in 2 months?

2. What specifically do you need to do to make that happen? Their list can include items like go to the gym, practice stick skills, play wall ball, do cardio workouts.

3. Then I say, from your long list, choose 4 items that you’d be willing to commit to so you raise your level, come back fit and do this as a way to GIVE to your team, one truly fit teammate, in shape, ready to charge on the first day back. Do this as a way to demonstrate the value of Selflessness. Tell them how this is The Investment Season, our new normal.

4. Encourage them to form convenient small groups to keep each other motivated and focused. They can do group texts to keep checking progress.

THE NEW NORMAL

 We purposely move outside our comfort zone, we think outside the box into areas that are unknown and frightening, and this has become our new normal.

Coach Bob Hansen, Middlebury College Men’s Tennis National Champions

I love this quote. Much of what I do is outside of the box and my comfort zone, which I like. That’s what my brand WAY OF CHAMPIONS is all about. So you can see from the book you’re holding that most of my work is unconventional; I’m not your typical sports psychologist. In fact only 15% of my work could be called sports psychology. I’m not as interested in fixing problems as much as I am in creating new normals: progressive cultures based on the 115 championship cultures I’ve helped tobuild throughout a long, fun-filled career. I’m interested in profound change – more of the emotional spiritual type. I weave a quilt of various cultures from Taoist, Buddhist and Native American cultures together with Western psychology in order to win the day. I am regarded nation-wide as a sports psycho-philosophical coach, using psychology, philosophy and spirituality to construct championship teams in athletics and life. The next several posts will give you individual specific "new normals" to IMPLEMENT with your team and culture. These gems really work well. Read about all of this in my book WIN THE DAY.

WIN THE DAY or WIN THE GAME

 Here is the foundational building block for all my champion teams who value COMPETITIVENESS as a team value. It works so well. This is taken from my book, WIN THE DAY.

"Through our conversation, emails and texts, Jerry Lynch helped me to pass on his Win the Day philosophy to our Warrior culture to achieve success. I believe a team culture has to be connective, caring and authentic and Win the Day. In his book, he’ll help you to implement its guiding principles". 

Coach Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors

The ancient Chinese book of strategy, THE ART OF WAR by Sun-Tzu, teaches us that the war is won before the battle begins. In other words, for sports, it’s all about preparation, doing all the controllable little things that position us for ultimate victory. It is in reading this 2,000 year-old tome that the win the day approach was first conceived of by me.

When a team shows up to win the game, their focus is on outcomes and results, something they cannot control. In turn, this could cause them to become tight, tense, tentative, nervous, fearful and stressed. When such feelings occur, confidence declines and self-doubt rises. Losing confidence positions you to compete at levels lower than what’s possible resulting in a lackluster performance.

Conversely, when a team shows up to win the day, they focus on all the little things that they can control. For example, a basketball team would concentrate on boxing out, crashing the boards, sprinting the lanes, diving for the 50/50 ball and playing “in your face” defense. What are the little things in your sports? Ask your athletes to create a list and when appropriate, do it by position. When you execute your controllables, you become calm, relaxed and poised. As a result, confidence climbs as self-doubt wanes. Even the pros like the Golden State Warriors forget about their culture norm of winning the day and must be reminded by coach Kerr to show up to simply compete and let the outcome take care of itself. This happened during their 2015 championship run when they were down to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals 2 games to 1. The distracting media talked about the fourth “must win” game. Steve reminded his guys to play Warrior ball, focusing on all the controllable little things and compete in this way. They won big that night on the road to the NBA title, their first of 3 in 4 years. They accomplished this by winning the day.

I used the concept of win the day recently on a visit with one of my teams, men’s tennis at Middlebury College. To give a little history, they had

played for the national championship the year before and lost in the finals. The team came back determined to win it this past season. I listened, observed and noticed how stressed they seemed and they hadn’t even begun their season, four months away from the tournament. They wanted to talk about winning it all and I suggested that they let that thought go and focus on what’s important now? (WIN). I mentioned that when they focus on outcome and results, it’s something they can’t control and it can make them tight and tense...no way to play tennis. In its place, I recommended that they focus simply on the important process of being connected with their values and friends and thereby win the day: doing their mental and physical routines, working hard at a consistent high level, one ball at a time, demonstrating positive body language, supporting each other, being selfless and fearless, demonstrating courage, patience and perseverance, getting proper rest, eating well and doing all of this each day. They adapted the concept, placed the mantra “win the day” on the back of a shirt and rode this focus to winning the national championship.

Their head coach, Bob Hansen, talks about it this way: “Win the Day is a concept that has helped me crystallize what I’ve been trying to do for years. The guys could get their heads and hearts around this idea and focus on what’s most important in the moment. Now, every single practice is a Win the Day event.”

Cindy Timchal, coach of a national championship team in women’s lacrosse, continues to ride my win the day mantra to victory at NAVY. “We shout it out all the time. It helps us to play free, confident and release ourselves from competing. It diminishes the fear because we can believe that winning the day is within our power.”

This win the day concept does not guarantee victory on the scoreboard but it does assure that you’ll give your all and get the most out of yourself. It helps a team to connect. It is manageable, measurable, and controllable.

MARATHON MONKS OF MT HIEI

 My next book, THE COMPETITIVE BUDDHA, will be out in the Spring. To demonstrate the impact of Buddhism on athletics, I use several stories like this one about the Marathon Monks. 

In his classic book, THE ZEN OF RUNNING, Fred Rohe addresses beautifully the athlete’s spiritual path to enlightenment and mastery. He observes how there are no possible victories aside from the joy you experience while dancing your run. These words perfectly describe the “MARATHON MONKS OF MOUNT HIEI,” the title of John Stevens' famous book. These monks are not hoping to run fast or win a race. They simply hope for spiritual growth as they become one with the sacred Buddhist mountain, dancing effortlessly along the path, free of obstruction in concert with the Buddha Sports way. The joy of this experience is felt in the effortless effort totally focused on the running dance.

These explorers of “inner space,” are called gyojas. A gyoja is a Buddha spiritual athlete who moves along the path as he circles the mountain in search of awareness. The Buddha helps them run; running helps them to awaken; thus the competitive Buddha journey.

Legend has it that these monks run, in straw sandals, 1,000 marathons (26.2 miles) in 1,000 days in their quest to reach enlightenment. At the completion of this journey, the monks spend nine days without food, water or sleep. Those who succeed become revered as human Buddhas or living saints.

So, what does all this mean to you and me? Well, in Japan, sport is often seen as a path towards self-fulfillment. Sport is simple and pure; it has a power to clear the mind and fill the soul that few other activities possess. As a competitive runner back in the day, I had many transformational moments where it felt like I was meeting my maker. Buddhist thought helped me to get a better grasp on life and its challenges. It also helped me to be a better athlete. The physical activity helped me to break through emotional blockages as my body began to feel light, fluid, flowing, strong and at one with the earth beneath my feet. I am always in search of that sacred place, to find it once more and bathe in its beauty. I think I’ll don my running shoes and head to the trail for another spiritual athletic experience.

THE POWER OF INFLUENCE

 Here is another excerpt from my book, WIN THE DAY. We can have a say in all outcomes

when we stay AWARE of the Power of our Influence. Here we go...

The greatness of a man is not how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.

Bob Marley

Perhaps the most challenging task of any coach is how to influence those they lead in a positive, forward moving manner. It is simple yet not easy; your influence can create or it can destroy; it can light a fire in an athlete’s belly or it can douse the flames. Understand this: your influence is powerful yet never neutral. I am always aware of this when I compete, speak, teach, mentor, parent, or coach. My body language, my tone, my expressions, my gestures, my words all have an impact on how things transpire. So does my behavior. One of my favorite things to do when I meet a team is to run up a hull together. By so doing, I demonstrate my willingness to experience what they do in training. I am leading by example using powerful influence I knowingly have. Ancient generals were considered influential because they were willing to experience the same heat, cold, toil, hunger, thirst and danger as their soldiers and were respected and admired because of this influential behavior.

When I enter a room full of coaches and athletes, I walk with a bounce, stand straight, keep my head up, look others in the eye and smile. The message I’m sending is “things are under control, all is fine, it’s all ok.” As a coach, the more often you become aware of the power of your influence, the more you have a say in the outcome, the direction athletes will go, what they do, and how they feel. It is that simple. When I am coaching one of my teams I usually begin the sessions by inviting the athletes to“huddle up” close, forming a tight series of concentric circles (assuming there are 25 or so athletes on the team) around me. This communicates togetherness, kindness, oneness, connectedness, and, most importantly, a sense of goodness. Then I say the following: “I love being here; I love being with you. There’s not another place I’d rather be or another group of athletes I’d rather be with in this moment than with you.” This spoken truth is visibly felt deeply by the entire group. They truly believe I care and I do. I often will touch a shoulder and establish good eye contact with one person. Being aware of this power to influence others is to win the day. The athletes love it. We then go back to where we were, sitting, standing, milling around and I

have their full, undivided, respectful attention. By doing this, I set a positive, heart-directed caring tone for all the good work we will then do together.

THIS ZEN BUDDHIST STUFF REALLY WORKS

 The other day I introduced you to THE COMPETITIVE BUDDHA, my next book that

will be published by Mango Publishing in the Spring. Here is another excerpt that will catch your interest.

It was during the Finals of the 1998 NBA playoffs when Michael Jordan, calm, relaxed and focused in the moment, hit “the shot’ with seconds left on the game clock to win the World Championship for the Chicago Bulls. Recounting that moment, George Mumford, author of the brilliant book, THE MINDFUL ATHLETE, remembers Jordan’s words: “that Zen Buddhist stuff really works.” Mumford, the master of mindfulness training with the Bulls, had used Buddhist teachings with sport to help the athletes unlock the competitive game. Michael received, perhaps, one of his most endearing, charming compliments from his arch rival, Kobe Bryant, who chided Michael as “Buddha at the top of the mountain.” As most of us know, having been coached by Phil “Zen Master” Jackson along with Mumford, Kobe embraced the Buddha through consistent daily meditation practice. So have thousands of other athletes from throughout the world who have experienced the competitive Buddha Way for the mastery of sport.

For example, here are a few of those superhuman athletes who have gravitated to the teachings of the Buddha to achieve mastery and competitive acumen in their sport. Understand first, that Buddhism is all about the mind and the thoughts and perceptions it manufactures. It is the mind that separates the good from the great athletes. It is the mental and spiritual talents that make the difference for all of us, regardless of one’s physical talent. The following athletes combine their sports with Buddhist mindful meditation to help create inner calm and peace to focus on extraordinary competitive performance. These athletes I refer to as true athletic Buddhas.

There is Lebron James who uses meditation to prepare well and has been known to quiet his mind during timeouts with “Buddha breathing.”

Then there is Derek Jeter, one of the greatest shortstops ever to play baseball. As a New York Yankee, he would meditate for an hour at a time.

Another iconic baseball athlete, LA Dodgers right fielder Shawn Green studied Zen Buddhism which, according to him, made him a better person and better athlete. His Buddhist approach helped him to have one of the greatest performances in major league baseball history. The LA Dodgers were facing the Milwaukee Brewers in the finale of a three-game series. Green went 6-for-6 that day with 6 runs, 7 RBI’s and a record 19 total bases.

Olympians Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh, two of the best volleyball athletes of all time on a team, practiced yoga and considered meditation as their secret weapon.

The all-time leading scorer in Major League Soccer, Chris Wondolowski of the San Jose Earthquakes, is aligned with the Buddha Way. Having intimately worked with Chris, we have had many conversations about a Buddhist approach to his game and how specifically to implement such wisdom on the pitch as a team captain during practice and in games. This work we did together had a

transformational effect on his experience as an athlete, captain and person becoming what he hoped to be.

The late, great iconic NBA baller, Kobe Bryant, learned from Phil Jackson and George Mumford how to use meditation prior to a game. Kobe has said, “George helped me to understand the art of mindfulness. To be neither distracted or focused, rigid or flexible, passive or aggressive...I learned to just be.”

I learned that he continued to meditate in his retirement each morning. I understood that Kobe read my book, THE WAY OF THE CHAMPION and claimed he used it and how it really helped him. This book is solidly based on Eastern thought, gathered from both Chinese and Buddhist wisdom.

When the Seattle Seahawks won the 2014 Super Bowl, coach Pete Carroll claimed that it was the practice of meditation that helped them on that remarkable journey.

And, I want to mention from my experience with athletics over the past 30 years alone that this Buddhist stuff does really work. As a coach, mentor and teacher, I have guided over 100 teams to world, national, state and conference championships in a multitude of sports at all levels of play. I’ve successfully employed this refreshing approach to help others to develop confidence, mental tenacity, spiritual strength, inspiration and mastery for competitive athletics and the navigation of challenges in all of life.

SACRED CIRCLE

 Here is the secret symbol and signal of where my work begins when help build and sustain a sports culture...The Sacred Circle.

In the circle of life, we are all connected. It’s designed to create unity. We are all equal in the circle. We are all one, related. The power of the world always works in circles.”
Oglala Lakota Nation

Every one of my 115 championship cultures win the day by connecting in a circle. This gesture aligns them with our core values, our mission, our goals and our “WHY”...why we come together and play the game. It is a signal for everyone to connect and announces that we are ready to begin our work. It’s a signal to remind us that we are here for each other to win the day and begin the work we promised to complete.

The circle has been used also as a sacred symbol for thousands of years by various ancient cultures such as Celtic, Taoist, Buddhist and Native American tradition. For the American Indian, the circle is the symbol of Mother Earth in complete balance with no beginning and no end. They have referred to it as the “Sacred Hoop.” Chief Black Elk, Lakota warrior and visionary, reminds us how all the power of the world forms the shape of a circle. The Lakota nation gathered in circular formations because the circle was a symbol of connection and harmony in the universe.

I believe that this sacred symbol is perhaps more relevant and profound today than ever. For my work, it is emblematic of the connection, caring and core values of the cultures I help create with athletic teams. All of my teams use the CIRCLE as a reference point and reminder of who we are, what we do and most importantly why we do it. The significance of the circle is particularly germane to sports when you think about it. All balls are round; a home run is referred to as a round tripper – you round the bases; you play a round of golf placing the ball in a round circular hole; basketball is often called a game of hoops or round ball; you circle the bases in baseball; the circle appears in center court and on the midfield line; defenses and offenses mimic circular patterns. The examples are extensive.

I introduce my teams from the very beginning to the power of the circle and ask them to conduct their practices and games from that sacred space and go outward from there. When we assemble in the circle for the first time, I quickly remind them of its significance for our culture, what I want them to take from it and apply to our team’s journey. Here is what I

talk about with them and I encourage you to do the same when introducing this cultural iconic symbol to your team. Get the team into a closed circle and say:

•   As we stand in this circle notice how we stand together, side by side, unified as one, connected and cohesive.

•   Notice that the circle represents the universal, divine mystical journey with no ending.

•   The center of the circle is an empty space. Let it be a reminder of how we keep our minds empty, full of potential, ready to fill it with all that we need to know as we go forward open and receptive to new possibilities. In Japanese, this “negative space” is called Ma, reminding us to step back and see with a whole perspective. It is the concept of less is more.

•   The shape of the circle is the letter “O” which stands for our ONENESS of heart, oneness of soul, one mission, one goal. Feel connected with our hearts.

•   The shape allows us to see each other, eye to eye, the eyes being the windows to the soul, communicating non-verbally our readiness to serve one another and go to battle for something bigger than each other.

•   Notice how we are all equal...no one in front of you, no one in back, no one above you, no one below. We are equal yet diverse, whole and inclusive, connected and strong.

•   We are a protected boundary, not to be penetrated by the opponent or unwelcomed.

•   With your eyes closed, feel the energy and strength of our group. Remember your promises, to out and Win the Day.

  At first, you may have to read this to the group until memorized. Either way the power of the circle is felt by all. Every time the team enters the circle – before the start of practice, prior to a game, team locker room meetings, bonding and team building exercises, the athletes can feel such power. I always use the circle as the starting point of any team activity which signals...we are ready to begin.

REDISCOVERING OUR North Star

 Here is an excerpt for a recent book of mine called WIN THE DAY. It will give you a sense about

the content in case you wish to take the next step reading it. 

Rediscovering our North Star

My purpose in writing this book is to make a difference in the lives of coaches and athletes, to change the status quo of sports cultures and to offer an ethical, spiritual and emotional compass that can inspire, empower and guide others to believe that their lives can be something other than ordinary. It is a book about caring, core values and connection, of competing and coaching with love in athletics and life. As a philosophical base, I lean on the wisdom, teachings and values of a variety of cultures such as ancient Chinese and Buddhist thought, Native American tradition and Western psychology. For example, Taoist warriors understood that the power of their honorable core values (included in this book) was greater than the power of arms. This is what the Chinese call Wu Shi, or the Warrior spirit, which is about being totally alive to experience your potential for peak capacity using values they considered weapons of the heart. These core values - connection and caring are our non-negotiables. They are our North Star. According to President Barack Obama, “There are gonna be a set of core values that shouldn’t be up for debate. They should be our North Star.” Much in agreement with Obama is CEO of Apple Tim Cook: “Your core values matter. They are your North Star.”

Being a champion is more than simply winning on the scoreboard; it is about winning the bigger, deeper more meaningful lessons of life through the experience of athletics. Basically, coaches and athletes champion what I call a “win the day” attitude by executing the important little things they can control now. It is an attitude that asks and answers the question: what’s important now? Greg Mckeown, in his book, Essentialism, talks about how

WIN is an acronym that stands for “what’s important now?” – the “in the present” experience of the play at hand, rather than obsessing over future results or outcomes. You WIN by staying focused on how you’re competing now and thinking about your game plan, not the opponent’s, and concentrating on what I call the essential absolutes, all those items you can control...your North Star.

WIN THE DAY lays out the essential core values of championship sports cultures. This book is a way to care, connect and help unite others, embrace diversity, have each other’s backs, be selfless and work together for a common cause greater than any ideology or any one individual. It is a book to help build, cultivate and sustain a culture of champions who “win the day” by practicing specific core values that we all crave. It is about rediscovering our North Star or conscious compass in a chaotic world and infusing those values into our nervous systems in order to experience extraordinary performance and a sense of equanimity with right action and a more mindful way of competing and living. “Win the Day” means that coaches and athletes control what they can and let go of outcomes and results. It means to never give up regardless of the score, never be fearful of losing because it’s our greatest teacher, and never let your opponent defeat your spirit, your commitment to winning the day. It is about physical, emotional, spiritual and mental preparation and doing the little important things brilliantly in the present moment rather than the big things marginally in the future. It’s all about “what’s important now” (WIN) in order to win the day.

I combine the body of work I have created with 115 championship cultures in the hope of changing the world of sports as we know it, while inspiring more joy, happiness, fulfillment and success to anyone ready for a change in the status quo. I will make available to the reader practical, easy to implement tools, strategies, exercises and activities that I have successfully used with coaches and athletes in championship cultures for a more caring and connected environment.

For example, to implement the value of selflessness, I tell a story about a professional athlete who gave up his starting role because it was in the best interest of his team. Then I offer this exercise for all athletes to use: Every Monday, group text your team telling them what specifically you will do that will demonstrate a “giving attitude,” a selfless act of kindness. In this way, they take ownership and accept responsibility with a willingness to be held accountable. We discuss this together and make sure all are on the same page in order to win the day.