Calling all sports fans! You’ll love today’s episode with Sean Murray, founder of RealTime Performance, a leadership training and organization development firm and author of recently published book, If Gold is Our Destiny: How a Team of Mavericks Came Together for Olympic Glory. The book recounts the story of the U.S. men’s national volleyball team, a group of individually focused (#euphemism) players who lacked mutual respect, trust, and resilience. Despite immense individual talents, they failed to perform well as a team. To drive trust, Coach Doug Beal had the team embark on what he called a “Shared Significant Life Experience,” which was an intense three-week Outward Bound hike across 100 miles in the Canyonlands and Abajo Mountains in Utah. The team would climb 11,000-foot peaks and carry 70-pound packs. They were less than thrilled as you might imagine. Think Miracle on Ice but volleyball instead of hockey. Needless to say, the experience did the job, and they went on to win the 1984 Olympics and become one of the greatest indoor volleyball teams of all time. We have a powerful discussion on the many leadership lessons from this team that carry over to the work environment. Sean is also the host of The Good Life podcast, where he interviews authors and business professionals on leadership and how to get the most out of life.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS