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Here’s the blurb from my appearance on the Full Potential Show. For the actual show, click here.
Can sports be used for more than just fun and pleasure? You bet! The same disciplines or character development, leadership and team based skills applies to almost every other domain in life.
Steve Balzac is a man of many talents. He is a consultant, speaker, and author of 36-Hour Course in Organizational Development. He is a popular speaker on such topics as leadership, team building, interviewing skills, and sports performance. In this interview, he shares the lessons he has learned from the sports he excels in – Jiu Jitsu and fencing – and how they tie-in with the honing of leadership and organizational development potential.
THE TIE IN
a) Use the other person’s force against him (as in Jiu Jitsu)
b) Meet and go with the force of the other person in order to take him to where you want him to go
c) In a difficult situation, attract the other person to where you want to take him
d) Don’t be afraid to try different techniques, even if you have to look like an idiot sometimes
e) Explore and practice the fundamentals well (as in fencing)
f) Build yourself to a point where you can stay focused for long periods of time
g) When you’re up there, you should not care whether you win or lose. If you focus on the outcome, you doubt yourself and hesitate
h) After preparing your team, give them permission to go off and achieve what they need to
i) Look at mistakes as the cornerstone of innovation and as a part of the process of evolution
j) Determine if mistakes repeatedly committed is due to a flaw in the system
k) Don’t do all your research ahead of time – it’s impossible to know everything ahead of time
l) Develop a culture where it’s acceptable of everybody to commit mistakes, including you
m) Consult with your followers to show them you’re interested in listening to their ideas
FINAL POINTERS ON LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
1) Tell your own story – what you’re trying to do and why you care about it
2) While you should have an outcome, dwelling on it during show time can actually hinder performance
3) Walk your way backwards through the steps from the outcome – this will make the first step very easy
4) Don’t be afraid to ask someone to show you the way (no team makes it to the Olympics without a coach). This will shorten your learning curve.
FINAL THOUGHTS
• “Experiment” is synonymous with mistakes and breakthroughs.
Stephen Balzac offers his 7 Steps Ahead philosophy in this blog. Whether you’re trying to hire the right people or get your team on track, this is the place for accurate, useful information. Stephen is an expert on leadership and organizational development, a consultant and professional speaker, and author of “The 36-Hour Course in Organizational Development,” published by McGraw-Hill, and a contributing author to volume one of “Ethics and Game Design: Teaching Values Through Play.” Contact Steve at steve@7stepsahead.com.
