Standards Over Motivation

I’ve seen, heard, and been part of teams that reach for words when times get tough. I’ve sometimes delivered the words myself.

In reality, what they needed was action.

It often occurs when performance is poor. The team’s losing games. Someone isn’t taking care of their responsibilities. A leader isn’t sure where to turn.

In those moments, a common response is, “We just need more motivation.” “We need a kick in the ass.”

Sometimes, and I stress this carefully, sometimes, that’s the case.

The best strategy, though, isn’t a motivational speech.

In those moments, what’s really needed is something to fall back on. Something that defines the organization, the team, the person.

A system of standards.

Standards are the directions. They are the North Star. They guide the way when things go off course.

They are ways of doing things that, as a group, are important, simple, and worth leaning into when things aren’t going as planned.

Some examples of standards could be:

- Learn from every moment. Not just losing, winning too. Reflect often. - Own your results. No one else is responsible for your performance. It’s on you.

- Celebrate wins. Winning is hard; enjoy it. Simple, but hard to follow through consistently.

Why do they work over time? Because when a team is struggling, the last thing they want to hear is why they should be better or what they could be doing more of. What they need is something to do. Actions.

For example, if the three examples above are your standards, here’s how you could use them in real time.

- As a leader, think about whether we are learning from every moment. Odds are, probably not. Take some time to reflect, individually or as a team.

- Are we owning our results? When you’re losing, it’s tough. If it’s a standard, start owning them. Stop pointing fingers, accept responsibility, and figure out how to make it better.

- If winning is hard to come by, it’s even more important that we celebrate. Maybe it’s not the game, it’s a small moment in the day. Maybe it’s not closing the sale; it’s celebrating the process of trying something new to close one.

Nothing new needs to be introduced. No magic speaker. No emotional push.

Just getting back to what you and your team believe in and agreed on from the beginning.

Now, when’s the best time to develop your standards? Before the year, season, month, etc. Then, you’re not making things up on the fly and throwing stuff against the wall hoping it sticks.

Especially at a critical time for your team.

One last thing to note about standards: performance won’t suddenly change; it’ll stabilize. Once it stabilizes, then you have a chance to improve.

They’re not magic, they’re simply a way of doing things.

To tweak one of James Clear’s quotes, "You do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.”

You don’t get out of a funk by adding motivation; you come out of it through a system of standards.