Foster Performance by Fostering Community

The other day I went out to do some wind sprints in preparation for my Aussie Rules Football team’s upcoming finals. I hate wind sprints, and normally I would never do them. So what is it that drives me to inflict this pain willingly upon myself in my spare time?

When we play as a team on the field, everyone relies on one another. We take hits for each other, get bloodied up, injured, bruised, and broken for the sake of the team. We encourage each other through opposition, which is especially important when we are being beaten by the other team, and this teamwork fosters a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. In essence, it’s a community.

So why is it that I put myself through more pain even when I’m off the field? It’s the very basic human need to belong to community. I want to be a part of the team, so I go above and beyond in my spare time to be a better performer during game time. Others rely on me.

The same concepts apply to any group of individuals, be it a workplace or a family. At work, once you feel like you are part of the team, you begin to associate yourself with the corporate community. This will naturally lead you to work longer hours, do extra homework, etc. to ensure the success of ‘your’ company. If you have ever felt like quitting a job, you can almost pin point that moment of disassociation in your mind where you no longer care about your contribution, since you are no longer part of the company, even before you leave. The rest of the time there is spent doing ‘just enough’, and it feels like a chore.

As managers, parents, teammates, or spouses, we can all do our part to increase the performance of our respective communities, whatever they are. The idea is to make people feel like they belong, by actually making them belong. It’s in our hardwiring to want to be part of something bigger.

Advertisement