Giants Win! – The Power of Teamwork

Tags

collaboration, giants, goals, leadership, san francisco, team dynamics, team work

Giants Fan

Wow! What do I do with my time now?  The San Francisco Giants did the unthinkable.  Nobody thought they would win the NDLS yet the World Series.  But they pulled it off and stunned the US.  A friend of mine told me last night that the World Series had the lowest television viewing in 30 years.  Why?  Because the underdog took it?  I have a theory why the Giants were able to persevere and do the “unthinkable”.  The power of teamwork.  When Pablo had a slump at mid season, late season, and post season, somebody stepped it up.  When Torres was out for his appendectomy, Rowand stepped up.  Even though Rowand is the second highest paid Giant, he sat out and let his “hot” teammates do the work.  When Cody Ross (Sorry Doc) got cold, Renteria stepped it up and earned himself MVP.

The underacknowledged component of the Giants team is the coaching and Medical Staff.  These people all get world series rings too… and are well deserved.  The Team MD (Dr. Ken Akizuki) helped keep Uribe in the game with a torn biceps.  The head coach Bruce Boche is responsible for putting together an amazing mid-season roster (Cody Ross, Pat Burrell, and bringing up Buster Posey / Madison Baumgartner).  These pick ups were not sole ideas of Manager Boche.  The ideas were contributed by all coaching staff and even players.  Talk about teamwork.

The following are characteristics of teams according to Larson and LaFasto in their book titled Teamwork: What Must Go Right/What Can Go Wrong.

1. The team must have a clear goal. – Obviously this was to win the World Series.  Some may say that it was also to beat the Padres.
2. The team must have a results-driven structure. – Boche’s ideas on coaching and not being afraid to bench high paying players.
3. The team must have competent team members. The Giants had veteran players Huff, Renteria, Torres, and  Huff who were hungry enough to win combined with new talent Posey and Baumgartner who are destined to make history.  In the education setting this can be take to mean that the problem given to the team should be one that the members can tackle given their level of knowledge.
4. The team must have unified commitment. Despite the obvious variances of backgrounds (southern boys and latino boys all living in liberal San Francisco) the team had a commitment.  This doesn’t mean that team members must agree on everything. It means that all individuals must be directing their efforts towards the goal. If an individual’s efforts is going purely towards personal goals, then the team will confront this and resolve the problem.
5. The team must have a collaborative climate. It is a climate of trust produced by honest, open, consistent and respectful behavior. With this climate teams perform well…without it, they fail.  With Aubrey Huff’s rally thong and locker room leadership, the team was destined to victory despite any mild slumps he had during the final 2 months of the season.  Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson’s unique qualities combined with the team cultural differences melded into a climate of acceptance through team members slumps.
6. The team must have high standards that are understood by all. Team members must know what is expected of them individually and collectively.  Rowand and Zito (the two highest paying salaries on the Giants) sat the bench when push came to shove because that is what was going to get them the World Series title.
7. The team must receive external support and encouragement. Encouragement and praise works just as well in motivating teams as it does with individuals.  Giants fans!
8. The team must have principled leadership. Teams usually need someone to lead the effort. Team members must know that the team leader has the position because they have good leadership skills and are working for the good of the team. Huff and Posey definitely stepped it up to lead the team and keep them positive.  Manager Boche maintained a good relationship with the team despite making some hard decisions to bench some players when needed.  The team members will be less supportive if they feel that the team leader is putting him/herself above the team, achieving personal recognition or otherwise benefiting from the position.  This is obviously not the case with the Giants.
   

   Huff and Burrell - team mates

So, how does this apply to life?  In my life, it applies tremendously with work.  If the Physical Therapist does not communicate with the patient, doctor, front desk, personal trainer, performance specialist, then the drive to success to achieve goals is a waste of time.  We must have a clear goal, working relationship, external support, experience, and leadership in order to help someone recover from an injury and return to desired activities (sports).  The one thing that was not mentioned in Larson and LaFastos list is FUN.  The team must have fun.  I believe that is if you do not know your team well enough to be Facebook friends or chat about personal life without apprehensiveness, you will be less successful.  After all, exercise and sport was meant to be fun.  This is one of the reasons why I entered Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine as a profession.

Aubrey Huff’s locker room antics carried the Giants through the late season.  The rally thong made light of the pressure of succeeding in the late season.  Sure there were probably a lot of jokes about Huff’s rally thong, but it worked.  And the hideous “Fear the Beard” of Brian Wilson and Sergio Romo showed that the team did not care about appearance.  The common goal and superstitions increased their team dynamics and confidence to kill the opponent pitching staff throughout the late season.

When I look back and remember the GREAT teams I was part of, it all makes sense.  I remember the 92-96 Mitchell, SD  Kernels. We were volleyball and basketball champs multiple years in a row in each sport.  Why?  Because we are ongoing team mates…the majority of the varsity basketball players were also on the volleyball team.  We also had a legacy to perform well.  Coach Gary Munsen had a history of wins.   With years of state championship wins, a town of fans behind you, a lot of talent, and most importantly teamwork, we were destined to win.  Again the underacknowledged contribution to these wins was the athletic training department – they kept us injury free and were huge component to the locker room antics leading us to success.

So, why do we not succeed in our lives now?  We don’t have the passion, drive, and teamwork that many people have in athletics.  This should be obvious in corporate and clinical settings.  Have more fun, foster teamwork, and you will see results.  Is your practitioner hoarding you?  This might be a sign that he/she is not a team player.  If they want what is best for you, they will refer you to the person that will help you most.  Does your employer foster teamwork outside of workplace settings?  This might be the missing link in your happiness in your profession.  Be the “Giant” today and initiate the team dynamics.  Start by wearing the red rally thong.

References:

http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Teamwork.htm

Social media affect on our bodies and social connect

Tags

addiction, exercise, Facebook, google reader, hootsuite, igoogle, marketing, RSS, smart phones, social media, Twitter, wellness

On a road trip recently when I stopped at for a bite at In and Out Burger (of all places) and observed something very frightening.  A family of 3 – mother and two teenagers sitting at a table after finishing their meal.  All three were typing on their Blackberries with their head slouched down and silence between them.  Because I found this so disturbing, I sat and analyzed them for 10 minutes.  The whole time the family did not exchange one word or display any eye contact.  I didn’t feel bad staring because I knew they would not notice my glare.  As they stood up, the mother and the daughter were still on their phones – one with a pink case and the other with a yellow case.  They walked away from the table leaving the son to carry all the trash.  The girls were STILL  on their phones as the boy struggled to the garbage can.  As they walked out, not one word was exchanged.  Smart phones addicting? – YES.

From Design Freebies

It has been argued on Blogs, Twitter, Facebook… for a while that people are becoming addicted to social media (SM).  Well, I believe it can happen if not controlled properly.  Some argue that only 12% of the population that have addictive personality are at risk for becoming overly attached.  Does that mean he other 88% won’t waste their precious daily hours on Facebook?  It is a way of life – Facebook keeps us connected to people we never imagined reconnecting with.  Twitter allows us to distribute information to mass audiences, free.  For people attempting to create a brand, these are a perfect marketing tactics.  Yelp helps us find the best sushi restaurants in the neighborhood at the same time build a  network of “friends” to yelp with.  SM has changed our lives forever.  Convenience and optimizing our social media consumption is made easier by using our smart phones.  Sync your LinkedIn friends to your contacts, organize your friends on Facebook, or “like” your favorite groups / businesses while walking the dog, riding the bus or DRIVING…

This time spent optimizing our experience can distract us from producing “art,”or developing tangible business.  Even worse, it can distract us from physical activity or social outings face to face with our “friends.”  How many times have you sat a  dinner table with friends and realized that everyone is checking their phones?  People have a difficult time turning it off.  This distraction might keep you from the best workout of your life because you wanted to stop and chat or text with someone on your phone two miles into your run.

According to Steven Pinker, a professor of psychology at Harvard, author of “The Stuff of Thought,” the new media have caught on for a reason.  Knowledge is increasing exponentially; human brainpower and waking hours are not. Fortunately, the Internet and information technologies are helping us manage, search and retrieve our collective intellectual output at different scales.  Far from making us stupid, these technologies are the only things that will keep us smart.  Social media has become essential to all large or small business marketing or large scale movements.  Branding is the new word for the American Dream.  Make yourself or your company into something for free on the internet.

Well, maybe the media is not making our brains smaller and unable to focus for long periods of time.  But, I do think it can get in the way of physical activity or engaging in social settings if you let it.  Most jobs now involve 75% or more time on a keyboard or at a desk.  Spending another 1-2 hours / day on social media  in addition to watching favorite TV shows in the evenings – something has to give.  You have to eat, take care of the kids, and pay your bills.  If we don’t want to evolve into huge thumbs from scrolling on our laptops and phones all day and night, it is essential to limit media consumption.  Don’t let it get in the way of attending social events or exercising your body.  Here are some ways that I have been able to incorporate media into my life and business without letting it affect my fitness or social life:

iGoogle – note FB and Twitter are minimized

1)  Use HootSuite to consolidate all your social media into one location.   This allows you to select which accounts to upload links or posts (Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, LinkedIn and multiple accounts all on the same page)  to so that you can distribute to appropriate followers.  HootSuite also allows you to schedule your posts so that you can save yourself time from logging in again later in the day.  This application makes self marketing and promotion achievable for those who don’t have the time to do it while at work.

2)  Use iGoogle as your home page.  Google allows people without a gmail account to sign up and organize your page to check  Facebook, Twitter and your favorite blogs or news pages via Gadgets (like applications).  See my iGoogle page below with all handpicked Gadgets.  If you need to stay up on research in your field add Google Reader to your iGoogle page.  Google Reader sets up your favorites blogs, news sites or any other consistent search criterion you want to stay on top of.  It will even track a search on PubMed via RSS.  If you aren’t sure what RSS is, then you will have to ask someone else, because I can’t quite explain it myself.

Google Reader – categorizes and keeps track of article you have subscribed to via RSS

3)  Limit yourself to logging into social media at the very beginning or end of your day and for no longer than 15 minutes.  Every 2-3 days make your posts as needed for business.

4)  Avoid checking your phone for updates while in line at the grocery store, walking down the street, working out, or driving.  I have been guilty of this, but it obviously proves the SM (social media) addiction. And more importantly it is bad for our posture to be working off phones so often.

5)  Do not stop reading books.  Paper back, electronic…what ever.  Getting through a full chapter or book shows that you don’t have ADD or short-term concentration loss from SM.

6)  Do not stop exercising due to SM overhaul.

7)  Do not stop cooking due to SM overhaul.

8)  Try not to pull out your phone when you are at dinner or socializing with friends / family.

These are just a few things I continue to work on to avoid SM addiction.  Organization is the first step.  The second and hard one is the dedication to limiting your time on SM.  Good luck!

I would LOVE any comments or suggestions you have.

References:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/opinion/11Pinker.htm

http://blog.guruofnew.com/featured-home/seven-signs-you-may-be-ready-for-a-social-media-detox

http://social-networking-tagging.suite101.com/article.cfm/social-media—addiction-or-healthy-lifestyle

http://www.healthnews.com/family-health/social-media-addiction-possibility-for-your-teen-4207.html

http://withoutmedia.wordpress.com/about/111109-words/

Exercise your Vestibular System for Improved Balance

Tags

aging, balance, exercise, playground, proprioception, stregth, vestibular system, vision

Balance is something that most people are born with and develop in the first few years of life.  At the same rate, as we age, we begin to lose it.  BUT, it is never too late to start working on your balance.  Below are some ideas but first it is important to understand what gives us balance.

The four primary components of good balance are:

1)  Proprioception (awareness in space) – coordination b/t sensation and orientation to upright

2)  Vestibular system in the ear  – controls equilibrium, balance, and orientation to up

3)  Vision

4)  Strength – trunk, hip, ankle

If you deficits in any of these the body has to compensate through the other three components to maintain balance.  This is similar to someone who is blind develops a good sense of smell and hearing to make up for inability to see.   Some people are born or work hard to develop some of the components  above to become excellent at balance.  Professional athletes have superior components of balance.  This is in part to exercising the proprioception, strength and, visual system to improve reaction times and precision of power required to excel at their sport.  Through vigorous training and repetition of activity, they become experts.   Not all people are born with superior components of balance.  When we age and become more sedentary proprioception, vision, strength, and the vestibular system begin to decline.  As balance declines in older adults, fear of falling promotes lack of movement and these systems become even weaker.  This can be delayed by exercising and maintaining each system.

The vestibular system is highly developed in the early years of life as toddlers and children are playing on merry-go-rounds, teeter totters, monkey bars and swings.   These toys can all be found in playgrounds.  Other games that we used to play are “upsy daisy”, “bucking bronco” on your dads knee,  and “rocket launcher” in the swimming pool.   Bounce Houses are one of the most popular events at birthday parties.  Kids become obsessed with these games and toys.  They focus on inversion, foot/hand precision, rapid change of direction, and strength to enhance our vestibular system.

Without even realizing it parents are helping developing their child’s vestibular system.  These children become fearless if balance is developed properly and early in life.  Before you know it, those kids are zooming down the mountain without ski poles and doing flips on the gymnastics floor.  The minute we stop exercising our balance, we begin to lose it.  Athletes will continue to enhance or maintain balance through their sport however most sports do not focus on inversion, heights, or rapid change of direction on an unstable surface.  Gymnastics is one of the most popular sports for young children and involves jumping, hanging, and flipping.  Unfortunately, many kids do not continue past age 8-10 with it.  Recess time and PE classes are cut exponentially until middle school.  The kids who do not participate in sports are left in the dust and vestibular systems begin to decline.

As we become adults, unless we practice inversions in yoga, take part in rock climbing, mountain biking and sports alike we become deficit in our tolerance to positions other than upright.  If one other component of balance is lost – strength, vision, or proprioception – risk of fall is exponentially increased.  The “use it or lose it rule” becomes vital to long-term maintenance of balance.  This is already common knowledge as many people are practicing their single leg balance (for proprioception), strengthening their core/hips with gym programs and getting their eyes checked for long-term optical health.   How do we exercise our vestibular system?  As physical Therapists we have people do balance exercises (such as single leg standing) with eyes closed. This takes away vision to force the vestibular system and proprioception to compensate.  Great exercise but…Boring.

It is never too late to start playing

Instead, I say we all resume childhood games.  Play at the playground:   go swinging  merry-go-round, order a Bounce House for your next bar-b-que at the park.  If you have kids, play the same games with them.  Start doing somersaults and hand stands on the wall like you did when you were 6 years old in gymnastics class.  This would be the fastest way to start exercising your vestibular system.  If you want a more organized form of exercise, take Yoga, go rock climbing, or enroll in a trapeze class.  It will be fun and will keep you on your feet longer with less chance of falling.  And, it is never too late to start.  There is no reason why your 80-year-old grandma can’t get on the swing set with the grand kids.

Use it or lose it for prolonged vestibular function and balance.