1 | Welcome to Team Culture Month

Welcome back. This month we're diving into the second principle in our leadership of teams series: building team momentum through culture.

Last month we established the foundation - creating momentum instead of relief by ensuring every single person is clear on the mission, their part in the mission. This month we're going deeper into how you actually build the culture that sustains that momentum over time.

Vince Lombardi said it perfectly: "The challenge of every team is to build a feeling of oneness, of dependence on one another, because the question is usually not how well each person performs, but how well they work together."

That's what we're talking about when we discuss team culture - not just individual excellence, but how well people work together. How they belong together. How they depend on one another.

Here's what we're going to cover this month, and I want you to get excited about the possibilities:

First, we're going to talk about designing your dream environment. Too many leaders spend their time complaining about past or current cultures instead of building what they find lacking. We're going to flip that script. You're going to learn how to visualize and then create the exact environment you want to work in every day.

Second, we're going to get practical about defining your team behaviors. Just like the New Zealand All Blacks have phrases like "Leave the jersey in a better place" and "Sweep the sheds," your team needs clear, memorable behaviors that everyone can rally around. We'll show you how to create these and make them stick.

Third, we're going to tackle some of the biggest culture challenges you're facing. How do you handle mistakes on your team? How do you shift a toxic environment? How do you maintain culture during high-pressure periods? We'll dive into the real stuff that keeps you up at night.

We're also going to address some paradigm shifts that will change how you think about culture. Like this one: everyone's welcome, but not everyone will belong. The stronger your culture, the more you can handle personalities that aren't a fit yet. We'll explore what that means and how to navigate it.

Finally, we'll talk about one of the biggest culture killers I see: comfort. Here's the thing - growth and comfort don't coexist. Think about your highest growth phases in life. Were you more comfortable or more uncomfortable? The pursuit of making our teams more "comfortable" is often stunting growth. We'll show you how to create safety while still embracing challenge.

Here's what I love about this approach - it's not about creating a "you do you" culture where everything is celebrated. That doesn't work. True belonging actually involves some people not belonging if they're not willing to embrace the behaviors that make the team great.

The All Blacks put it this way: "To become an All Black means becoming a steward of a cultural legacy. Your role is to leave the jersey in a better place." That's the mindset we're building - every person on your team becomes a steward of the culture you're creating together.

Owen Eastwood said, "Leaders design and create environments." That's your job. If you lead a team, you carry the responsibility of proactively designing and continuously creating the environment your team operates in.

Over the next few weeks, we're going to give you the tools to do exactly that. You'll learn how to build momentum through culture that doesn't just happen by accident, but is intentionally designed and consistently reinforced.

Because here's what I know for sure - teams with strong cultures don't just perform better. They enjoy the journey more. They handle pressure better. They bounce back from setbacks faster. And they create something together that none of them could create alone.

That's what we're building this month.

That's all for today. Welcome to Team Culture Month!