When small wins create big wins

I’ve been reflecting on the speed of behavioural change in the leading and coaching of others. Sometimes the change process is rapid, and at other times, it occurs at a slower pace,¹ as one small success is built upon another, over time.

Photo by Samantha Garrote

I came across an article about the importance of these small successes from AFL coach Chris Fagan, who took over the coaching reins of the Brisbane Lions toward the end of 2016, leading them from cellar-dwellers to premiers last year. Reflecting on his journey, he said:

It had been hard at Brisbane for a long time, and we had to start from ground zero and build. The inner me wanted to get wins every time we played, but I had to stay realistic, and we measured success in smaller and different ways, as opposed to just wins. We needed to do that to build the confidence of the group. An example of that was…we had to win more quarters than we did the previous year.²

While Chris would no doubt have been delighted to win the grand final the year after he took over, he had the wisdom and exercised the patience to focus on one small success at a time, one win upon another, allowing confidence and strength to grow across the team.

Over time they climbed the ladder, and seven years later, it all translated into one big win.

Ray

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ray@rayhodge.com.au; www.rayhodge.com.au; +61 403 341 105

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1. There are numerous reasons for slower rates of change, and the two most common I encounter in my work are (1) the behavioural style and skillset shifts relative to the change distance required, and (2) current workloads and the frequency of incoming and unexpected reactive work bombs.

2. https://www.zerohanger.com/brisbane-coach-reflects-on-record-breaking-journey-ahead-of-major-milestone-162814/