THE INSIDER'S ADVANTAGE

Top Performers’ Newsletter                                                      December 2011 Vol. 1, No. 12

Developing mindsets and habits that fuel high performance.

Become Next Season’s ‘Glue Guy’

Players who actively take on the role as a team leader are the heart and soul of a thriving organization.  They become the force that drives their teams forward toward success.  In sports, these guys are often called Glue Guys.  In the high-stakes environment of professional sports, teams can quickly disintegrate under the daily pressures of the game.  Glue Guys keep their teammates together when things get tough and help their teams thrive!

A great way to become your team’s Glue Guy is to utilize what’s called an optimistic explanatory style as opposed to a pessimistic explanatory style when your team encounters those unforeseen and unexpected bumps in the road.  Let’s first look at what an explanatory style is, and then how a pessimistic one differs from an optimistic one.

Explanatory Style - An explanatory style is a psychological attribute that indicates how people explain to themselves and others why they experience a particular event.  Explanatory styles can be either optimistic or pessimistic.  Three components—personal, permanent, & pervasive—make up one’s explanatory style.  Let’s take a closer look at each of them and see how you can use an optimistic explanatory style to become your team’s Glue Guy.

Personal - This involves how a person explains where the cause of an event arises.  For example, a player using a pessimistic explanatory style sees himself as the sole cause of an event.  You might hear him say, "I always have trouble hitting that pitch.” In contrast, a player with an optimistic explanatory style would say, "I sometimes have trouble hitting that pitch, and the wind made it even more difficult today.”

Permanent - This involves how one explains the extent of the cause.  A player with a pessimistic explanatory style would see the situation as unchangeable and comment to the team, “We never win games at this stadium.”  On the other hand, a player with an optimistic explanatory style would say, “We may have lost more games than we won here in the past, but let’s turn that around today and get a win!”

Pervasive - This involves how one explains the extent of the effects.  For example, if one of your starting pitchers is put on the disabled list, the player with the pessimistic explanatory style would comment, “That blows the rest of the season for us.”  The player using an optimistic explanatory style would respond to that comment by saying, “Well, having him on the disabled list will hurt our team, but we can pick up the slack in lots of other ways.”

In fact, research has linked a pessimistic explanatory style to depression, physical illness and injury, which doesn’t help the player or the team.  Studies of athletes from collegiate swimmers to professional baseball players show that explanatory style predicts athletic performance.  Using an optimistic explanatory style will help you become your team’s Glue Guy and support your team’s success.

Make it Your New Year’s Goal to become Next Season’s Glue Guy!

Source:  The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor

Take Care,

Jerry Hairston, Jr.                              Lynn R. Miller, Ed.D.

Board Chair & Co-Founder                     President & Co-Founder
Extra Innings Foundation                         Extra Innings Foundation