Seahawks MOB

Growing up in Seattle, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Seattle Seahawks win the Superbowl on Sunday in such convincing fashion.  The dominating performance of the defense was especially satisfying.  From the “Legion of Boom” era when they last won the Superbowl in 2014 to the current “Dark Side” defense, common language can ignite and galvanize a group of people.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald discussed the importance of common language on his recent Jimmy Kimmel appearance.  He wanted a phrase that described what the team was going to be about, and the players landed on MOB (Mission over Bull….).

The Working Genius model provides common language to what gives people joy and energy when working on a task.  It also describes what drains people.  I find it is incredibly helpful for people to know that about themselves and all of their team members.

I’ve heard people say that they like the language of “Core/Chore”, where most of their work should be in their core and very little should be a chore.  Great!  But when I ask them to give me specifics about their personal core and chore I am met with a blank stare.  They don’t have language to describe that. 

A school leader recently told me that their teams were “doing great”.  When I asked them what that meant-- they didn’t know.  What does “doing great” mean?  No apparent conflict? That the team is completing the tasks set before them?  Or maybe that they have a good mix of people and therefore trust that things will sort themselves out?  I’m always happy to hear that teams are doing great, but I’m not sure there is much clarity regarding what that actually means.

Why not deal with this directly?  Adopt common language with a shared understanding.  Terms that describe each team member that can be used to encourage one another and lean into each other’s strengths.

It’s too important to leave to chance.  MOB