While March Madness is synonymous with riveting national college basketball contests, we think of this season more like March Motivation. After all, in recent weeks:
- The U.S. beat Canada in the para ice hockey gold medal game to complete an Olympic and Paralympic sweep of goals.
- The World Baseball Classic featured extraordinary major-league talent (and passion) even though Venezuela defeated the U.S. 3-2 in the finals.
- Â Jannik Sinner beat a surging Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells to solidify his hard-court dominance. (This was after Medvedev navigated impressive delays and creative travel to get from Oman to the U.S. for the tournament.)
- The Players Golf Tournament at TPC Sawgrass (referred to as the truest test on the PGA tour) saw Cameron Young tied with Matt Fitzpatrick after 17 holes. Young won by one stroke on the 18th hole.
And the month is only half over!
While we applaud these and other magnificent competitions and athletes, we want to salute one who has had little playing time but is considered critical to team building. The Athletic Peak newsletter (an outstanding source for sports leadership and personal development) recently featured Sarah Graves, a member of the Texas women’s basketball team. As a senior walk-on guard for third-ranked Texas, Graves almost never plays. But that hasn’t stopped her from ensuring all team members have the necessary energy and drive.
In the article, Vanessa Druskat from the University of New Hampshire noted that positivity and spirit are essential to successful teams. Druskat has three core ideas on how leaders can develop teams with a great environment—build belonging, lead through values, and take time to understand the situation.
That got us thinking: we may not all be super talented, but we can all be “energy givers and culture setters: like Sarah Graves. Does someone play that role on your team? We would love to know more. Send us their name and your contact information to team@sportfuelslife.com and we’ll follow up to learn how they contribute to your team’s success. In true Sport Fuels Life fashion, we can then share and learn from each other.
