WRPPA Conference: Gilbert Enoka - Creating and Mantaining a high performance Culture

All Blacks - people performing under pressure

Context:

Grew up in an orphanage in P Nth 18months – 12 years (caring and considerate – exclusive bretheren). Went home to a dysfunctional family – left home at 16.

“Your past is not your future”

Your situation

·        Difficult time in Education – neglect?

·        Recruitment and retention – huge concern

·        Many ‘opting out’ of leadership positions

·        Stresses pervade the operating landscape::

o   Student needs...

o   Partent expectations

o   Vocationallty trapped

·        Impacts morale

Magic of high performance is about the whole context

Task

1.      What one word of phrase would you use to describe where you and your role in your school currently stands today?

2.      What does next level of performace look like for you and your role in your school?

Key learning confirmed:

1.      No silver bullets or magic solutions. Need three bones: wishbone, backbone and funny bone (but don’t grow one when you need to grow another). The magic actually is the work.

2.      High performers don’t need rules – they just need a strong purpose. We trumps me. Purpose strong = legacy is far more intimidating. When you care about it you will do anything. Less concerned about rules – more concerned about activating the why. The purpose trumps the ability to force people to do things.

3.      ‘Tirelessly tweak’ vs the ‘next big thing’ longevity = radically traditional (understand their core and stabilise and preserve their core come hell and high water – put the anchor down). Waves of disruption around the edges – tirelessly tweaking. Improve a 1000% by improving 1000 things by 1% How do we get better every day?

4.      Success is a lousy teacher – loosing against Ireland was a good thing for the ABs. Otherwise slowly arrogance creeps up inside.

5.      Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Standards = what you stand for, Values as a competency (yes, or no)or a capacity (how much?). Every day I see a context to improve – do I take it? Standards you walk past is the standard you accept. Be where your feet are. World wants strategy and bureaucracy.

Be at your best when your best is needed. Not every moment in time is equal. Taking that one opportunity to be your best – engendering passion from others. Aware of it – nail it – make a shift.

Key Anchors confirmed:

1.      Performance triangle. 3 key things to help navigate around the connudrum of issues. One will be the window you can get in and move things to get what you want to achieve:

a.      Mindset (MS)

b.      Skillset (SS) – needed for the context

c.      Structure (ST) – rituals and routines in place to get lessons and learnings on – most important thing to work on

2.      Above / Below the line. How you view a situation – negative below, defencsive, committed to being right. positive – above – open curious, committed to learning. (video – above the line https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLqzYDZAqCI&vl=en) We are hard-wired to go below the line. When you go below the line - know you are there and don’t get stuck. Location, Location, Location.

3.      Don’t like Grey people (don’t say anything – thaen go the the cafe and know everything when talking with others). Whingers: Can whinge up – but not down or across. No moan-bonding. Tap on tap off (can say whatever you like – but then turn it off.

4.      Support and Challenge (4 square grid picture). Be yourself ...with skill. You can lead with a whip or a flute. What you say – do, what your priorities are – all cast a shadow.

 

 

1.      Your vision must energise and excite you (AB vision poster) – how would a team aspiring to this – how would they train? How would they behaviour, eat?

 

 

a.      Know your current reality – if you want to be great and achase high performace, you muct have a gap – and that gap must cause discomfort. High performacen is about creating a gap in the people you lead and making sure there is discomfort. Intense dislike for the status quo – feeling pulled towards the horizon. What if we win??

b.     The Gap – have you got one? (Not ten – sometimes just one)

2.      When it really matters – be clear – under pressure, positive thinking does not help. Be clear on what you have to move. Be clear – do this, come here... I’ve gotta move – and put energy into those things I’ve gotta move. No positive, not negative...just CLEAR thinking. Lack of structure burns people. When you are below the line all the time – maybe it is structure that will deliver you above the line. Structure can assist us to move a mindset.

3.      Mental Toughness – Reslience.

a.      You don’t own mental toughness.

b.     You can only exhibit it

c.      MT is fluid

d.     Waves of stress and waves of recovery

e.      Resilience rituals for your body and mind

4.      Be deliberate with your energizers - filling your mind (watching movies, betting on toy pigs) / emptying your mind (yoga) – depending on what preparation for that context needs. Refreshes – fill tank. Celebrate the little wins. Breathing in – Breathing Out

5.      Coming together as one Force – a surging mass of black (kapa o pango) (rope picture)

 

6.      4 coloured circle picture – the most important thing to get right is to give people a sense of belonging. I want to walk and see that I belong in the environment. Strong sense of belonging – more like to live the vision and values. We are one fern picture. How you treat people ultimately tells you all.

 

“Be the ladder when you can see the snakes”