“Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection.”
– Brené Brown
When a person shares about their life it allows others to better understand them. Whether it is sharing a highlight in your life or a hardship you have faced, storytelling can strengthen relationships in a significant way.
An activity I have led with teams I have coached is called, "Hero, Highlight, and Hardship." I learned it from author and leadership consultant Jon Gordon.
As a group, we all share ground rules that we believe will create a safe space such as:
Challenge by choice - "You can pass if you do not want to share"
What is said in the room, stays in the room
Be curious, not judgmental
Listen with your eyes and ears
Be respectful
We all sign a team contact after we create the ground rules and then proceed with the activity.
Hero - Someone you look up to and why
Highlight - Something positive that has happened in your life
Hardship - A moment of adversity you have faced and how you overcame it
Again, this activity is challenge by choice and no one is pressured to share if they do not want to. But we do expect everyone to listen respectfully to teammates.
When our team shares stories about their lives with teammates, it connects us and creates a stronger bond. When you know deeply about your teammates, it's hard to not care about them. And when you truly care about someone, you will do everything in your power to help them be successful on and off the court!
Thank you for reading and please feel free to reach out if I can help in anyway!
contactdanhorwitz@gmail.com
Sending positive vibes,
Dan Horwitz