The Power of Storytelling (Part 2)

Singing Tessie live with the Dropkick Murphys after winning the Final

“It’s the heartbeat of the whole organization. It gives you a focal point every day, for every game of the season, and you can always refer to it and live it by your actions. That’s very powerful if you have 70-odd people doing it.” 

The impact that the Crusader’s use of ‘themes’ had on Ronan O’Gara during his two-year coaching stint is observable in many of the interviews he’s given since.

These themes were the creation of current All Blacks head coach, Scott Robertson- an inherent storyteller who understood the power a compelling narrative, skilfully layered across the season, can have on a team’s campaign.

The first part of this blog outlined the fundamental human need for storytelling whilst delving into basic elements of psychology and societal requirements – the ‘why’ behind storytelling if you will.

This section you are reading is a collection of notes and first-hand experiences in an attempt to provide a framework for curious coaches- the ‘how’ to do it and the ‘what’.

‘Theming’ Seasons

In its most simple terms, theming is the telling of a story or collection of stories that exhibit overarching values or significance to a particular team.

Whether it be an historic tale, a renowned individual, momentous event or even movie- themes shrewdly link the present with the past whilst leaving the future ambiguous and open-ended.

The power of a theme lies in its ability to connect your people with a vision of where you’re going and how you intend to get there.

Typically a theme is constructed to encompass a season’s campaign although Scott Robertson was able to connect themes together so the conclusion of one campaign seamlessly flowed into the next.

Disclaimer

Many coaches express curiosity about theming but far fewer display the courage to proceed and implement a theme.

Their reservations often are their perceived lack of creativity, time constraints or reluctance to ‘put themselves out there’.

In their defence, there are infinite examples of teams in every sport that have achieved great success without requiring a theme. Similarly, a team doesn’t require a theme to construct a deeply connected and motivated group of players.

But here’s the thing- I’d argue that every high performing team already integrates storytelling into their environment.

Teams demand a collective sense of purpose

They require shared values that fortify behaviours and inform what they stand for.

Teams crave a compelling vision & direction towards it.

They depend on a fused motivation with each individual feeling valued.

Head coaches, whether they realise it or not, are therefore already storytellers.

Theming is simply an extension of storytelling & not a separate entity.

In many ways, having a focused narrative makes things more simple for leaders.

Rather than plucking ideas out of thin air in a risky game of ‘let’s hope this resonates’, a theme gives you the storyline whilst adequate research and planning present possible sub-plots and possible angles to branch off from.

Step 1: A Theme That Resonates

A theme cannot simply be lifted from one team to another and be expected to deliver the same results- just as copying and pasting another team’s style of play will come with significant limitations.

When pondering a theme, a shrewd place to start is with your team’s existing identity and a vision of the direction you want to take.

What is the team’s current context?

What are the overarching values you’re looking to emphasize?

What clues lie in the team’s history, location & traditions?

What makes  your team distinctive? 

Considering these questions ensure your theme will be authentic & powerful.

My notes:

·      ‘The Road to Fenway’ was a powerful theme I was a part of which connected our Boston-based rugby team to the iconic home stadium of the city’s baseball team- The Red Sox.

·      The vision set out to achieve a home final that we’d play at Fenway and in doing so, become the first rugby match the stadium had hosted.

·      The theme critically held deep connections to our community as accomplishing this feat would require us growing our fan-base sufficiently enough to require a bigger capacity. We’d achieve this through the goals of scoring the most tries and engaging more new fans than any other team in the league. Without a clear ‘how’, you’ll find yourself meandering without direction towards your vision.

·      The theme symbiotically linked us to the past success of the Red Sox and Boston’s identity more generally, whilst leaving sufficient space for the team to write its own history.

Step 2: ‘The collective power of many minds outweighs the insight of one’

When first attempting to theme a season, the mistake I made was to try and run with it on my own. The result was a lot of work that detracted from my other responsibilities as head coach, no shared ownership and a one-dimensioned theme that quickly lost its energy.

On top of this, a massive opportunity was inadvertently missed on reflection- the power of a theme to enhance inclusiveness.

Presenting your ideas to your staff will not only yield greater concepts but represents a deeper connotation of value- ‘you’re valued, your opinion is valued & you belong here’.

After further modifications to the theme, presenting to your senior players or leadership group examines its merit from a different (& crucial!) perspective.

My notes:

·      Getting the best out the assistant coaches and staff is a critical part of the head coach’s craft (and is often not done well in my experience). When everyone has a stake in the outcome, their value & productivity sky-rocket.

Step 3: Sketching the Outline

A beauty of a theme lies in the ability to adapt the narrative as your team’s context changes naturally in-season with results often dictating which direction the theme takes.

A theme requires meaningful events or ‘landmarks’- plotted across the season that’ll give it gravitas whilst keeping it stimulating.

Where are the longer turnarounds between matches that might present an opportunity to build on the theme through a particular event and where are the congested periods where you might need to back off the theme a little.

Visualizing an exquisite piece of fine art, the frame is your theme with the sketching of the outline, your intentions. The painting of the blank space is the last step with the particular shade of colours being refined & possibly painted over as you go.

Considerations for planning should include:

Connectors

Groups are identifiable through shared insignia representing their belonging & commonalities. Sports teams are recognizable through the clothes they wear.

A theme presents an opportunity to go a step further with something entrenching individuals more deeply in the substance of the story- a hat or shirt designed with a distinctive logo; game awards that represent the essential pillars as examples.

Rituals are a central component of belonging to a group with our ancestors placing great credence on eating together & sacrificial ceremonies. Similarly, the tying in of a ritual can have powerful effects.

Language

As outlined in Part 1 of the blog, language is fundamental to a team’s identity & dependent on the theme, there will no doubt be words or phrases that can be incorporated into your shared vocabulary that further sew the stitches of the theme into your team’s fabric.

Various Crusaders have spoken of the value attached to the non-selected players each week with them being given a name that underlined their importance to the success of the team.

During the Muhammed Ali season, the non-players were known as ‘The Brawlers’ signifying their vital responsibility to prepare the team as best they could.

Mini-Stories

When researching your intended theme, it’s important to build a bank of potential mini-stories or sub-themes in order to enhance your flexibility as a narrator whilst ensuring that the theme remains lively.

What sub-plot will be effective after a loss or what could reflect the resilience required with injuries to key players?

My notes:

·      ‘The Road to Fenway’ theme incorporated a baseball bat, mitt and original jacket as game awards whilst a wall in our building was painted to resemble the iconic ‘Green Monster’ scoreboard. Music is also a powerful connector with the team adopting the Dropkick Murphy’s Tessie as its theme song.

·      The most powerful ritual I’ve experienced was during a season where The Jimi Hendrix Experience was the theme. Every individual was given time throughout the season to present to the group on the denim jacket they embroidered that represented their own personal story.  

·      Rather than tossing out the old ‘call sheet’ or ‘play sheet’ every season and starting over, a way to fuse seasons together is keeping elements of the old whilst sprinkling in some fresh terminology.

·      A lively theme is essential and being able to change the rhythm and content are key to doing this. To avoid repetition & tedium, altering who delivers the theme & the delivery method is crucial (some value may be found in the blog I wrote on ‘Delivering Engaging Meetings’)

Step 4: The Theme Launch

If we place on weight on the psychological evidence that emphasizes the rapid speed at which humans form an opinion, the theme launch is perhaps the vital juncture to get right.

A novel location is required & adequate time dedicated to this process. Launching a theme in the same meeting room players use daily insinuates a lack of relevance and will be received as such.

Simply telling your players of the relevance of the theme is also not ideal. We learn best through seeing, hearing and discussing. Leaning on others to unveil the theme also conveys a shared belief in its status.

My notes:

·      Successful theme launches I’ve experienced have taken place on a beach, in a warehouse, in a stand-up comedy venue and, in the case of the theme mentioned throughout this blog, in the members bar at Fenway following a tour of the stadium to gain a better understanding of the historical magnitude of its Red Sox team. Importantly, each was well-thought through and highly apt for the theme.

Step 5: Reflect Regularly

As with every element of high performance sport, a theme requires regular reflection and forward-thinking.

Inputs and feedback should be encouraged, learnings taken and the value your people felt at the outset when asked for their contributions can be sustained.

Theming is a microcosm of coaching at large- it’s not a straight line to success, mistakes will be made and there will likely be moments where you’re left reflecting that something didn’t work out as you anticipated or hoped for.

This is where you can be a manifestation of the values you likely ask of your players; apply effort, be vulnerable and willing to try something whilst showing humour in the face of adversity.