5 Dynamics Of A Debrief – Lesson 2 – Check Your Ego At The Door
The Glad To Be Here Movement frequently focuses on the all-important debrief. And for good reason. A constructive debrief is essential for any successful team. It allows you to take stock and look over what’s working, what isn’t, and anything that might need to change.
It’s not just important to your team but also for individual growth and group dynamics. To learn more about what a debrief is and how it can benefit your team and your business, read the blog here.
A debrief has 5 fundamental dynamics, and during this blog series, we’re going to analyze the 5 key themes:
- Safe Environment – A safe environment will result in mutual respect.
- Check Your Ego – Focusing on humility and the importance of this for growth.
- Lay It On The Table – This is the ability to discuss everything openly and honestly.
- Own It & Fix It – Accountability minus any blame.
- Glad To Be Here – Looking back and being able to focus entirely on the gratitude of being here!
These 5 dynamics are important tools for continuous improvement and will get you results.
In this blog, the focus is on the second dynamic: checking your ego at the door.
Removing Ego
The ability to check your ego at the door comes down to humility. Without it, your ego takes over.
Humility is quite simple – it’s the recognition and acceptance of reality through an open-mindedness to truth.
Humble leaders grasp their own capabilities in relation to others and the situation at hand.
When you get to an elite level with a high-performance team like the Blue Angels, you can actually feel it when you’re around your team.
You can see it in the way they communicate and the way that they react together. It’s essential to go into a debrief situation minus your ego because then you’re open to improving and growing as a squad.
For John, humility was shown right from the top all the way down. And it was the leaders that first set the example.
Stay Humble
Even the best of the best benefit from a debrief.
And it’s not just essential for a high-performance team like the Blue Angels, demonstrating humility can benefit any team, organization, or business.
Everyone wants to feel like they’re the best that they can be, but without the ability to grow, you’ll never get to the elite pro level.
Your ego will always hold you back if you let it take over.
The key is to understand that it’s not about individual greatness. If you’re still learning then you’re still growing
Humility is putting the ‘we’ over the ‘I’. Successful individuals are the ones still willing to give something, to learn something, and they often mentor and train others.
Vulnerability Is Not A Weakness
There’s strength in vulnerability, and the Blue Angels are fantastic examples of this. They were never afraid to analyze themselves – good and bad – after every single demonstration.
Their team humility was worked on at a peer-to-peer level. It didn’t just come from above or below, it came from within the team and they each welcomed that way of thinking with open arms.
When you forget about how good you think you are, or how good you should be, you are in the perfect situation to welcome gratitude.
Gratitude leads to being grateful for your experiences. To be grateful for where you are, what you’ve achieved, and the fact that you’re actually a part of something much bigger than yourself.
Purpose Larger Than Self
Checking your ego leads to a realization: the purpose is larger than yourself.
This mentality guarantees continuous improvement, but more importantly, it improves the chemistry and the leadership within your organization.
Once you’ve left your ego at the door you will be ready to grow and accomplish so much more than you could if you hold on to that ego.
If you stay humble, you’ll stay grateful, and then you’ll stay strong.
Think a debrief could help transform your team? Read the next blog to see what else is involved in an effective debrief.