The Hash Mark

Trust is built over time, but for high performing teams we don't always have time.

We need to expedite it, which isn't always easy.

You build trust in one of two ways.

Either through a long term relationship where you get to know each other over time, or you open up and be vulnerable now.

When I first got to Tulane I was excited but I was also scared.

Being in a new environment is hard for anyone, and for me I had to once again prove that being legally blind I could compete. I had to earn the trust of others.

Week one of training camp before my freshman year, we were finishing a workout with sprints. Coach Rob, our strength coach, blows the whistle and we all take off as fast as we can.

Suddenly I hear yelling. I'm getting screamed at. I had cut off three players and made one of them trip and fall.

This wasn't good, especially for someone trying to build trust and prove he could compete. I froze. I didn't know what to do or what to say.

Instead of getting mad at me, Coach came over and asked why I was drifting.

He knew my vision, but he was also just getting to know me.

He came up with the idea of moving me to the hash and having me run on it. Having a clear line under me let me know exactly where to run.

He didn't get mad, and he didn't focus on the problem.

He focused on the solution.

In one instance he gave me the ability to be vulnerable.

Me being vulnerable earned the trust of everyone on that field, because they saw us solve this problem together in real time.

It helped me learn to communicate what I needed and have confidence in my abilities.

In a matter of minutes, my relationship with my team, my coaches, and myself transformed in a way that takes most people months.

When you become vulnerable, you create trust, confidence, and you learn to communicate.

I have seen this in every organization I have worked with since, whether it is a corporate team, a school, or an athletic department.

The teams that perform are not the ones with the most talent.

They are the ones who have practiced being vulnerable with each other, on purpose, before they need to be.

One thing not everyone knows about how I work with organizations:

Alongside keynotes, I also partner with a select few teams and departments on an ongoing basis, across a season or a year, so trust, communication, and confidence get practiced the way I had to practice it on that hash mark, not just talked about once and forgotten.

I have a few spots opening up for that kind of partnership right now.

If your team, department, or athletic program could use more than a one day fix, reply to this email and let me know.

Aaron