How to create a high performance culture | Andrew Sillitoe | TEDxRoyalTunbridgeWells

Summary

In this TED Talk, the speaker reflects on the importance of purpose in life and society, recounting personal experiences and lessons learned from his journey with the T Street Cruisers hockey team. He emphasizes the need for creating an environment where individuals can thrive, sharing five rules that foster leadership, embrace failure, and promote accountability. The speaker calls for a reevaluation of current systems in education and business to inspire and engage people, rather than focusing solely on performance and profit.

Takeaways

• 🎯 The speaker initially focused on preparing a TED Talk script but realized the importance of purpose over perfection.
• 🔄 The speaker emphasizes that purpose is crucial for maintaining engagement and connection, especially during tough times.
• 🏆 Purpose is essential for peak performance, whether one is an athlete, teacher, parent, or business leader.
• 🗣️ The speaker recounts a story about a heckling trader to illustrate the importance of personal purpose in one's work.
• 🎥 The speaker's purpose in life is to prevent the stress and anxiety that can lead to early death, inspired by his father's passing.
• 🏑 The speaker's personal story involves a love for street hockey, which provided opportunities and shaped his life's journey.
• 🌟 The speaker believes in the power of self-direction and ownership in achieving success, as experienced with the T Street Cruisers team.
• 🤝 Creating a high-performance culture involves fostering leadership and embracing failure as a learning opportunity.
• 📈 The speaker learned that one cannot simply impose a culture; it must be organic and grow from the team's own vision and values.
• 💡 The importance of accountability is highlighted, but it must be balanced with trust and a supportive environment.
• 🚫 The speaker criticizes systems that focus solely on performance and accountability, leading to disengagement and a lack of personal fulfillment.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial reaction to being invited to speak at TED?

The speaker immediately started typing his script and it became an obsession for him, as he was concerned about the impact it could have on his career.

Why did the speaker decide to change his speech topic on the day of the TED Talk?

He realized he had completely missed the point and lost the connection with the audience, focusing too much on himself rather than on delivering a meaningful message.

What is the main theme the speaker decided to focus on for his TED Talk?

The speaker decided to focus on the importance of purpose in society, how it relates to meaning, engagement, and connection in life.

What was the speaker's experience when sharing his thoughts on purpose with a group of traders in Canary Wharf in 2009?

The traders were initially engaged but one individual was heckling him throughout the session, dismissing his talk about purpose as nonsense.

What question did the heckler ask the speaker about his own purpose?

The heckler asked the speaker what gets him out of bed every day and what his own purpose is, challenging him to apply his talk about purpose to himself.

How did the speaker respond to the heckler's question about his own purpose?

The speaker shared a personal story about his father's death and his desire to prevent others from experiencing the stress and anxiety that can lead to such outcomes.

What sport did the speaker grow up playing and how did it change his life?

The speaker grew up playing street hockey, which he started at the age of nine and it led him on an extraordinary journey with the T Street Cruisers, playing all over Europe and the United States.

What was the significant change the T Street Cruisers made in 1995 that initially seemed like a failure?

The T Street Cruisers switched from traditional roller skates to rollerblades, which initially resulted in them coming last in a tournament and being laughed at by others.

What was the speaker's approach when he became the head coach for team Great Britain in inline hockey?

The speaker initially tried to recreate the culture he had with the T Street Cruisers but realized it was not effective and had to rethink his approach, focusing on creating an environment where everyone could thrive.

What were the five rules the speaker implemented to help create an environment for thriving in team Great Britain?

The speaker did not explicitly list the five rules in the script, but he mentioned the importance of letting the team have their own story, creating leaders, embracing failure, and holding each other accountable.

What is the speaker's view on the current state of education and sports in terms of engagement and purpose?

The speaker believes that the current focus on performance and accountability is leading to disengagement and a lack of purpose, with students becoming academic robots and athletes being treated as commodities.

What is the speaker's call to action for the audience?

The speaker encourages the audience to think about their own stories and what they can do to help others thrive, suggesting a need for a rethink in how we create environments that inspire and allow people to operate at their full potential.

Outlines

00:00

🎯 Rediscovering Purpose in Life and Career

The speaker begins by sharing the anxiety of preparing for a TED Talk, highlighting the pressure of creating a career-defining moment. He confesses to losing sight of his purpose, initially focusing on personal success rather than connecting with the audience. The speaker then shifts his focus to the broader issue of losing purpose in society, emphasizing the importance of meaning, engagement, and connection. He shares a personal story about his father's death, which serves as a turning point in his understanding of purpose, and uses this to illustrate the need for purpose in various roles, from athletes to business leaders.

05:03

🏑 The Power of Personal Story and Team Culture

The speaker recounts his experience with the T Street Cruisers, a street hockey team, to illustrate the power of personal story and team culture. He describes the team's journey, including their innovative switch to rollerblades and the subsequent challenges and triumphs. This anecdote serves to underline the importance of self-direction, leadership, and embracing failure as a means to grow and succeed. The speaker then transitions to his role as head coach for Team Great Britain, where he learned that one cannot simply impose a culture but must instead foster an environment that allows each member to thrive.

10:04

🌟 Creating an Environment for Success and Engagement

In the final paragraph, the speaker discusses the five rules he implemented to create a thriving environment for Team Great Britain. He emphasizes the need for each team member to have their own story, the importance of developing leadership within the team, and the necessity of embracing failure as a path to growth. The speaker also stresses the value of accountability, not just in terms of performance but in ensuring that each member feels trusted and empowered. He concludes by reflecting on the broader societal issues of disengagement in education and business, calling for a reevaluation of the systems that drive personal greed and corruption, and urging the audience to consider their own stories and how they can help others thrive.

Keywords

💡Purpose

Purpose in the context of the video refers to the underlying reason or aim that gives meaning to one's life or efforts. It is central to the theme as the speaker discusses the importance of having a sense of purpose for personal and professional fulfillment. An example from the script is when the speaker mentions losing connection with the audience and realizing that the focus should not be on oneself but on the audience, highlighting the shift in purpose.

💡Engagement

Engagement is the state of being actively involved or participating. In the video, it is used to describe the level of interest and participation individuals have in their work or activities. The speaker emphasizes that without purpose, people cannot operate at their full potential, which suggests that purpose drives engagement.

💡Connection

Connection in the script signifies the relationship or link between people or things. The speaker talks about losing and regaining connection with the audience, which is essential for meaningful communication and understanding. It is a key concept that ties into the overall message of the importance of purpose in fostering human relationships.

💡Ted

Ted refers to the TED conference, a platform known for 'Ideas Worth Spreading.' In the script, the speaker mentions the pressure and significance of speaking at TED, indicating the high stakes and the potential impact of the talk on their career, which underscores the importance of the message being conveyed.

💡Script

In the context of the video, a script is the written text that a speaker prepares for a presentation or speech. The speaker talks about obsessing over the script, which reflects the process of preparing for a TED talk and the desire to convey the right message.

💡Career-defining

Career-defining refers to an event or moment that has a significant impact on the course of one's professional life. The speaker uses this term to express the potential influence of a TED talk going viral on their career, indicating the high stakes involved in such a presentation.

💡Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek is a well-known author and motivational speaker, often associated with the concept of 'Start With Why,' which is about beginning with a clear understanding of why one does what they do. The speaker humorously mentions becoming the 'next Simon Sinek,' highlighting the aspiration to make a significant impact through their talk.

💡Disengagement

Disengagement is the state of being uninterested or disconnected. The speaker talks about the dangers of disengagement in various sectors like education and sports, where a lack of purpose can lead to people feeling disconnected from their work or activities.

💡Accountability

Accountability is the expectation of being answerable for one's actions. In the script, the speaker discusses the importance of holding each other accountable as part of creating a high-performance environment where everyone can thrive, emphasizing trust and reliability within a team.

💡Leadership

Leadership in the video is about the ability to guide, influence, and inspire others towards achieving a common goal. The speaker mentions the desire to create leaders within Team Great Britain, rather than followers, to foster a culture of initiative and responsibility.

💡Embrace Failure

Embrace failure refers to the willingness to accept and learn from mistakes or unsuccessful attempts. The speaker shares this concept as a rule for his team, indicating that failure should be seen as an opportunity for growth and improvement, rather than something to be feared.

💡High Performance Culture

A high performance culture is an environment where excellence and continuous improvement are valued and pursued. The speaker talks about creating such a culture within Team Great Britain, where individuals are encouraged to perform at their best and contribute to the team's success.

Highlights

Speaker's initial obsession with script preparation for TED Talk

Realization of losing connection with the audience and the importance of purpose

The definition of purpose as meaning, engagement, and connection in life

The impact of purpose on performance in various roles such as athletes, teachers, and business leaders

Personal anecdote of the speaker's father's death and its influence on his life's purpose

The story of the T-Street Cruisers and the importance of self-direction and ownership

The transition from traditional roller skates to rollerblades and embracing failure as a learning opportunity

The experience of coaching Team Great Britain and the challenges of cultural fit

The five rules implemented to foster an environment for thriving and high performance

The importance of creating leaders within a team rather than just followers

Embracing failure as a means to prevent paralysis and enable full potential

The concept of holding each other accountable as a foundation for trust and commitment

The current issues in education and business that lead to disengagement and the need for change

The speaker's call to action for the audience to reflect on their own stories and contributions

The applause and music signifying the end of the talk and its impact on the audience

Transcripts

[Music]

when I first heard I was going to be

speaking at Ted this about 6 weeks ago I

immediately started typing my script and

it's been an obsession ever since I

don't know about the other speakers but

and I was saying to my wife yesterday

that um it's not ready it just doesn't

feel right you know something doesn't

feel right she said oh don't worry it'll

be fine you know this was yesterday

right there's people in this room

thinking that's not what we rehearsed on

Wednesday and I said you don't get it

this is

Ted if this goes

viral it's career

defining I'll be the next Simon cynic

you

know and then I realized that I'd

completely missed the

point that um I i' forgot my purpose in

this and so I'm going to flip the script

I woke up this I was on my bike this

morning I'm going to talk about

something

different

and I think we are losing our purpose in

society you know purpose is about

meaning in our life it's about staying

engaged and you know when things are

tough and it's

about

connection and i' i' I'd lost that

connection with you it become about me

and not you

yeah so

um I'm going to talk about that for a

bit I think whether you are an athlete

or a teacher or a parent or running a

business we cannot operate at our full

potential without

purpose now I was I was sharing this

about six years ago uh in Canary war

with a group of Traders now I just want

you to picture the the room it's 2009

and they're just starting their career

in trading in the

city okay so the crisis just hit and I'm

in there and I'm talking about purpose

right and to be fair to they were

getting into it they started to get the

idea but there was this chat in the

corner of my eye throughout the whole

session and he was just heckling me

throughout the day just wasn't getting

it um in his words this is

bollocks and uh this anyway in the

afternoon he said to me

um he said Andrew you've been talking

about purpose all day you've been

talking about asking us why we do what

we do what gets us out of bed every day

he said what do you do what what gets

you out of bed you know why do you do

what you do what's your

purpose which is a fair question to ask

the person who's talking about purpose

right and I knew the answer cuz I I'd

ref reflected on it in the past and I

said to him do you remember the rocky

films do you remember the rocky films

yeah Rocky

five Tommy

Gun I said that's the worst I said I

remember that

film um I remember watching it it was a

Sunday night it was a it was 1993 March

21st I remember watching that film and

Sundays in my house uh pretty stand I

would have been out all day playing

street hockey I'd have been at Safeways

car park in t Welles I still it safe

ways um I'd been playing all day I'd

come home had a roast dinner with my

family um and we' have watch sport it

would have been Cricket football golf or

snooker one of those four depending on

the time of year and this night I was

watching my dad um loves sport he was a

baker my granddad was a baker and I

always expected the business to be mine

but when I was 11 my dad sold the

business he sold it so that was kind of

the end of that I still feel like a

baker but

but he um he s to be fair to me made a

lot of money he moved into into

construction and um we had this

wonderful we made big houses in t Welles

we had this wonderful big house and we

had a you know the fancy holidays to PTO

you know all that kind of Mara you know

all that nice stuff we had this

wonderful e type Jag blue e type Jag

used to sit on the drive but as quickly

as he made all his money lost a lot it

was the mid 80s and that's what happened

in construction lost it and our lives

changed like that

and on his Sunday

night he um he came to the

door and I was watching this

film and he said to me I'm going to

bed come and give your dad a

hug and I said no no you've had a drink

he said come and give me a hug I said no

no and he went to bed I didn't and he

went to bed that was the last time I saw

him he died a heart attack age

48 and I looked at this guy and I said

do you know that 20% of people die in

the early hours of a Monday Morning

broughten by the stress and anxiety and

fear of facing work the next day I said

I don't want that to happen to you or

anybody that's why I do what I

do let's shut him up

um I feel blessed to live in t Welles

actually because I I grew up playing

street hockey in TS and I um I got my

first stick when I was

nine um and it changed my life forever I

was 9 years old I played other sports

but I think you know Paul was talking

about giving children opportunity you

know 80% of young people young 14year

olds will become disengaged with sport

80% because they're looking for

Alternatives they and we don't we're not

offering it but I was lucky because I

found street hockey and I went on this

extraordinary Journey with the tel

Street Cruisers and we would play all

over Europe we would drive out to

Amsterdam Rotterdam uh we'd go out to

dorf and play in these Ro hockey

tournaments out there out into the

mountains in Switzerland we even went

off to Chicago to play in Chicago we had

an amazing we didn't have very much

money we had to save our pennies in fact

when we used to go to Europe we used to

rent a Transit van we used to put our

hockey bags in the back and put

mattresses on top so we'd go out and

that would be our accommodation for the

weekend um and uh we were the first team

believe it or not the first T well

Street Cruisers was the first team in 95

to switch from traditional roller skates

roller blade you know the quads to

rollerblades because we thought it would

give us a competitive Advantage it was a

disaster but what happened is that we uh

you know people thought it was hilarious

because the first tournament we played

and we came last and this was in

Switzerland

and everyone thought we were crazy for

doing it they couldn't understand why

we'd made this this transition until of

course we started winning and in 98 the

T Street Cruisers beat the dorf Rams in

the final of the championship now if you

speak to the team and say you know tell

me about your experience it's very rare

that they'll talk about the winning you

know winning is great it's it's a

wonderful feeling winning but if you ask

them they'll talk about the sacrifice

they'll talk about the RO road trips

obviously I can't tell you the stories

because you know the rules um they'll

talk about the fact that we owned it

that we shaped it it was ours we didn't

have a coach or a manager telling us

where to be what to do it was all

self-directed by

us and the following uh 10 15 years I

played in 12 world championships for

team Great Britain at inline hockey I

played I was turned from America playing

and an 2010 I took on the head coaching

job for team Great Britain and I'd

acquired a team that had lost in the

quarterfinals of Paul B in the world

championships Paul B is is essentially

like divisions two and Paul a is the top

eight countries in the world so Sweden

Czech Republic Canada USA Etc the top I

icky countries that come across and

um so I I'd noticed that they'd become a

bit disengaged with playing for their

country having lost to Australia in the

quarterfinals the year before in pool B

so I was going to go in there you know

all guns blazing as head coach and I was

going to create the exact same culture

as I had experienced with the T Street

cruises the problem is you cannot take

one culture and put it on another it

just doesn't work right and that was my

experience so I had to rethink what I

was doing with the team and and think

about um putting a different set of

rules in and these are the the five

rules I'm going to share with you that I

put in place that for me have helped

create an environment where everybody

can absolutely Thrive and I think we all

have a responsibility to create that

type of type of environment so the first

thing first thing we did with the with

the team GB is that they needed their

own

story they needed their own story not

one that I was trying to force on our

story happened over 10 years it was

organic you can't just recreate that but

I had nine months before the world

championships and their story what they

came up with was that they wanted to

look act and feel like a PO a team to

look act and feel not to win the gold

medal in pool B but to look act and feel

that was their vision for the team now I

couldn't go in and say well if you want

that you need to eat better you need to

train harder because you you still get

resistance so I promised myself that I

would not tell them to do anything and I

would just ask them if that if that's

what you want to achieve I would just

ask them the questions there were some

things I had to to put in place around

strategy and how we play the game but I

wanted them to come forward with

everything for them to thrive and really

own it like I we had the other thing is

I wanted to create leaders in in the

team in team Great Britain I didn't want

to I didn't want follow followers are

good for the ego they're not good for

business right they're not good for

sustaining change they're not good for

creating a high high performance culture

so I wanted to create leaders and that's

my captain I always said you needed

Captain you you need assistant captains

out there you need people who can

influence

change and we need a

change the other thing is I promise that

we would Embrace

failure absolutely embrace it because

what I could see was a group of players

who were Paralyzed by the fear of

failure and it was prevents them from

playing at their full potential so we we

said we'll embrace it embrace the

unknown and when the street Cruiser

switched to to rollerblades it was a

failure but we came back stronger and we

ended up winning and you know when you

take a risk it's going to go one of two

ways isn't it you're going to have it's

going to be a really good experience and

you learn from it or it might be not a

great experience and you learn from it

right so either way it's a bonus the

other thing is if you can do all of that

then we could hold each other

accountable we could look each other in

the eye and feel absolutely trusted that

we would do what we said we would do now

the problems that I'm seeing which is

driving

disengagement is that I see in education

I see it in uh

businesses is that we are focused on

that holding people

accountable businesses are getting

better and the reason why they're

getting better because they realize if

you engage

people if you help them find their

purpose it means they're more productive

they will be more engaged and that means

more profit organizations like that in

sports we're seeing athletes as a

commodity which is drawn driving

personal greed and corporate greed and

Corruption as we've seen recently with

FIFA because we're just focused on

performance in schools we're seeing

academic robots on a conveyor belt to

something they don't know where they're

going because that's what they're being

told what to do because they're being

held

accountable what's this one that's a

degrade send it

back yeah it's not the system is not

working we need to rethink

how we can create an environment where

everybody can Thrive feel inspired and

operate their full

potential so I've shared my story with

you I'd like you to think about what

your story is and what you can do to

help others thrive in this world thank

you

[Applause]

[Music]

[Music]