A Masterclass in Trust and Connection by the Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns 2017 – 0 wins, 16 losses

Cleveland Browns 2018 – 7 wins, 8 losses

Cleveland Browns 2019 – 6 wins, 10 losses

Cleveland Browns 2020 (so far) – 9 wins, 4 losses

I like how this is trending, don’t you? What happened?

In four years, a lot can change on a football team; traded players, new coaches, and new practices. Players and coaches aside, today I want to talk about a new practice that the Browns instated this year that I think we can all learn from.

Earlier this year, head coach Kevin Stefanski was struggling to boost morale on the team and get each athlete to understand each other better. He knew that in order to win, the team couldn’t just be good at the game, they had to be connected with each other. The problem? He couldn’t have his team in the same room. The pandemic had thrown his plans out the window and he was forced to think outside the dressing room.

So he improvised and innovated. While he couldn’t bring people together in person, he still could have them connect virtually.

Over a series of Zoom calls, he asked each player to share a little about themselves. He asked who their heroes in life were, their history, their heartbreak and their hopes. He asked the team to be vulnerable and share whatever they thought was important to them so the players could understand who their teammates were off the field, too.

One player shared that he recently lost his mother, others shared struggles they were going through and as each player opened up more, the coach noticed trust increased across the team. The courage and vulnerability of the players was contagious, and they kept sharing.

Usually, you’d do this in the room together and have team members pat you on the back and say ‘I got you’, but virtually, this wasn’t possible. His solution was to open the chatbox. Flooded with compliments and comments, the team responded to the relatable personal stories and typed their support.

This isn’t a college exercise, this works at the pro level. The team connected, they understood each other better, and they built a deeper sense of trust across the team.

And we can too.

You know, sports aren’t all that dissimilar to the corporate world when it comes to culture, teamwork, community, and belonging. The difference, perhaps, is that we watch sports teams on primetime tv and unless Undercover Boss is on Discovery, we rarely see how other companies and corporate teams function.

But we all still need that sense of connection, belonging, and to know that we’re cared for. And like with football, in this case, this isn’t a kid’s exercise at the junior level; this is how the best performing teams build trust with each other.

Here’s my suggestion: given that we’re coming to the end of the year, what I would invite your team to do is to set up a meeting that skips any talk specific to performance and metrics, and focuses on the heart and the victories we’ve all had this year. The truth is, making it to December this year is achievement enough. If we’re given the opportunity to share who has helped us get here, what we’re most proud of, and appreciate the people around us, there isn’t a doubt in my mind we’ll be better prepared for 2021.

Questions to ponder: