October 27, 2017
Overfunctioning = Underfunctioning
Newton’s third law of motion:For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Had a great conversation this week with a friend who was one of my mentors and church youth group leaders when I was a rambunctious teenager.
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He is now a certified leadership coach through the Resilient Leadership program in Washington, D.C.
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We discussed the empowerment experiment I am going through with my current team, and he provided a powerful A-Ha moment.
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I was drawn to start the conversation with him when I saw he was part of a new podcast titled ‘The Overfunctioning Leadership Podcast.’
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Overfunctioning. That word drew me in.
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As we discussed the empowerment experiment, he shared the simple, yet profound concept:
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When there is an overfunctioning leader in any group, whether it is a sports team, a work team, or any group environment – the team members will always underfunction.
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There are no exceptions to this rule. It is a law of nature, specifically Newton’s third law of motion. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
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He validated that our empowerment experiment is dead on. If the coaches and parents are doing all of the work, the children have no opportunity to ‘carry the water’ or ‘sweep the sheds.’ How can leaders be developed if we are taking away their opportunities to lead?
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So we will continue to look under every rock for opportunities to allow our athletes to own this team and experience. To be empowered. To lead.