Embrace Process in the Face of Failure with Dr. Angus Mugford

Jan 27, 2021

Today’s Coaching Through Stories episode features Dr. Angus Mugford, the Vice President of High Performance for the Toronto Blue Jays. In this podcast, Dr. Mugford shares with us how high performance doesn’t just lead to the metrics we all are typically seeking but also improves our relationships, connection, and inner joy in pursuit of the outcomes. Dr. Mugford helps build a high performance and collaborative culture within the Blue Jays organization. He is passionate about developing a team that is truly interdisciplinary in nature, composed of great and passionate leaders who serve others to fulfill their potential. In this episode you will learn how failure challenges one to own their values and how you can embrace the process.

 

Episode Highlights:

• Angus shared a personal experience that required him to adapt his mindset in order to overcome fear and exercise his commitment to go all out.
• Angus’ goal is to collaborate as a team to help the Blue Jay’s organization reach their potential including the players, strength and conditioning staff, maintenance staff, etc. 
• With positive effort and positive intent, good things usually happen
• Angus’ leadership style is focused on empowerment and the servant leadership model
• Angus shares how he feels humility and confidence coexist in a leader
• Leaving everything on the field was a powerful transformation that has influenced Angus’ confidence in taking positive risks
• Accept that failure is ok if you are willing to learn from it
• Be ok being uncomfortable
• VUCA: Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous
• How Angus gets back up on days when he struggles
• The mental and emotional skills and competencies that separate a great leader from an average one
• Mission, Vision, and Values can serve as a compass during uncertain times
• Lean into difficult things by seeking support rather than avoiding or internalizing it, navigating difficulty is normal but there is a positive learning experience that can come from that
• Humility is the foundation for learning
• Emotional Intelligence is crucial to being an effective leader
• Urgency can inhibit your ability to reflect
• How Angus gauges if a culture is winning
• What accountability looks like for Angus
• What the next level is for them and the organization
• One book Angus recommends

 

Three Key Points:

1. With positive effort and positive intent, good things usually happen.
2. It’s okay to be wrong. It’s okay to fail if you are learning something from it. 
3. Failure will challenge you to own your values, embrace the process.

 

Quotes:

“However, our process, our commitment is to everybody in the organization being able to fulfill their potential."

“It is the team and the people that drive me and excite me.”

“I think collaboration, learning, and empowerment are really core to the way I operate and see things.”

“Navigating difficulty is normal but there’s always something positive to be gained out of that.”

 

Resources Mentioned:

• HigherEchelon
• Ego is the enemy by Ryan Holiday
• Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal