Cheer Netflix - What You Can Learn and be Inspired by in Business and Life

Before it became so popular, a friend recommended I watch Cheer as a must-watch.  Taking this advice, I decided to put it on one Sunday afternoon.  While I was a Cheerleader in the ’80s (and loved it then), Cheer today is so very different and reminds me of my daughter’s competitive dance with the stage make up, hair and costumes (while I get it is for stage, up close it’s not pretty or what we think of as athletic).  I truly no longer relate to it, while they are so much more talented today, I was not sure I would like this series.  The first episode did not draw me in, but I stayed with it.  During the second episode I began to open my mind, become interested in where it was going, paid less attention to the things I don’t like or necessarily agree with (hello critic), and took in the story, the people, the lives, the challenges, the leadership, the community—I opened up my heart and mind to all of it.  By the time I finished the story, I enjoyed it on so many levels, first of all, it is a feel-good story, while not everything on there is good or relatable to me, I appreciate the differences, the hardship, the diversity of this team and it is a great reflection of the diversity that (should) exist on all teams (athletic, corporate, community).    While there are things that are unimaginable that are shared, and things we (or I may not agree with), there is a whole lot more I do.    There are so many parts to the series that serve as a teaching example, an example of inspiration for both business and life, let's get to some of these.   Truly we are all so much more connected than different, and when we get to the root of it all, we can see a part of ourselves in some of the main characters (even better real people).    By far my favorite is Gerry, I related to him in so many ways, his true spirit of encouragement, kindness, and cheering others on, it is so needed, and for me, it is a part of who I am (I relate to his soul).   My favorite girl is Morgan, how can you not love this sweet, brave, courageous young woman.  The vulnerable part in me (and in almost every one of us) needs to believe or know that we matter and we are enough.  She shares her struggle, her story and also shows us how to be vulnerable, and while our story is not hers or for most not as difficult, we all do wear a sign that says “make me feel important”—Morgan won the hearts of so many of us and forevermore we are cheering her on.   Another example is Coach Monica, she is tough, but what makes it work is that she is kind and loving and watches out for those kids.  I love her focus, her tenacity and practice of “over and over again” because it works, that is what success is, it is not the winning at the end, it is all of the hard work, disappointments, and challenges along the way.  Like many coaches, Monica stirred up for some of us the coach and/or winner in us, the taking on a goal and/or a challenge and delivering above and beyond—excellence comes to mind, and the part of me that operates in that way, I could relate to the hunger but more importantly, the heart and love behind it all, is what matters most.

Universal Lessons:

1.  Hard Work

NOTHING happens without hard work, it is necessary for any and every endeavor be it personal or business.   Hard work is practice, again and again, and again.  It is doing the same thing over and over and over again until you get it right.  It is dealing with all the challenges, failures and showing up regardless.  The injuries in the show were hard to watch, but the overall message is that these athletes train hard, work hard and prioritize this in their lives.  Hard work is part of reaching any goal or desired outcome.  

2.  Team Work

The example of the power of a team and how “united we stand and divided we fall” is truly a thing, it is real and I have seen this over and over both in business and also coaching teams in corporate and yes, back to my cheerleading days.   Not only do you need to share a common goal, but you need to support each other, believe in each other, raise each other up, and raise the bar and believe that anything is possible with teamwork, hard work and belief.   

3. Positive Attitude 

Along with teamwork and being a positive teammate, having a positive attitude towards anything, especially a goal or vision and the people on your team.  One negative person can bring the entire team down (incorporate we used to refer to it as the Cancer in the organization when I taught Team Development).   It took them a while to get there, but it was so obvious that they were not functioning as a high performing team.  In business, athletics or life, in order to achieve and sustain success, a positive attitude and team culture are imperative.  If players are tearing down others, it will dismantle the team, and on the other hand, if players are building others up, the team will elevate and create a vibe and energy that establishes a winning environment.   “Team Player” is an important trait to success and to leadership, this topic needs more attention as it is such a powerful concept and contribution to developing high performing teams.   A positive attitude also is belief, having faith and letting your faith in God, Universe and a power outside of you lead the way (this is everything when it comes to positive attitude and positive outcome).  

4. Servant Leadership 

Monica is no-nonsense, so we are not talking about Mother Theresa, when I refer to Servant Leadership it truly is about caring for the people you lead, helping them better themselves and as a result of the common goal developing in all areas to not only reach the goal but also to learn so many lessons along the way.   Monica loves those kids, and they love her and are so loyal to her because of the positive impact she has made on their life.  People need to know you care, they need to trust that you have their back.  This is a great example for us as leaders in business or our communities and how we can be tough, goal-oriented, no-nonsense—yet be caring loving and truly changing people’s lives by example. A servant leader (in this case Monica) demonstrates believing in them, coaching them, advising them, and looking at the whole person, and encouraging them to grow in all areas in addition to crushing the goal.  If we were to survey all of her cheerleaders over the years, I am certain her impact is immeasurable, and the lessons truly serve more in life than they did on the mat. 

5.  Tolerance and Acceptance 

There are so many layers and levels of this in the series.  First of all, not everyone likes cheerleaders or the sport—It is a preconceived notion which truly is unfair and the judgment is more about the person judging vs the actual cheerleader him/herself and/or the sport.  I think this series did a great job in telling the story of this sport, and how cheerleading has and continues to be a great program for people to build their skills, confidence, voice, and spirit.  Another layer here is the diversity, these kids had really tough backgrounds, all different things that touched on everything from race, sexual orientation, religion, beliefs, socio-economic differences to name a few.  At the end of the day we are all connected, we all need to learn even more tolerance and acceptance regardless of our own personal beliefs.   To be inspired by kids of all different backgrounds is humbling, spiritual and level setting no matter who you are and where you come from.  

8. Be Kind

Gerry!!!!!!!!  How can we not just love Gerry?  He is the example of kindness, he is the encourager, the light, the positive spirit, the believer in good and better.    Gerry also shows us how it feels good to be kind, you can see how much joy it brings him personally, it just feels good to be kind.   Likewise, this series teaches us that it is important to be kind because you never know what is going on for a person or how much they are hurting.  The example of Morgan being at school (not having any contact with anyone at home) if someone smiled or said hello, it made her day.  While all of this seems obvious to us, it still needs to be said, be kind.  As mom always said, “if you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything at all”.   The vibe on kindness in this show is demonstrated from all angles, including the mean spirited comments and behavior that is not kind, and how that damaged the team and it’s performance.  We either bring out the best or worst in people, kindness is a choice, we must remember to be the encourager and not the critic.  

7.  Strategy

While the personal stories, personal struggles, and human spirit in the series was the driving force of why so many people loved Cheer, there was also a strategy (system) for this team to reach its goal.  This was such a great reminder of the importance of listening to the coach, following the lead, and having a plan b (c,d,e) for when things don’t go as planned (which is the case for most situations).  This important lesson is all about planning and preparation—something that is so important to almost everything we do in work/business and life.  This lesson here helped me enormously in parenting, I had a system, I had a plan, a schedule and this allowed my family to operate in a smooth way (among the chaos of the baby and toddler years).   While it seems so obvious, it is always an important reminder to know your plan and “preparation, preparation, preparation”.

So, if you watched Cheer already you might agree with what I have said here.  If you have not watched it I recommend you do.  It will draw you in more as you watch it, so stick with it and be sure you watch with an open heart and mind.  Not everything in the series will be something you agree with or like, don’t let that deter you from the awesome lessons, and the positive vibe to be had from watching this.   With all that is on television, this short series is time well spent that will hopefully open your heart, mind, and spirit to all the life lessons we already know, yet somehow need to be reminded of over and over and over again.  Cheers!