Kory Cheshire Talks Volleyball & Book Club
May 04, 2017 | Women's Volleyball
Recently, junior outside hitter Kory Cheshire took time from offseason workouts to discuss how the Beavers are working together to become better in 2017.
Explain to the public, future Beavs, and alumni why we hold Book Club Meetings.
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Every week at 7:30 a.m., you can find the Oregon State Volleyball team huddled around a wooden table in the upstairs conference room in Gill Coliseum. You might think we're holding a pre-practice meeting, watching video, going over scouting reports, etc. … but what we're doing is a thing we like to call Book Club.
This past year, our team came to the realization that we had dysfunctions and we weren't at our best as a team. We had come off another season in which we hadn't reached our goal of making the NCAA Tournament; frustrations were high in the locker room.
As a group, we embarked on a challenge to change our culture, to be a better team and even better teammates. At the beginning of winter term, we were handed a copy of, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team," by Patrick Lencioni. As players, we were skeptical at first, thinking this was just something else the coaches were throwing into everything else we're asked to juggle as student-athletes. However, it didn't take long before we realized this book was going to help us.
We would read a chapter or two, and then meet up during the week and discuss. We discussed how the team in the book was struggling, why they were struggling and what we thought needed to change. Then we turned to ourselves; what were our struggles?
We struggled to trust each other and to hold each other accountable, among other issues. We picked apart our weaknesses and collaborated on how to make them our strengths.
When you walk into the conference room, despite what you might assume, there is no hierarchy, everyone is equal. Every person contributes. Every opinion is a priority. By using our values as a foundation and having input from the complete team we made progress. Together we bonded. We bonded by listening to each other, even if we didn't agree. We learned about each other and from each other. Most importantly, we bought in.
Book Club may sound like an odd activity for a Pac-12 volleyball team but I fully believe that along with hard work on the court, it is going to be the reason we make it to the NCAA Tournament this coming season. Book Club has made us better teammates and a better team. It has exposed our weaknesses and allowed us to turn them into strengths. Our culture isn't yet complete but with each week and each meeting we get one step closer to truly embracing what it means to be a part of Oregon State Volleyball.
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How do you imagine new teammates learning and buying into our commitments and culture where we value Book Club learnings?
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How I imagine new teammates learning about and buying into our program values at Oregon State by imagining them attending their first book club meeting.
They'll feel hesitant, and probably a bit anxious not knowing what to expect, how to act, what to say and what not to say. Entering the conference room will be a bit intimidating but what new teammates will soon learn is the conference room is a place of growth, learning and essentially bonding amongst the team.
Once they experience the discussion and the passion that is displayed through Book Club they'll have a better understanding of its impact and significance. In Book Club, players and coaches express feelings, opinions, ideas and much more. Open discussion within the team enables us to learn about each other and from each other allowing us to move forward toward our goals. New teammates will learn what our values are, how to hold themselves and others accountable to them in an effective way. Book Club challenges each of us to be a better team member and as a result function more effectively as a team on and off the court.
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How is Book Club going to make Oregon State Volleyball better?Â
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Book Club makes Oregon State volleyball better in the sense that it provides a time and space for us to come together as a team and continue to reaffirm what we aspire to be. We aspire to function exceptionally as a team and be even better teammates to each other.
Our team is comprised of an array of individuals from many different places, each bringing to Book Club various opinions and experiences. Book Club allows us to embrace our diversity and use it to our advantage to be better teammates and work more effectively together. Engaging in discussion where everyone can voice their opinion and for us to use that to collaborate on what's best for the team and then commit to it is extremely advantageous. In the long term, having the tradition and expectation that everyone contributes and 'buys in' will produce high functioning teams that respect team values, perform at a high level and uphold an outstanding culture.
Â
Explain to the public, future Beavs, and alumni why we hold Book Club Meetings.
Â
Every week at 7:30 a.m., you can find the Oregon State Volleyball team huddled around a wooden table in the upstairs conference room in Gill Coliseum. You might think we're holding a pre-practice meeting, watching video, going over scouting reports, etc. … but what we're doing is a thing we like to call Book Club.
This past year, our team came to the realization that we had dysfunctions and we weren't at our best as a team. We had come off another season in which we hadn't reached our goal of making the NCAA Tournament; frustrations were high in the locker room.
As a group, we embarked on a challenge to change our culture, to be a better team and even better teammates. At the beginning of winter term, we were handed a copy of, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team," by Patrick Lencioni. As players, we were skeptical at first, thinking this was just something else the coaches were throwing into everything else we're asked to juggle as student-athletes. However, it didn't take long before we realized this book was going to help us.
We would read a chapter or two, and then meet up during the week and discuss. We discussed how the team in the book was struggling, why they were struggling and what we thought needed to change. Then we turned to ourselves; what were our struggles?
We struggled to trust each other and to hold each other accountable, among other issues. We picked apart our weaknesses and collaborated on how to make them our strengths.
When you walk into the conference room, despite what you might assume, there is no hierarchy, everyone is equal. Every person contributes. Every opinion is a priority. By using our values as a foundation and having input from the complete team we made progress. Together we bonded. We bonded by listening to each other, even if we didn't agree. We learned about each other and from each other. Most importantly, we bought in.
Book Club may sound like an odd activity for a Pac-12 volleyball team but I fully believe that along with hard work on the court, it is going to be the reason we make it to the NCAA Tournament this coming season. Book Club has made us better teammates and a better team. It has exposed our weaknesses and allowed us to turn them into strengths. Our culture isn't yet complete but with each week and each meeting we get one step closer to truly embracing what it means to be a part of Oregon State Volleyball.
 How do you imagine new teammates learning and buying into our commitments and culture where we value Book Club learnings?
Â
How I imagine new teammates learning about and buying into our program values at Oregon State by imagining them attending their first book club meeting.
They'll feel hesitant, and probably a bit anxious not knowing what to expect, how to act, what to say and what not to say. Entering the conference room will be a bit intimidating but what new teammates will soon learn is the conference room is a place of growth, learning and essentially bonding amongst the team.
Once they experience the discussion and the passion that is displayed through Book Club they'll have a better understanding of its impact and significance. In Book Club, players and coaches express feelings, opinions, ideas and much more. Open discussion within the team enables us to learn about each other and from each other allowing us to move forward toward our goals. New teammates will learn what our values are, how to hold themselves and others accountable to them in an effective way. Book Club challenges each of us to be a better team member and as a result function more effectively as a team on and off the court.
Â
How is Book Club going to make Oregon State Volleyball better?Â
Â
Book Club makes Oregon State volleyball better in the sense that it provides a time and space for us to come together as a team and continue to reaffirm what we aspire to be. We aspire to function exceptionally as a team and be even better teammates to each other.
Our team is comprised of an array of individuals from many different places, each bringing to Book Club various opinions and experiences. Book Club allows us to embrace our diversity and use it to our advantage to be better teammates and work more effectively together. Engaging in discussion where everyone can voice their opinion and for us to use that to collaborate on what's best for the team and then commit to it is extremely advantageous. In the long term, having the tradition and expectation that everyone contributes and 'buys in' will produce high functioning teams that respect team values, perform at a high level and uphold an outstanding culture.
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Players Mentioned
MB
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