Todd Bowles' 5 Questions

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach Todd Bowles routinely asks his team a few questions we'd be wise to consider daily:

1. Do you know your job inside and out?

2. How good do you want to be?

3. How much did it take for you to get here?

4. How much will you lose when you leave here?

5. How hungry are you?

"Accountability doesn't mean yelling," Bowles tells his team. "It means talking to one another, holding each other accountable for the job that you want to do."

Imagine starting your day asking these of yourself and your team.

When we address these questions daily, we can then stay the course, avoid becoming distracted, and turn into the best teammates we can be.

By providing answers continually, we re-enforce our commitment to those we lead and ourselves. Bowles reminds his team that what they do isn't work because it's a game they played in high school for free — and loved even then. Before any of us started our professional careers, we would have positively answered the questions.

So what has changed?

Boredom? Maybe.

Comfort? Perhaps.

Greed? No.

Envy? Without a doubt, YES.

When we become envious, we lose our childlike desire to answer Bowles' five questions. Envy is the killer of all team bonding. We worry more about what others have instead of directing our attention to the aforementioned questions.

Aristotle defined it as "pain at the sight of another's good fortune, stirred by those who have what we ought to have."

When envy invades a locker room or any organization, it takes on a life of its own, ultimately becoming a cancer brewing inside a team.

As leaders, we must work extra hard to prevent the spread of discontent. Using the Bowles questionnaire, we can force people to acknowledge their envious behavior and refocus on what is best for the team. If we don't discuss envy as a problem each day, it will inevitably becomes one.

These questions addressed to those we lead will refocus their attention away from what others might have back to what really matters most: the team.

Bowles never raised his voice, yelled or personalized his message. He took responsibility for his actions instead of simply asking others to be like him.

Answer his questions honestly today and you will rid yourself of any envy you might possess.