Work Hard for the Person Next to You

SwimMAC Senior 1 North and Shark 2 North Group Motto: “Work hard for the person next to you.”

As a coach, I believe deeply in the power of group. Not simply the idea of a team in the traditional sense (though that matters) but the truth that our individual success is intimately tied to the strength of the group around us.

When you are on a team, every individual achievement is rooted in the collective energy and effort of the group. In swimming, of all sports, this is often undervalued or overlooked entirely. In a sport that is fundamentally “individual” i.e. when you dive off the blocks and race you are alone, it’s easy to think of your success or failure as purely individual. But in my experience: when an athlete contributes to the group positively with their effort, attitude, approach, and language. That lifts the group and in turn the group lifts them.

Why we say “work hard for the person next to you”?

Because I believe the most meaningful way to win is by lifting someone else. Because service to your teammate creates a flow of positive energy that returns to you. Because of the humble work in the early morning, the extra rep, the encouraging word builds a culture where excellence is the by-product, not the finish line. This drives purpose which drives culture, a culture of excellence in and out of the pool.

Service: your work is meant to help others

In Stoic philosophy, service and the common good are central. From The Little Book of Stoicism:

“A person cannot attain anything good for himself unless he contributes some service to the community.”

In Christian thought, serving others is more than altruism: it’s foundational. Consider:

“For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13–14) “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

And in Buddhism, service arises from compassion and the interconnectedness of all beings:

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” — Buddha

“Compassion as an impetus for selfless service to others … ‘If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path.’”

When you frame “work hard for the person next to you” as service, the act becomes meaningful not just for the teammate in front of you, but for you and the entire group. You build more than results you build character, connection and culture. This goes beyond the pool and will serve them for the rest of their lives.

The “flow” of positive energy

Energy in a training environment is contagious and can be for good or bad. If one athlete comes into the pool with focus, effort, encouragement, that transmits. If one comes in with negativity, defeatism or self-isolation, that too transmits.

When you “work hard for the person next to you,” you are actively investing in the energy of the group: you raise the bar, you signal commitment and model a supportive mindset. That energy flows and over time you will see better individual performance because of the group culture.

Linking culture to elite performance

High‐level sports are punishing. As Coach Eddie Reese once said: “People don’t choose swimming; swimming chooses them.” The endurance, discipline, and sacrifice required are immense. A positive, supportive training environment, in which everyone’s effort counts for someone else, that becomes a competitive advantage. When the group culture is strong, output increases. When one person lifts another, the whole lifts. The research on cohesion supports this: athletes in groups with strong cohesion engaged more, coped with stress better, and ultimately could perform at a higher level.

An example from practice

One of my favorite team culture exercises: I have the athletes stand in a circle. I ask one athlete to symbolically give their hard work to the person on their right by placing their hand on that person’s head. That person then gives their work to the next, and so on around the circle. Eventually the first person receives the energy back. What this teaches is: your work for another is an investment that will travel and will return. You’re committed to someone else now; they are committed to someone else; and the chain is unbroken. It visually and physically communicates: we are in this together. That moment is a bridge from abstract talk to embodied culture. We are all a part of it, no breaks in the chain, we are all made better.

When an Athlete Is Struggling

As coaches and parents, one of the most powerful moments to reinforce culture is when an athlete is struggling. Fatigue, frustration, or self-doubt are inevitable in a long season, but these moments are also opportunities to teach resilience and connection.

When a swimmer feels like they’re falling behind or “not good enough,” their instinct may be to retreat inward. This is where “work hard for the person next to you” becomes a mental tool for adversity. Remind them that struggle doesn’t isolate them it connects them. When they turn outward, focusing on helping or encouraging a teammate, they shift from self-protection to service. That shift changes everything.

In Stoic philosophy, Marcus Aurelius wrote, “What brings no benefit to the hive brings none to the bee.” The idea is simple: we thrive when we act for the good of others. Teaching this principle in practice gives athletes a way to transform difficult moments into meaningful ones. When a swimmer encourages a teammate, even when they’re tired, frustrated, or off their game they’re training their mind to stay steady under pressure.

There’s also real science behind this. Research in psychology shows that expressing encouragement or gratitude triggers neurochemical responses (dopamine and oxytocin) that lift mood, focus, and even physical endurance. So, when an athlete offers a kind word or stays engaged despite their own struggle, they’re not just helping someone else they’re strengthening themselves physiologically and mentally.

As a coach, this is where culture becomes character. When you model and reinforce that “helping another helps you,” athletes begin to see their challenges not as setbacks but as shared growth. They learn that when they serve the group especially on the hard days the group, in turn, serves them back.

The goal isn’t to shield them from struggle, but to teach them how to walk through it together. That is the quiet power behind “working hard for the person next to you.”

How you build this culture on your team

Here are actionable steps coaches can implement to build a group culture that values service, compassion, community and leveraging each other’s strengths:

1. Define the motto and anchor it: This could be any motto that works for your team/group, this is just what has worked for me: Make “Work hard for the person next to you” more than words. Put it on walls, say it at each practice start, incorporate it into your meetings.

2. Model it your­self: As a coach, demonstrate service. Use language like: “How’s he doing? What can you say? How can we help her get this? What do you need?”

3. Pair‐up service roles: Assign rotating partner roles where each athlete is responsible for encouraging, checking in with, or pushing a teammate.

4. Group rituals of giving: Use your circle‐exercise or similar gestures to embody the idea that effort isn’t just for self but for someone else.

5. Reflect explicitly: End the week with a 2-5 minute reflection: “Who did I work for today? Who next to me got better because I showed up?”

6. Celebrate service, not only output: Recognize athletes not only on times or splits, but on how they served the group: “I noticed Sarah stayed behind to get X for John — thank you.”

7. Establish norms of positive energy: Use language norms. For example: no negative talk; when someone struggles, teammates say, “I’ve got your back.” Negative energy is contagious; guard it.

8. Encourage humility and other‐orientation: Link back to the theological/spiritual roots: remind athletes (if appropriate) that greatness comes through service (Christian), through contributing to the community (Stoic), through compassion (Buddhist). Frame it in the bigger context of life, the BIG GAME/true victory.

9. Build together toward goals: Use team goals (not only individual goals) so that athletes see how their contribution matters for others. Set a target like “number of encouraging statements per week” or “number of sets where the group holds together” in addition to time goals.

10. Support stress management and growth mindset: Given that cohesion influences how athletes manage stress and engage. Use mental skills sessions to reinforce how serving others also strengthens you.

Final thought

I want to close with a personal story: When I was 13 years old I was invited to train with our senior group three times a week. During one of those practices we had a set of 75s (or maybe 125s I can’t exactly remember) but I remember being on the opposite side of the pool from my coach and the start end and feeling like I was drowning. I was on the verge of tears because I was not keeping up. The rest of the group was churning out reps, red-faced, breathing hard, but in control. I sat there, contemplating quitting the sport. Then one of the seniors in that group, Elliot, in between reps and heavy breaths said, “Julio, you got this!” He knew my name. He acknowledged me. That moment changed my life. I went from defeated, crying, ready to quit, to believing I could do it. One person’s effort to serve another created the turning point. And now decades later, I see how that simple act “working hard for the person next to you” continues to shape how I approach culture, coaching, community.

So, I challenge you: define for your group the importance of the person next to you. Then show up for them. Work hard for them. Over time, you’ll find your own performance and your group’s culture rising together.

Let’s build groups where each person’s effort becomes a gift to the next and a catalyst for all.