Your team is what you make of it! The captain is not necessarily the fittest person on the team, or any kind of diet expert. But the captain IS the driver and the enthusiast - responsible for keeping teammates engaged and on track, setting the tone and the example for others, even when times get tough!
Key Responsibilities:
1) Get a great team together
As captain, you can:
- remove members of your team if someone joins your team without having been invited,
- get help from HealthyWage if you need assistance completing your team (contact us!),
- recruit for new teammates by inviting coworkers, family or friends, or
- by posting in the "Recruiting" feed on the dashboard.
You don't need to know all your teammates before starting! But get to know them, use the "Team Huddle" feed to introduce teammates and break the ice. Here's a great team success story about some strangers who came together and won their challenge - read about The Road Less Padded.
2) Hold your team accountable
When you're part of a team, someone else's problem is everyone's problem! Ideally everyone on your team will hold one another to their part, but as the Captain you should step up to the job. Set the expectation that everyone gets weighed-in within the first two weeks of the challenge (ideally, sooner), and they will communicate the good, the bad, and the ugly! Use your team huddle to keep things private to just your team.
Ways to increase accountability:
- the best leaders lead by doing, so make sure to get your weight verified, weigh-in weekly to earn your ribbons, share your progress with your team, and complete mini-challenges even if others aren't following (yet),
- ask how you can help! Let everyone know it's ok to struggle, but it helps if they allow others in on the issue so they can chime in and help,
- set up small contests within your group! Things like who walks the most steps today or this week wins a token prize, or the person who logs their food most consistently, or the person who loses the most in a week...you get the idea!
3) Know your stuff
We did already tell you that you don't have to be a nutrition or fitness expert to be a great captain! And that is true, but what you do need to know are the rules of the challenge! Make sure you know key dates and understand the rules for winning so you can help your team stay on target from the get go. We've listed a few general pieces of info for you below, but please be sure to read through the rules and FAQs of your challenge, and check the "Dates and Deadlines" widget on your dashboard for specifics!
- Starting verified weigh-ins are accepted between the start of the challenge (not before) and for the next 30 days. The sooner you (and your teammates) get verified, the better your chances of winning!
- Ending verified weigh-ins are accepted two weeks prior to the end date, through the last day of the challenge.
- Weekly weigh-ins do not have to be (and should not be) verified! These are submitted by clicking the "unofficial weigh-in" navigation button. These are for accountability purposes, and unofficial team rankings.
Resources:
Contact HealthyWage:
Email: info@healthywage.com (fastest)
Phone: (888) 636-3832
Fax: (651) 964-3499
Here are some screenshots to help you and your teammates get around your dashboard:
Rules/FAQ Links
The specific rules and FAQs of your challenge can be found by clicking the links shown below. If you are participating with an employer, there will sometimes be an additional link here that reads "Weigh-In Locations," for locations near your office.
Unofficial Weigh-in / Verified Weigh-in Buttons
- Click "Unofficial Weigh-in" to enter an updated weekly weight (this will earn a ribbon once a week) and to see weight history.
- Click "Verified Weigh-in" to open the Verified Weigh-in Portal, read weigh-in instructions, and submit verified weights (starting and ending).
Coach / Everyone / Team Huddle Tabs
Switch between the Coach, Everyone, and Team Huddle Tabs by clicking on the word. The Coach tab shows the latest Coach comments and replies. Posts and replies here are visible to everyone in the challenge. The Everyone tab shows new posts, photos and replies by teammates and others participating in the challenge. Everything in the "Everyone" tab is also visible to everyone participating in the challenge. The "Team Huddle" tab is private to just your team. Only your current teammates will be able to see posts, photos and replies shared here.
Dates & Deadlines Widget
Click the arrow on the right to open/close widgets. Find important dates for your challenge in the Dates & Deadlines widget, as shown below.
