The Foundation of Great Leadership
My Boise State Broncos were struggling last year. Performance was lagging and team morale was low—until Coach Danielson stepped in with three regular-season games remaining.
From that point on, the mood shifted and so did performance on the field, ending the season with three straight wins and a conference championship.
Fast forward to this season, and the Broncos continue to climb the ranks.
What's the magic behind Coach D's leadership? I think it all comes down to this...
-
Well, my husband and I have been season ticket holders for Boise State Football now for I think about 14 years. We are huge fans. My husband went to Boise State and growing up in Boise, you just naturally become a Bronco fan from a young age.
Thankfully, this year we are having an awesome season. We are currently ranked 15th in the country, and if you were to ask me what is driving the success this year, of course there are a number of factors, but as a leadership consultant, I am going to go and look at the coaching staff.
Coach Danielson stepped in as the head coach toward the end of last season and has continued as the head coach this year. And it is clear that he genuinely loves that team. He genuinely cares about the players on that team, and I think they can feel that. If you go and watch any social media videos of him in the locker room with them, him engaging with them, it is just so clear that he genuinely cares about them and they feel that and they want to go out and win games for Coach D. You can just see it.
And so my question for you today is, does your team feel like you genuinely care about them? And do they want to go to battle for you because they can feel that love from their manager? Yes, I used the word love. If not, this is the foundation of your leadership.
I love what Patrick Lencioni says about servant leadership. He says that there really isn't any other type. A leader either becomes a manager because they want to serve and care for their people, or they become a manager because they want to pursue their own gain.
And so I would challenge you - be like Coach D, demonstrate that genuine care for your team. And when you do, they will want to go to extreme lengths to rally behind you, to pursue team success, because they feel the love and care from their manager.