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Football season has just begun and lots of high school and
college coaches are pretty frustrated right now. Many are trying to figure out why their kids (athletes)
aren’t getting it. And many haven’t
realized that as a coach, you can’t just show up in August and try to coach a
kid real hard. Coaches have to build
trust and relationships, which in-turn affords opportunities to drive kids
harder – to get more out of them. When a
coach spends time getting to know a young athlete, long before and after a
season begins, the ground becomes increasingly fertile to push a kid harder and
to maximize his or her potential.
The same can be said for many organizations – even within the
"Amazons" of the world. If people have a
desire to work, and there is a high regard for them as a person, coupled with a
high regard for productivity – you have a winning formula. This is particularly true when expectations are set early and often, and workers know that you have their best interests in mind. In our context, a high concern for people and their safety combined with a high
concern for productivity is a great match!
But it takes a special leader, coach, and teacher who can help workers on those two levels.
As my old college teammate and current high school football
coach, Pat Conochan says, “if you want to coach a kid real hard, you have to
show up long before August – well before the season begins." And “if kids aren’t getting it, you either
better find a better way to teach them or get out of coaching. Because guess what? It’s not the kid’s fault.”
And so it is to a large extent with many leaders and
certainly with employee safety. You better "show up well
before August" if you want to get the most out of your people. And if your people aren’t “getting it” and
are still getting hurt – you better find better ways to support them and to
teach, or you may need to find a new way to earn a living, because guess
what? It’s not their fault.
Finally, I have to give credit to Bruce Arians, head coach of the Arizona Cardinals who says, "coach 'em hard and hug 'em later."
David,
ReplyDeleteThe Marine Corps is really big on coaching people throughout the mission and hugging them later.
The most effective leaders I have worked under push hard, but ultimately make the deep care they feel for their subordinates known. It all goes back to the whole "hard but fair" phrase you always hear (especially about well-known military leaders).
Another phrase that embodies this way of thinking is "Mission First, People Always". At the end of the day we are working to fulfill the mission of the company we work for. To get the most out of our employees, we have to push for mission accomplishment while making our deep care for their well-being known. Employers who miss the mark experience high turnover, high incident rates, and low morale. These employers push for mission accomplishment at the expense of their employees. Instead, employees should be treated as partners in the venture; no business owner would knowingly throw a partner with vested interest in the success of the company under the bus. To get the best out of our employees, we have to give them our best every day.
I hope I didn't ramble too much. I am truly honored that you would want my opinion on leadership. I have not heard you speak, but I am a fan of the articles you have written for ISHN.
Regards,
Dave Knight
Thanks so much, David!!!
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