Greg Styles Articles

Within the world of sport, as in the world of business, there are those who exemplify good leadership principles, and there are those who do not. Typically we would expect the coach to be one of the former, although unfortunately that is often not the case. The following are two examples of coaches addressing their respective teams failure to produce (i.e. they lost their games). You will see clearly each teams success prognosis is intimately connected to their coaches ability to communicate effectively.

Situation 1: Coach Charlie Weiss
On Saturday, October 15th of 2005 the Fighting Irish of The University of Notre Dame were beaten by the Trojans of The University of Southern California in the last seconds of the game, a game characterized by controversy surrounding the officiating. During the press conference following the game Head Coach Charlie Weiss attributed the loss to a failure by his team to execute in all phases of the game.

Situation 2: Coach Jim Haslett
On Sunday, October 16th of 2005 the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League lost to the Atlanta Falcons as time expired. This too was a game mired in officiating controversy. At the post game press conference following the game Coach Haslett attributed the loss directly to inferior officiating.

Analysis:
In professional and college athletics the head coach sets the tone for the entire organization. It is easy to see, given the brief vignettes above, why these two programs are headed in opposite directions on the success continuum.

When Coach Weiss attributes failure to his player’s lack of execution he is providing them a very important tool for future struggles: perceived control. Placing the onus on his players orients the control, and ultimately the solution, squarely within the realm of the players influence – they can do something about sub par execution. He is saying “I know you can execute, I expect you to execute, and in execution is success!” The tone set by this message, throughout the organization, is one of positive control and response. In essence, Coach Weiss has provided his players with a valuable lesson in achievement: Take responsibility for what you have control over, execute with utmost diligence, and focus on what you can control – not on what you cannot!.

Coach Haslett effectively communicates the opposite to his team, a team who already likely experiences a heightened sense of helplessness following their displacement from New Orleans as a result of hurricane Katrina. Coach Haslett, by giving most of the power over the Saints winning or losing to the officials, only heightens that organizations sense of lack of control. He says to his players “It doesn’t matter whether you execute or not, the outcome is out of your control!” Therefore, so is the solution! The tone set is obviously one of despair, vulnerability, and exposure. Responsibility for the team’s success is taken away from the players and given to forces outside of themselves – very much like Katrina!

In closing, effective leaders communicate their belief in the abilities of those they lead to solve problems and effect solutions. Externalizing the power to solve problems only results in helplessness and ambivalence, fostering a culture of failure acceptance. When a leader is feeding, rather then counteracting, that “culture of failure” he or she must seek outside assistance. Engaging the services of a Mastermind Coach will assist the leader in regaining their perspective, eliminating the helplessness, and orient them towards positive action. Seek help or continue to cultivate a breeding ground for failure…it’s your choice!