10 Practices Of Successful Leaders When Things Go Wrong

If you are anything like me there are times in your leadership when it feels like everything you touch turns out bad, really bad.  Nothing works like it should.  Your competencies and ideas which were once so insightful do not work anymore.  Your networks and connections do not seem to be helping.  Statements and motives are misinterpreted.  It is almost like you have forgotten everything you knew about leadership.

Have you ever been there?  Of course you have if you have been in leadership long enough.  No leader is immune.

This is why I enjoyed Andrew Luck’s fourth quarter comeback against the Houston Texans on Sunday evening so much.  Trailing 21-3 at halftime, Luck led a 2nd half comeback winning the game 27-24.

In just 24 starts, Luck has already engineered 10 fourth quarter comebacks.  Mike Wells of ESPN.com recapped the win and Luck’s ability to perform under pressure.

As I read the article (click here), I gleaned 10 Practices Of Successful Leaders When Things Go Wrong.

1. When Things Go Wrong Successful Leaders Create Unity – After a slow start, Luck needed to keep the offensive line together.
2. When Things Go Wrong Successful Leaders Instill Confidence In Others – Without star wideout Reggie Wayne in the lineup, Luck needed his young receivers to believer in themselves.
3. When Things Go Wrong Successful Leaders Remain Consistent – Tight end and teammate going back to his days at Stanford Coby Fleener said, “He doesn’t surprise me. That’s the complex answer that I can give. Pretty much there’s nothing he does that surprises me.”
4. When Things Go Wrong Successful Leaders Stay Calm – Luck said, “I think there was some frustration. There definitely was some frustration. I don’t think anybody was not frustrated. But I think cooler heads prevailed.
5. When Things Go Wrong Successful Leaders Are Sympathetic – Nothing makes leaders sympathetic more than having poor performance themselves.  Luck had a poor first half completing only 3 of 12 passes for 56 yards.
6. When Things Go Wrong Successful Leaders Find A Way – Linebacker and the team’s best defensive player Robert Mathis said, “He does it some kind of way. We don’t have a normal quarterback. We have a winner.”
7. When Things Go Wrong Successful Leaders Make Strategic Changes – Throughout the first half of the season, offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton was committed primarily to the running game.  During the second half, he finally made the decision to allow unleash Luck.
8. When Things Go Wrong Successful Leaders Look To Their Teammates For Help – During the second half comeback, Luck completed passes to seven different receivers.
9. When Things Go Wrong Successful Leaders Finish Well – Despite a poor first half, Luck completed 6 of 8 passes in the fourth quarter for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
10. When Things Go Wrong Successful Leaders Are Resilient – Head Coach Chuck Pagano said, “I don’t know if there’s a tougher QB in the league and one that can make the plays under the duress that he was under and extend plays.  The guy just continues to keep showing up late in games.”

Create Unity, Instill Confidence, Remain Consistent, Stay Calm, Show Sympathy, Find A Way, Make Strategic Changes, Look To Your Teammates, Finish Well, and Be Resilient.  If you practice these 10 things, you too may be successful when things go wrong.

To subscribe to this site and get my latest FREE eBook 649 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From The 2013 Passion, Exponential, Orange, Chick-Fil-A Leadercast Conferences click here or on the image to the left.