Seth Godin says culture can be boiled down to 11 words – “This is who we are and this is what we do.”
John U. Bacon
In John U. Bacon’s excellent book Let Them Lead: Unexpected Lessons In Leadership From America’s Worst High School Hockey Team, he makes the following comments about why he was willing to apply for the head coaching job of the winless Ann Arbor Huron High School River Rats:
- “I wanted to build something with others, something that felt like family, something that could last.”
- “I did want it – badly.”
- “I wanted to save the program from leaving the Metro League, being demoted to club status, or disbanding altogether.”
- “I wanted to turn the team around.”
- “I wanted the coaches and players to build something special together.”
- “I wanted them to want to do those things.”
- “I wanted every one of them to feel that, as soon as they opened the door to our locker room.”
- “I wanted them to walk through the hallways in the new T-shirts, sweats, and jerseys declaring who they were and what they stood for.”
- “I wanted them to get emotional at the senior banquet, fighting back tears while saying goodbye to an experience that had stamped them forever.”
- “I wanted those things, but I figured they were not the end itself, but would come as the by-products of a bigger mission.”
- “I wanted to be part of something they all wanted to be a part of too.”
- “I wanted everyone to feel that we were accomplishing something bigger than just winning games.”
- “I wanted to show the hockey world what a true team looked like every night, win or lose.”
- “I wanted our locker room to be the center of our work, our headquarters, the fire in the middle of our base camp.”
- “I wanted to lead a program I would have loved to have played for myself.”
Did you notice a consistent theme in Bacon’s words?
15 times he used the phrase “I wanted.” He clearly knows who he is, what he wants, and how to effectively communicate it.
After reading Bacon’s words, you begin to realize why so many leaders do not have winning cultures.
Many leaders simply do not know who they are and what they want. As a result, they certainly can’t communicate it with conviction.
These leaders willingly forego their convictions and desires for their preferred culture when faced with pressure from outside forces. I’ve seen a lack of clarity, limited options, money, pressure, indecisiveness, desire for comfort, and fear of conflict hijack many cultures leaders wished to have. When this happens, a losing or unhealthy culture is the result.
Ralf Rangnick
Successful soccer managers Roger Schmidt, Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann, Ralph Hasenhüttl, and Jurgen Klopp have cited their main coaching influence as Ralf Rangnick.
Recently, Rangnick spoke at a coaching symposium on what is necessary to become an elite manager. A portion of his session is shown in the video below. This is a masterclass on leadership at the highest level.
The following are key comments from Coach Rangnick’s presentation:
- “What is the job of a futbol head coach, to have a clear idea of how my team should play.” – Opening Comment and repeated at 2:25
- “What they all (great coaches) have in common that they exactly know how this kind of futbol they want to play, what it looks like they have in their brains, the video of a perfect game. They have it in their minds and on their minds and the job of a futbol manager is to transform this idea of futbol into the heads, hearts, brains, veins of your players. Motivation for me is a transfer of belief, conviction, an idea of futbol.” – 3:05
- “In order to do that (motivation) you need to be aware of what kind of futbol you really want to play.” – 3:54
- “The idea needs to be in your brains yourself first in order to be able to educate, to teach, to develop your own team.” – 4:21
- “This is what all the top coaches in Europe have in common.” – 4:32
The First Step In Creating A Winning Culture
These two great leaders give us a clear picture of the first step needed to create a winning culture. They are very clear on who they are, what they think, and how to communicate it. Are you?
For more on this topic, click 13 Components Of A Winning Culture.
The Top 60 Leadership Quotes From 2021 Part 1 is my latest ebook. For many entering a post-pandemic environment, leadership looks completely different than the pre-pandemic world. People are more broken now. They are more uncertain. Fear and anxiousness are unwelcome constant companions. Cultures are more unhealthy. Relationships are more dysfunctional. Hope seems to be in short supply. Every day seems to bring a new hacking, natural disaster, or unexpected calamity.
Therefore, the fundamentals of leadership are more important than ever. The quotes in this book deal with the basics of leadership. If you want to be the best leader you can possibly be, click HERE or on the image provided to download this FREE resource. The lessons learned from last year, if applied, will sustain you for years to come.