It’s my birthday weekend, and also my grandfather’s. As you’ll read below, he was a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, and that’s the main reason I love the team so much. He was a simple man in a lot of ways, but a man of great integrity and wisdom. I like to think that we’re a lot alike, and I strive every day to live a purposeful life, as he did. It’s been a tough few weeks to be a Cowboys fan, but the season isn’t over, and as long as you’re breathing, there’s still time to shine … Are you ready for your shot to be a leader? Let’s flashback to 2016 …
In case you haven’t been able to tell ― I’m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan. You could say I was born a Cowboys fan. My grandfather who raised me was a big fan, and everyone in my family are fans (except for my biological father who obviously didn’t last long in the family). I was recently watching a documentary program in Dallas called Deep Blue, and they were telling the story of how Jason Garrett became the new head coach in the middle of the 2010-2011 season.
I was struck by something former Quarterback Jon Kitna said, “You never know how your opportunity (to be a leader) is coming, but you better be ready when it does come. And the time you think you’re not getting that opportunity, you’re caught off guard. I was watching (Garrett) going, ‘This is unbelievable.’ Clearly, he’s been prepared for this for years ahead of time. Clearly, he had a file of ‘when my chance comes’ with things he had gained from Bill Parcels, from Jimmy Johnson and from Tom Cofflin all these coaches, these great coaches he’d been around … It’s like they were all standing there in the person of one person totally prepared, didn’t stutter, didn’t pause … I just remember (being) just in awe of this guy.”
The documentary showed that Garrett was named head coach on Monday afternoon, and by the time the players arrived for their Wednesday morning meeting, Garrett had inspirational signs printed and hung all around the training facility at Valley Ranch. It was if he was taking instructions from God’s playbook, “And the Lord answered me and said, ‘Write the vision and make it plain upon tables that he may run that reads it,’” Habakkuk 2:2. I think it’s important to be surrounded by inspirational quotes — I have them all over my space.
One thing I learned studying Cognitive Psychology is that you need to employ several sensory inputs to cement something into your memory. So just looking at something isn’t enough. You need to read it out loud, then meditate on it — I’m not talking about sitting cross legged on the floor chanting “Ohm;” I’m talking about really thinking about what you are reading and coming up with ways to apply it to your daily life.
Preparation and inspiration weren’t the only things Garrett employed immediately. He also stressed a technique that’s very popular right now in the psychotherapy world.
“One of the things I always talk to the players about is embracing the moment, embracing the day,” Garrett said in his initial press conference as head coach. (There goes that theme of present-mindedness again!)
Mark Sanborn writing for Entrepeneur.com offers these ways to become a great leader:
- Keep promises, period. Never make promises you’re not sure you can keep. Nothing kills your credibility quicker than a breached promise or unfulfilled expectation. Sometimes keeping promises can be challenging, if not downright painful. This commitment will develop discipline and integrity.
- Dress to influence. Don’t dress to impress, dress to influence. That means making sure your appearance is consistent with your personal and professional brand. Begin by asking yourself how a leader with your aspirations should appear to others. And don’t limit appearance to just yourself. Apply it to your company.
- Treat your team as you expect them to treat customers. Being the leader doesn’t give you a free pass to indulge your base instincts. The way you treat people is a barometer to everyone on your team.
- Show your commitment to personal growth. There are ultimately only two ways to grow your business: grow yourself and grow your team. As you and your team improve, so do service levels, operational efficiency and everything else.
- Ask — rather than wait — for feedback. Some leaders react to unsolicited feedback as criticism and miss an opportunity to learn. But waiting for your employees to become brave enough to offer you feedback is a risky proposition. Don’t ask employees what they like or dislike about you. You’ll get better information by asking: “In your opinion, what might I do to become a more effective leader?” Listen for actionable behavior. If someone says you’d be more effective by communicating more clearly, ask for an example of when you haven’t, so you’ll understand what he or she means.
While becoming a head coach of an NFL team is a big reason to be prepared to be a leader, leadership starts at home. Whether you’re raising a family, teaching a class, heading a group or starting your own business, these same strategies can be used in everyday life.
If you enjoy this content and would like to read Senée’s books for free, get on the Royal Team. For more information on how to have successful relationships and peace of mind, check out the bookstore today!
