LEADERS STRIVE TO BE GREAT ROLE MODELS FOR THEIR TEAMS
Last week I said in this newsletter that leaders must learn to lead themselves before they can be effective at leading other people. Learning to lead ourselves involves mustering the courage to look in the mirror, growing aware of how we are showing up for our colleagues, direct reports, managers and clients.
When we give ourselves permission to look in the mirror and acknowledge how we are showing up, we can then create goals for being more effective leaders. Then we can identify specific strategies for achieving those growth goals.
I was reminded of this critical process last week when I read a profile of Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez is the head coach for the Washington Spirit, a team in the Women’s Professional Soccer League. Their best player is Trinity Rodman. If you are a professional basketball fan, you may remember that last name: Trinity is the daughter of famous – some would say infamous – NBA star Dennis Rodman.
In this article, Gonzalez describes the process by which he has evolved into a successful professional soccer coach. When he was coaching a Japanese youth soccer club in 2017 after succeeding with a similar team in Spain, Gonzalez “assumed he could defuse any culture shock, leave bedside manner at the door and seamlessly share his coaching acuity. But as his ego interfered, his instructions got lost in translation. He and his team suffered the consequences.”
“I was blaming, complaining and judging,” he admitted. “They just don’t understand me.”
What did Gonzalez do?
According to this profile,
-“He committed to change.
-He traded arrogance for empathy.
-He read up on self-awareness, emotional intelligence and other sports psychology principles.
With a newfound emphasis on the human side of coaching came clearer tactical communication.”
Gonzalez admitted, “From there I haven’t stopped. I invest a lot of time in myself…trying to know myself as much as possible, being aware, trying to manage my emotions, my mindset.”
Gonzalez is not just about winning or placing his players in the best positions to score goals or defend against the opponent scoring goals. He strives to treat each of his players as human beings first and soccer players second.
As the profile says, his overarching “mantra is a thirst to understand. By understanding his players as athletes, he aims to shape an on-field identity suited to their skills. By understanding his players as people, he strives to unlock their potential. By letting them understand him, Gonzalez hopes to foster a culture of open communication.”
“He’s very vulnerable, Spirit captain Aubrey Kingsbury said. He’s very honest. He’s always been up front with us about how he’s feeling emotionally, and I think that’s really important. It just creates an environment where everyone can be authentic themselves.”
Another player, Brittany Ratcliffe, added: “Obviously, he sees us…But it takes another level of effort by him to get to know us as people.”
Leaders strive for more productivity from their teammates, enhanced results, and a more profitable bottom line .
And that is not sufficient for great leadership.
Leaders must intentionally choose to get to know their team members as people first and as employees second. Every single person with whom you work wants to be valued as an integral part of your group, and you as a leader can make that happen.
Just like Adrian Gonzalez.
If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!
-Larry