“Wholeheartedness is contagious. Give yourself, if you wish to get others.” ~David Seabury
In a recent CBS interview, Alan Gilbert—the retiring director of the New York Philharmonic, whose leadership has created “a period marked by warmth and chemistry, expectation and excitement”—said his vision for the musicians he conducted was not to make them better players, but rather to have them bring their “full selves” to whatever they played.
To connect to the piece and the audience, they first had to connect to themselves. “What’s important,” Gilbert said, “is that you bring your full measure of sincerity to the piece you’re playing. The audience knows when you’re connected to the music, they can feel it, and so they connect, too.”
To change playing fields:
In January of 2013, when Ray Lewis announced he would retire from the Baltimore Ravens, being the only player to play his entire pro-bowl career with one team, I knew they’d win the Super Bowl. I knew because I know human nature and I know what people are capable of achieving when they unite behind a potent leader. The team wanted to win for Ray. And they did, just one month after his announcement. Ray rode into the sunset with a big honking ring on his finger.
We had another great player, Payton Manning, quarterback of the Denver Broncos, retire a few weeks ago, also with a storybook ending. I’m a fan and a sentimental sort of gal, so his eighteen-year career, capped off by his second Super Bowl win, pleased my inner princess.
Yet the story of the Broncos coach, Gary Kubiac, more clearly demonstrates the point I’m trying to make. Fired by Texas two years ago, he moves to Denver to coach the Broncos. In only two years—two years!—he wins the Lombardi Trophy, becoming the only coach in NFL history to win the Super Bowl as a coach of a team for which he had once played.
And here’s a top reason why: In a post-game interview, one of his players remarked that when Kubiac first arrived, “Coach really took the time to connect with the players when he got here. Like you were a real person, not just a player.”
Do not underestimate the potential of human connection. It is powerful human motivation.
That’s the thing: All these men (in this case—I’m not dissing on women!) gave their all to their endeavors, teammates and themselves. They were disciplined and focused. Their leadership was whole-hearted. They emptied themselves every single performance.
They made their teammates want to win for them, because they felt connected to them.
You can make a case for integrity, or courage, or talent, or any number of factors that fuel leadership development. I suggest the secret is taking the time to really connect with the guys who play along side you.
Whether you like them or not is beside the point, connecting with them, and earning their trust, that’s the point.
People will play hard for people they like, but they’ll play whole-heartedly for someone they trust and respect.
No matter what the playing field.
“The best way to inspire people to superior performance is to convince them by everything you do and by your everyday attitude that you are wholeheartedly supporting them.” ~Harold S. Geneen
