The Coach
This Is the Reason I'm Here
The young coach had just become the head man of
a prominent university’s football program. He was
simultaneously feeling his oats and complaining about
the constant flow of unwelcome advice and controversy.
That is an odd combination, but not uncommon for
immature leaders.
The phone rang, and the coach’s mentor of twenty years
came on the line. The conversation began cheerfully, but
degenerated into a coach-speak rant when the new job came
up. “I cannot get to blocking and tackling because of all the
interruptions!” he moaned.
After a poignant pause the older man said, “Oh, I’m sorry,
but I thought you were the head coach.” “Yeah, well, I’m the
head coach,” responded the angry youngster, sensing a trap.
“Well,” said the wise man, “If you are indeed a head coach,
then the interruptions are your job. Mature leaders are in
charge of interruptions.”
I should know something about maturity at this stage of life.
Wise leaders do indeed handle the interruptions without
being distracted from primary obligations. They refuse to
stumble into the sad refrain of the self absorbed: “I shouldn’t
have to deal with this!” Think about every tantrum you see,
hear, or perpetrate. Invariably each involves something that
“ought to be better or different, or should require less time
or energy.” The result is the waste of valuable time and
energy.
When asked about Bart Starr or John Unitas and the
reasons for their astonishing NFL quarterback careers, I
describe their sense of purpose and calm in the midst of
calamity. I never heard either of them say, “I shouldn’t be required to be blasted by your blitzing linebacker!” When
hammered by a free rusher, Bart Starr said absolutely
nothing - ever. Unitas’ favorite action refrain was, “Talk’s
cheap. Let’s go play.” Neither of them even changed
expression on terrible plays or, for that matter, great plays. I
believe their stoicism in the face of adversity is the primary
reason our teams thought no one could beat us with them at
the helm.
Psychologist William James wrote, “Wisdom is the art
of knowing what to overlook.” As leaders, we have an
obligation to develop that form of wisdom with time and
experience. When adversity strikes, the wise leader is so
well prepared that his or her immediate thought is:
When a leader believes that, three things occur:
- Panic disappears. Goals are reconfirmed, and good
decisions are made.
- The team settles down and resumes its rhythm.
- Virtually everyone becomes more confident because of the
example of the leader.
The young coach mentioned above was yours truly, and
the wise man was and is my lifelong friend Dr. Herb Barks.
What Dr. Barks did for me that day was to accelerate the
“wisdom” process when I was most in need. When leaders
live like that, it is fun to go to work, no matter what!
A former Super Bowl and All-Pro lineman in the National Football League, Bill Curry is now the head football coach at Georgia State University
and a Distinguished Executive Fellow at the Robinson College. Coach Curry’s column is a regular feature of State of Business.
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