Trust over Rules
TRUST OVER RULES
If you win trust, you don't need rules.
You will most likely never get 100% of the people you lead to trust you. But, you can get 75% or even higher to trust you and be totally bought in.
Often the problem is that we make rules because we have this 25% that we need to manage. When we do that, we actually create an environment where the 75% slowly start acting and responding like the 25%.
As one coach says "I am going to trust that you want to be great in all you do...so I am going to treat you and coach you that way."
The best leaders are able to win trust, inspire, and communicate a clear and compelling vision that a large majority will buy into.
HERE is a link with an example of how to lead with trust
IT'S REALLY HARD
It is hard to win trust. It takes work. There is a ton of nuance to it. If it were easy, there would be more programs and organizations that have elite cultures.
When we lead with trust, the work is on the front end. As we build more and more trust, we shift the dynamics from us (coach/leader) vs. them (athletes/employee) to us journeying together...where the leader is simply a guide.
When we lead with rules, it is easy on the front end (making rules) and harder on the back end...constantly fighting your athletes to follow the rules they are intuitively or consciously trying to break.
Most people will intuitively respond better to a leader who shows trust. Showing trust brings to light the Pygmalion Effect. This is when we show belief in someone that they can do something and that causes them to rise up and achieve at a higher level than otherwise possible.
On the flip side, when we put handcuffs and rules on people, this is highly demotivating and actually increases the chance of lower performance or achievement.
To phrase it another way, leading with trust creates an environment where your people are more intrinsically motivated vs extrinsically motivated.
PUSHBACK
The pushback to this idea is "Well, if I were at a power 4 school with those facilities, resources, and types of athletes, I would be able to do that as well."
They don't do this because they are at a Power 4 school. They do this because they know this is how you create the best environment. This is done at whatever school they are currently at which allows them to get the Power 4 job.
Side note: I am not enamored with the Power 4 level. Some of the best leaders I have been around are a D2 basketball coach, a D3 softball coach, a D2 soccer coach, etc.
I am simply making the point that being at the Power 4 level doesn't allow you to finally lead with trust over rules. Great leaders do that at any and all levels, which helps get them promoted up the 'food chain' if they so desire.
Leading with trust over rules is hard work, takes time and intentionality, and can be messy, but in the end, it is what makes an organization's environment great!
Click here to learn about/order my book The Leadership Greenhouse
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One of my weekly disciplines is scouring the internet for articles/tweets I can learn from and/or use with those I work with. Below are two that I hope help encourage and equip you.
Article 1- The heart of a coach
Article 2- The more leadership you have, the more maturity is needed
Podcast- Eddie Smith, baseball coach - U of Washington.
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