The interesting part of the game to me was the interaction between Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and his quarterback (at that point) Tommy Rees. In the fourth quarter, Notre Dame looked like a punch drunk fighter, holding on hoping not to get knocked out. No player looked worse than Rees. The problem was that you could see his confidence eroding with every series. As soon as he came off the field, Kelly was in his face about what he did wrong. He would take a couple of minutes and lambaste Rees for not picking up the right receiver, throwing into coverage, missing an open receiver and throwing an interception. The more he yelled, the worse Rees played. It looked like Kelly was yelling what not to do rather than paint the picture of what he should do. This is a common leadership mistake.
If you close your eyes and I ask you not to think of the number 3, what happens? It’s all you can think about. So it is with leadership. If you keep telling your team what not to do, that’s all they will be thinking about. Most people know what not to do-they don’t always know what to do. That's where a good leader comes in. A good leader will illustrate the vision of what excellence looks like and help their team move toward it. I remember coaching Little League baseball and telling the pitcher not to throw a ball. Of course he doesn’t want to throw a ball-but now he can’t help it because I’ve put the visual in his mind. Instead, I now tell him he’s a strike thrower. It’s a big difference in his psyche, and hopefully creates a better result.
Think about the picture you’re painting for your team. Perhaps you’re creating a prophecy that will lead to negative results.
