The date was Saturday, March 24, 2012.
I was a first-year assistant coach for the men’s lacrosse team at Palm Beach Atlantic University.
I was very green – less than one year out from my own college graduation – and looking to impact the program that gave me everything.
Earlier that afternoon our program notched its first ranked win, a 21-14 win at No. 8 SCAD.
For years, we’d been close. The Savannah College of Art & Design had always been a type of unattainable gold standard in our league. I still have a burned CD copy of their radio broadcast from our first game against them in 2008, a 12-0 shutout. (Shoutout to their play-by-play man; I’m sure saying “save by Van der Grift” 24 times in a two hour period would make anybody nauseous.)
In any event, we finally broke through on that March afternoon, beating SCAD in a game unlike anything I’ve seen before or since. If you’ve ever had one of those days where everything seems to go your way, it was like that.
It was like finding a $20 bill on the ground… over and over again.
The team, full of jubilation as they chanted and rocked the bus back and forth, eventually headed back to the hotel – which is also why I’m telling you this story.
Do you remember a time where you served under a great leader?
They were someone who spurred you on to higher heights. They evoked a desire in you to be a better version of yourself.
The leader I’m thinking of is Chris “Suds” Southard. I played for him, I coached with him, and he’s also the reason why I’m telling you this story.
While there are at least four leadership lessons I could pull out of that game alone, it’s a story of empowerment that I’m choosing to share.
Imagine. You’re a 23-year-old assistant coach, flying on cloud nine after the biggest win in your coaching career. You’d want to tell people about it, right?
I did.
I told my parents. I told my friends. I told our recruits.
I told our massive email list of recruits… with a graphic on this exact photo below that said “SAILFISH CRUSH SCAD”.
Things Leaders Do: Empower
I was hyped, amped, and all kinds of excited for our big-time win, so I shot that mass email off immediately. I can’t remember where we were exactly, but what I do remember is when Coach Suds saw it in his inbox on the ride back down to Florida.
Let’s just say he was not hyped, amped, and all kinds of excited.
At the time, I thought this email sent exclusively to recruits was harmless. I thought it evoked pride in a hallmark victory for our program. What I didn’t see (and what he helped me understand), was that our reputation was at stake.
I was reminded that anything public-facing represents us and we won’t be known as a program that touts “crushing” opponents. And that we believe that the game of lacrosse is the Creator’s Game and we have a unique responsibility to bring people together on every lacrosse field we touch.
He also asked me to apologize to SCAD’s long-time head coach, and I did.
You’re probably saying, “Wasn’t this post was about empowering others?”
It is.
You see, I’ve worked for lots of leaders.
Some of them proved their insecurity by micromanaging and attempting to control all outcomes. Shoot – I’ve been that controlling leader myself.
And it’s, um, not-so-good. What happens is that you end up tiptoeing around tasks, waiting for the hammer to drop. Never growing. Never pushing yourself.
On the contrary, the best leaders are the ones that get the hell out of the way.
In the six years I was an assistant coach for Chris Southard, I received a masterclass in leadership. I consider this in four phases:
1 – He knew his strengths.
Every coach has strengths and weaknesses. Going all-in on the things that make you great or unique is a massive advantage when compared to doing everything. The top 20% of your output will create 80% of your impact.
Keeping the wheels on the bus only waters down the things that make you truly great.
2 – He was willing to delegate.
Understanding your weaknesses allows you the opportunity to, as I said before, get the hell out of the way.
Creating opportunities for others to succeed not only gives you the ability to go back to the things that make you great, it allows those people to also find the things that make them great in the process.
3 – He created an environment of freedom.
At no time in my assistant coaching career was I micromanaged.
I was given authority to create wins wherever possible and design solutions that best fit our program. Sometimes we’d collaborate, sometimes we wouldn’t, but the entire time I had free reign to build.
4 – He was totally compelled by vision.
Giving your people free reign requires strong leadership to be able to course correct.
In my case with the email, I stepped out of bounds on what was acceptable within our program and it became a learning experience.
His vision was so strong that it was worth the moment to have a conversation with me and re-route the program. If we were off-course by even 1%, it’s a difference that could have a long-term affect.
I didn’t know it at the time, but that would be the first year of a very rewarding journey into college coaching. What seemed so insignificant at the time would prove to be a fundamental tenet in my leadership beliefs.
If you’re a coach or athletic director or leader, give a little more slack in the line to your employees. It may not be memorable to you, but you’ll create growth and learning opportunities for the people you’re leading.
They’ll be better as a result and who knows – maybe in ten years they’ll see the environment of freedom you chose to create and write a blog post about you.
This is the first article in a series titled, Things Leaders Do.
Thanks for reading.
Creating Future Wins is my blog about leadership, branding, and athletics. My heart is to create a mixture of writing that you can’t find anywhere else and I’d love for you to be a part of this journey. Let me know your thoughts. Email me or @ me on Twitter (@JaysonSchmidt).