It’s been over a week since the Super Bowl. Many of you know that I LOVE the Super Bowl. I love everything about it… the football, the commercials, the performances, the spectacle, the hype… just everything. It was on my bucket list to work on a Super Bowl halftime show, and I have had the privilege of working on two (Paul McCartney and Prince). Both were life-changing experiences that I will share another time.
As for this year, congratulations to the Seahawks on the win and to Bad Bunny for a fantastic halftime show! The commercials fueled conversation, controversy, and laughs. But for me, there was a bigger takeaway: the incredible leadership of Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.
As someone who specializes in human behavior and leadership skill-building, I have admired the leadership skills Vrabel has exhibited all season:
- Culture – Vrabel lives by his 4 H’s Philosophy: honesty, hustle, heart, and humility, prioritizing accountability and team-first mentality. From the season start, he emphasized that the Patriots are One Team. Every single player has value, and Vrabel expects all team members to lift each other up.
- Incessant positivity – In every pre-game speech, sideline player engagement, ref interaction, and post-game interview, Vrabel exudes positivity, even when he is accountable for a loss or some bad plays.
- Team – After every game, Vrabel stands outside the locker room and welcomes back every player. He shares that he appreciates them, pats them on the back, and lifts them up if they are upset over a fumble or missed field goal. He acknowledges the hard work he witnessed in the game. This appreciation isn’t just for the guy who made the touchdowns or the big blocks, but every single player.
- Accountability – When something goes wrong, Vrabel doesn’t shy away from it. He handles tough questions in interviews and owns the work that he and the team need to do to prevent future bad plays or mistakes, but he does it in a way that shows confidence and belief in his team’s abilities.
Lifting up his players
I stayed up after the game to see if they would show Vrabel in what was the toughest loss of the season. The broadcast networks, however, were only showing the trophy ceremony and replays from the game.
It wasn’t until a couple of days later that I saw this clip:
THIS is how you lead.
When the live cameras weren’t on him, when he had a whole team of people who were crushed and feeling down about the game loss, THIS is when what Vrabel did and said mattered the most.
Vrabel did not abandon his team. He didn’t let his own emotions and disappointment alter his ability to lead them. He stood outside the locker room and greeted each and every player. In brief moments, you can see his sadness and disappointment, but when the next player walked up, he lifted himself up and acknowledged how they must feel. He gave them permission to feel bad and simultaneously gave them hope so they can come back stronger next year. He reinforced the “One Team” culture each time he told them, “We will all be pissed together. One Team.”
Learning leadership skills for tough times
Like Vrabel did post-game (and all season), leaders set the tone that motivates the strongest performers and drives loyalty and hard work from the entire team.
Leadership through losing is probably the hardest. What you do as the leader is critical when there are losses, layoffs, acquisitions, missed sales goals, litigation, or other tough situations hitting your organization.
Self-awareness of your own emotions and how to keep them in check, being able to display the behaviors those around you need, rather than using your people to manage your emotions, and keeping your team motivated are leadership skills you can learn. Training for the emotional intelligence needed in tough times and being laser-focused on your goals as a leader will help you lead when the road is not smooth.
I hope you won’t ever need to be the leader of the losers, but if you do, take a lesson from Vrabel.