Leadership Message from College Football

As leaders, we are often called upon to deliver a leadership message during crucial moments in our businesses. The importance of clarity and conciseness in a leadership message was on display a few weeks ago before the college football national championship game.

A few weeks ago, I watched the college football national championship between The Georgia Bulldogs and the TCU Horned Frogs. Georgia delivered an epic beatdown to TCU, winning the game 65-7.  I knew, though, that Georgia was going to win (and win big) before the game even started. It wasn’t because of the pundits, the polls, or the apparent talent advantage Georgia held over TCU. I’ve seen TCU play, and they were a great team. They surprised a lot of people this year – especially when they beat Michigan in the semifinals.

One Word Leadership Message Delivered Pregame

So how did I know Georgia was going to win big? It was the comment their head coach, Kirby Smart, made right before the game kicked off. When asked what he needed to see from his team, he said one word. 

Aggression.

And his team delivered.

I share that example to illustrate how important our words are to our teams and those we lead. I’m sure he said that word repeatedly to the team leading up to the game. It was probably ingrained in their minds. Kirby Smart was probably tired of saying it.

Here’s the lesson – When you are tired of saying it, it’s probably just sinking in for the rest of the team. Repetitive, simple, and concise words win when talking to our teams about the big-picture goal.

In Georgia’s example, the goal was to win the championship. How? Aggression.

I am not a shining example of this. I tend to ramble or go on tangents. I’m a podcast host, after all. Part of my job is to dig into answers to questions and get to the really good stuff. And there is always a place for back-and-forth conversations and discussions, brainstorming ideas, getting to know people, and learning about them.

But I’ve learned over the years when you’re delivering a vision, mission, or a very important statement – keeping it short and simple is the best way to go.

As business owners, we are the leaders of our teams; they look to us for direction. Simplifying, then repeating, your message in those leadership moments is a very valuable skill. Practice it, rehearse it, and know what you’re going to say.

Trying to summarize the 2022 Georgia Bulldogs team in one word is hard to do, but I’ll go for it. Relentless. Huh, maybe I can do it after all :-)

When you deliver a leadership message, those are some of the most important conversations you’ll have with your team. It may be a massive concept, but if you want your team to remember it, use as few words as possible.

If you’d like to discuss this further, please contact me.  I’m also available for strategic business advisory meetings with you and your team. Finally, if you have not yet signed up for the BEE Awesome Brief (a weekly email from me), please do so.