Today, at the end of a great practice, the head of the system got up and practiced connecting with his team. He was given 90 seconds to connect. He did a fine job. He delivered a very well thought out message about “being THE difference.” He did a fine job. The only problem with doing a fine job is that no one remembers. He was then given the opportunity to take questions from his team. After a couple of his team members asked him a question he broke from the script.
He spoke from the HEART.
He told the team a story. He started by speaking about his son, the family business, and ended with how “inspired” he’s become over these last months getting “tired together.” He shared some emotion and the team took note. At least a couple were “seared,” including the “linebacker.”
Leaders, remember this. Your team does not want to hear you articulate the passion, vision, and process. They want to FEEL it. The only way they will feel it, is if you allow yourself to feel first. For this to occur you will have to risk getting emotional. You might lose it and if that happens all could be lost.
Maybe. Maybe NOT.
When I asked the linebacker to close us down today he didn’t waste a second before summarizing. He told the Head Coach that he loved seeing his emotions. And he told him not to worry. He said that he and the rest of the team were “ready to fill the gaps.”
You see it’s really pretty simple. The team wants and demands a ton from their leader but they will forgive you for most any shortcoming assuming you’re long and strong on two. Here they are.
The team wants to feel how much you LOVE your work and how much you LOVE them. That’s really all any linebacker or any other type of backer needs to run through the wall…
For YOU.
BUILT TO LEAD 
Chet, great post. So much of what we do in the office is scripted and choreographed by the “great unwritten rules of professionalism” that tell us there’s no place for emotion at work. (Anger and its muted cousin, passive aggressiveness, might be the only exceptions). I can only imagine what the Head Coach was thinking as the team said they’d “close those gaps” for him, and for the enterprise. Very cool. Very cool.