Leadership Observations from the NCAA Championship Game
N. Lee S. Price
Major General (Retired), U.S. Army
January 18, 2019
With another year of college football behind us, I started ruminating about the leadership lessons we could take away from the championship game. First, my disclaimer – I am a life long Alabama fan. That said, I fully admit that we not only got outplayed, we were outcoached. It wasn’t even a pretty loss.
I haven’t re-watched the game, but I jotted down some thoughts the following day.
- It’s difficult to get players “up” for every game, just as it is difficult to have a fully committed workforce every day. This responsibility must transcend an organization. Leaders need to lead, peers need to hold each other responsible. Shared accountability – not sure we had that on the Alabama sideline.
- When under pressure, keep your “corrective guidance” simple. Clemson didn’t set fire until the second half of the first quarter. Early in the first quarter, Coach Swinney uncharacteristically lit into one of his coaches. His words were as perfect as they were simple: “do your job.” From that point, it was game-on. Clemson got on a roll and never hit the brakes. Not every misstep requires a lecture or counseling session. Particularly when you are en extremis situations, simple suffices. Separate emotions from decisions.
- Before the first half ended, the Alabama linesman stood panting with hands on their hips. Their body language revealed they were whipped and allowed Coach Swinney to take those opportunities to crank up his team. Research shows body language conveys 55% of your message while the actual words you use only convey 7%. The way you say it conveys the remaining 38%. Don’t show opponents your weaknesses.
- Coaches Saban and Swinney showed the world that people can remain gentlemanly, even when competing for the National Championship. As a military officer, this is reminiscent of our annual Army-Navy football games. We have a great rivalry once a year, but the rest of the time we jointly represent the U.S team. Relish your colleagues and the camaraderie.
- I am impressed with the “SEC Graduate” patch worn on the Alabama graduates’ jerseys. The NCAA has come under fire for low rates of graduation. I have no idea if Alabama has improved their rates, but I think it is genius for the graduates to receive this special recognition. If anyone can tell me who made this decision, I would like to personally thank them. I looked for but did not see Clemson players with the patches, but surely, they had graduates. I hope the entire NCAA implements this idea. Acknowledge successes.
- This year is done. The military conducts an “After Action Report (AAR)” after every operation; not just when we think we need to fix something. We talk about what was supposed to happen, what did happen, what went well, and what we need to fix. I feel certain Coach Saban has already done this and has great notes for next year. After the roster settles down from adjusting the player and coach losses and new hires, I know he will begin working “his process” to build a winning team for next year. Conduct and learn from AARs; be a learning organization.
- Lastly, be humble in your wins, it makes swallowing the losses easier. Besides, there is always next year – Roll Tide!