First, congratulations to Japan for winning the Women’s World Cup on Sunday. I was just in Tokyo and I know how much the victory must mean to the Japanese right now. The win – in an overtime shootout—takes nothing away from the U.S women’s national team coach, Pia Sundhage. She took a troubled team in 2008 and brought them to the finals of the World Cup—a game some sports analysts said was one of the most exciting in the history of the women’s finals.
The profiles written about Pia Sundhage leading up to the championship game painted a picture of a leader whose techniques worked to lower her team’s stress while bringing out the best qualities and skills of each of player. Business leaders in any industry could learn from Sundhage’s approach.
Many business leaders face some of the same obstacles Sundhage had to deal with when she took over a team that was coming off a stressful period full of strife between players themselves and between players and the head coach at the time. Today with budget cuts and layoffs, your employees are often in no mood to take their game to the next level. They’re looking to survive or they’re buying time until the economy rebounds and they can jump ship for another team.
Although Sundhage has all of the qualities outlined in my recent column, The 7 Secrets of Inspiring Leaders, three qualities stand out: passion, optimism, encouragement.
Passion. Sundhage smiles and sings. She’s not afraid of expressing emotion. When her players score a goal, she seems more excited than they are. The expressions on her face are priceless. Her players said she wanted to bring the “fun” back into the game and she certainly has. Sundhage, a native of Sweden, was a former star on her country’s national team. She has a passion for soccer and a passion for teamwork. It shows and her players respect her for it. Passion is contagious.
Optimism. Asked to describe Sundhage’s philosophy, midfielder Heather O’Reilly said, “glass is half full to the max.” You want your employees to say the same thing about you. Some players said Sundhage’s body language conveys optimism. They said if Sundhage was nervous, they never saw it. She looks at everything in a “positive light.” In times of uncertainty your employees are looking for someone who is positive, optimistic, and confident. Display confidence in words and body language.
Encouragement. A player quoted in The New York Timessaid Sundhage “reinforces what they do right instead of stressing what they do wrong.” According to Sundhage, if a player takes a daring chance she’ll say, “I try to tell them this is good, try it again instead of ‘this is not good enough.’ Sundhage praises effectively. Instead of tearing people down she builds them up. This reminds me of something I once heard from L.A. Lakers coach, Phil Jackson. He practices the “magic five to one ratio” of praise to criticism. If high-level athletes—basketball or soccer—need to hear praise and reinforcement, then your employees are no different. They need it, too. Praise fills emotional tanks. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson once said, “Lavish praise on people and they will flourish; criticize and they will shrivel up.”
The U.S women’s soccer team reached the championship and played their hearts out for 117 minutes against an incredibly skilled and cohesive competitor. They ultimately lost but didn’t “shrivel.” They were embolden and played with passion, precision, and confidence. Shouldn’t your team do the same?