Extreme Ownership
The Green Bay Packers were trailing 14–10 with just 8 seconds remaining during the first half of the 2020 NFC championship game. Thinking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were going to attempt a short pass in order to get into better field goal range, the Packers got caught in the wrong defensive coverage and gave up a 39 yard touchdown to Tampa Bay wide receiver, Scotty Miller, extending the Buccaneers lead to 21–10 with just one second left on the clock before half-time. Getting beat deep was literally the one thing the Packers could not afford to do, and they allowed it to happen, potentially costing them a trip to the Super Bowl.
Packers head coach, Matt LaFleur, did not blame his players nor his coaching staff for the mishap, but instead took extreme ownership over the situation. “Bottom line is, all calls go through me,” LaFleur said. “I don’t care who makes the call, it’s all my fault. Bottom line. I’m responsible for every playcall, offense, defense, special teams. Every call goes through me”.
In his book Extreme Ownership, former Navy Seal, Jocko Willink, writes that successful LEADers don’t just take responsibility for their own job, but for everything that occurs within the organization. If someone on your team (family or unit) doesn’t know something, it’s because you as the LEADer didn’t teach them well enough. If someone breaks a rule, it’s because you didn’t clearly communicate “the way we do things around here.” And if someone isn’t “doing it right,” it’s because they haven’t been properly trained or coached. You may have told or even shown someone the correct way, maybe even multiple times; however, it’s clear your approach was not effective. As a LEADer, you must find a better way to connect.
Effective LEADership is about giving credit to your team when you experience success and accepting the blame for any and all failures that occur on your watch. When a breakdown occurs, never point a finger at who is to blame unless that finger is your own thumb pointed directly back at yourself.
Coach Nelson holds a doctorate in sport and performance psychology and currently serves as a high school football coach. He has worked for multiple professional sport franchises, a Fortune 100 Company, a division 1 athletic department and has won numerous awards for his LEADership abilities.
His mission is to positively influence the world through Love, Effort, Attitude and Discipline (#LEAD). To learn more about the LEAD philosophy follow him on Twitter Levi Nelson or reach out via email at rln10@zips.uakron.edu He’d love to learn about or help you in your journey!
