Why Coaches Fail

A colleague shared a video with me of Houston men’s college basketball coach, Kelvin Sampson, speaking on why, he believes, coaches fail.

For context, Sampson has his Houston Cougars in the Final Four; and, by the time you read this, they might be slated to play for the national championship.

While Sampson is speaking specifically about coaches here, I believe his message is relevant for leaders in general.

“The coaches that fail, at every level, are passive aggressive coaches. Passive aggressive coaches are usually afraid to hold kids accountable. You rationalize. If you’re going to build a culture, if you’re going to build a culture, the first thing you’re going to have to come to grips with is you’re going to have confrontation. Because you want it done your way. There are certain things that can be democratic, but most things that are difficult have to be your way.”

I’ve written, in the past, about what I call “the violence of leadership.” It speaks directly to this idea. Leadership is confrontation. It’s not the absence of it. And it’s certainly not the dreading of it.

People will challenge you along the way. They’ll tell you your ideas aren’t good. Or, that they’re going to be too hard to execute.

Take serious feedback from serious people seriously.

But don’t lead halfway. Don’t lead so worried about upsetting others that you kind of lead them.

Lead them.

Be okay with not everyone liking the way you do it. Don’t intentionally try to piss people off, but stand behind what you believe, what you know is true, and know that some things just need to be your way.

Who knows? Your version of the Final Four might be right on the other side of that.