Publisher’s Note: Dr. Franza has his clipboard and is back on the football field this week, continuing his column looking at similarities between college football coaches and your bosses in the CSRA. Is there such a thing as a shelf-life for either? How can people in leadership direct their teams long-term?
Since my column last week, two more college football coaches were fired, Jay Norvell at Colorado State, and the more high-profile firing of Florida’s Billy Napier.
However, neither of these firings can be characterized as “shelf-life expirations”. Both Norvell and Napier were in their fourth years at their respective institutions, and neither won enough games to satisfy their most important constituencies: administration, alumni, and other donors and fans. This was particularly true in Florida, where expectations remain high because of the outstanding success of Steve Spurrier (1990-2001) and Urban Meyer (2005-2010). In this column, I want to focus on what a college football coach or a leader of any organization can do to extend his or her leadership shelf life, both early in one’s tenure and later, when one’s leadership shelf life might be seen as expiring. In order to frame this discussion, I will address the tenures of James Franklin, the recently fired Penn State head football coach and main subject of last week’s column, and Dabo Swinney, the long-time head football coach at Clemson, currently in his 17th full season in that position.
While Swinney has clearly had more success (two national championships, two additional appearances in the National Championship Game, and 9 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships) than Franklin, I believe there are additional reasons Dabo has survived a bad year for Clemson this year and some mediocre years (by Clemson standards) during the past five years. These are some of the things that Swinney has done throughout his tenure that have likely extended his “leadership shelf-life”:
- Humility: When watching a Dabo Swinney press conference, we can tell that he does not lack confidence. However, he is very good at crediting his players and staff for victories but also taking ownership of defeats. This humility endears him to his players and assistant coaches, allowing his leadership messaging to be more easily accepted, allowing him to overcome the issue of “too much of the same voice” that I highlighted last week. In watching Franklin’s press conferences, that level of humility is not nearly as evident. Humility will certainly extend your leadership shelf-life.
- Authenticity: Dabo is Dabo. While I am not the closest observer of Clemson football, I get the sense that Dabo is always himself, and that level of authenticity allows those around him to follow him more intently. I do not get that same sense about Franklin. At times, he appears to be trying to be what he thinks he should be rather than being comfortable in his own skin. Be authentic, and your people will be less likely to tire of you and your” schtick”.
- Surround Yourself with Good People: This is where both Swinney and Franklin have excelled, allowing both to have long tenures. They are clearly not insecure, willing to have good people around them, and do not feel threatened. If you show your people that the best people will be part of your leadership team, they will likely follow you anywhere for a long time.
Even if you do all of the above to proactively extend your leadership shelf-life, a potential expiration date is inevitable. However, as you experience some of the pitfalls of a long tenure…” too much of the same voice’; “keep doing it the same way”; “leader and organizational burnout” … there are ways to mitigate those pitfalls and extend your shelf-life. They include:
- New Blood on Your Leadership Team: If you stick with the same team long-term, you run the risk of hearing “yes” too much, and you will likely keep doing things the way you have always done them. While it is the nature of the coaching profession, Swinney and Franklin have done a good job bringing new voices to their staffs, which helped extend both of their tenures. Swinney has been particularly good at positioning his assistant for excellent career progression. So, as your tenure as a leader extends, be sure to inject “new voices”/new ideas to allow your organization to grow.
- Delegation/Empowerment: If you are confident in how you select your team, you should be confident in delegating important tasks to them and, therefore, empowering them. As your team is more empowered, the less likely you will get burned out and the more likely they will follow you anywhere longer.
- Succession Planning/Transition Planning: As part of the above two bullets, you should consider who will succeed you and how/when that transition might take place. This will show your organization that you care as much (or more) about the organization as you do about yourself, which will inspire more buy-in of your leadership message.
- “Break the Mold”: One of the major criticisms that Dabo Swinney has had to deal with is his reluctance to utilize the transfer portal. He valued the culture of the Clemson program so much that he was concerned that taking in transfers would undermine that culture. However, he has come to realize that he needed to break that mold somewhat. That is, he could take players from the portal as long as they fit the Clemson culture. This will allow him to fill spots in his roster that were depleted due to injury or players not meeting expectations. Sometimes leaders have to realize that while their intent is often good, they have to dispassionately evaluate their methods and change them if necessary.
Whether you are early in your leadership journey or a long-tenured leader in an organization, I hope that you have been provided with some tips you find valuable as you attempt to extend your leadership shelf-life!
