Smelling the Roses
I am a firm believer in how to enlist others is by painting a picture that has a real like quality which makes people want to follow. A perfect example is happening right here at the University of Minnesota.
Kouzes and Posner discuss the three P’s in chapter six, Passion +Pride = Performance. One year ago, Coach Tim Brewster was hired by the University of Minnesota to bring success to the Gopher football program. In the past year, he has painted a compelling picture for Minnesotans regarding a successful football program that will lead the Golden Gophers to a National Championship/Big Ten Championship. Brewster has brought this vision to life by using a positive communications style and being authentic. He has created images of becoming a champion, for the football team and fans, by the words he uses and in physical manifestations. His passion is spreading pride throughout the Gopher Nation. The fans and the University athletic program are counting on this to manifest performance in the future.
In 1960 the Gopher football team won a National Championship after having three losing seasons. The first thing Brewster did was to bring members of that 1960 team to talk with the 2007 team to motivate them to strive for this goal. As well, the football team got T-shirts with the saying, “We will make history� on the front of the shirt. On the back of the shirt was the word, “again.� Another day after practice, a UPS driver delivered a package of sod from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the stadium where these championship games are sometimes played. Today, that sod is located in the team locker room with a mock stadium of the Rose Bowl around it. The players walk by it every day. The image of becoming a winner is constantly in their minds.
In spite of the fact the Gopher team did not have a great 2007 season with 1 win and 11 losses, Coach Brewster speaks with positive words about the next season and the future of the Gopher team. The 2008 recruiting class of new players for next fall is one of the best in Gopher history and nationwide for all colleges this year. At the alumni party to announce recruits last month, Brewster said people are asking how he could recruit such good players with a 1 win and 11 loss season in 2007. He said something to the effect, he wasn’t selling a 1 and 11 season, but rather was giving the benefits of the University of Minnesota and as well as Minnesota in general. One young man from the South is excited to become a Gopher so he can have a snowball fight next winter! Brewster appears to have mastered turning the negatives into positives!
Brewster has created immense passion for the Gopher football program. Fans and alumni as well, not only feel great pride, they are sure all of this will translate into performance. Does positive speech and painting a life like vision create passion and pride in you? Are you looking forward to football in 2008? Can you smell the roses? If you cannot feel the passion and pride, why not? What would create passion in you to join the Gopher Nation in the march to Pasadena?
Comments
The major issue I have with Coach Brewster's leadership thus far is a lack of credibility. His tenure at the U began with an unusual press conference in which he mentioned that Minneapolis/St. Paul is a great city to play in. Pardon? It's two cities. I decided to let that go as I tend to be a bit anal when it comes to speaking skills of my leaders.
Later in the press conference, though, my hackles were raised again. As a life-long fan of the Boston Red Sox, and thus, a member of that unique world-wide fraternity that has been known for years as Red Sox Nation, I was surprised when he referred to the Gopher football fan base as 'Gopher Nation'. I'd never heard that before. To my knowledge no one had attempted to rip-off the Sox concept so blatantly. After some time I figured I'd give him a pass on that one as well. The only thing I had seen to rival it was when Minnesota's Athletic Director, Joel Maturi,(We are Minnesota) attempted to rip off "We are Marshall", a stirring cheer to salute Marshall athletes who died in a tragic airplane disaster.
I desperately want Coach Brewster and the football team to succeed. I worked with the team for five years as a student, and an additional ten as a full-time employee. I've worked under coaches, Stoll, Salem, Gutekunst, Wacker, and Mason. Each one began his tenure with glowing accolades similar to those Coach Brewster arrived with. Each of them, with the exception of Gutekunst, had been head coaches at the Division 1 level. Brewster arrived with no head coaching experience above the high school level. I'm afraid he may be in over his head. Brewster may not be equipped to get the job done. The way the team struggled on the field this past season did nothing to convince me otherwise.
I will agree that he is very optimistic in his outlook. But I'm not sure he has gotten the team to buy into his vision. At this point I think his optimism should be tempered with a bit of realism. I think it would go along way towards mollifying the skeptics until he can display some success on the field. Sure Brewster's incoming class has been highly ranked for their potential. But, as old football coaches like to say, "Potential? That only means you ain't never done it."
I have visions of Big Ten championships won by future Gopher football teams. I'm just not convinced yet that Brewster will be the coach to get us there. He hasn't convinced me that he is capable of leading a team, an organization, and a fan base, over all the hurdles that stand in the way of our shared goal. Short of actually winning a lot of games, and contending for a conference championship, many of us will remain skeptical of his abilities as an effective leader.
Posted by: Todd Stroessner | February 23, 2008 11:57 PM