5 Unique Leadership Principles You Need To Know

The Challenge

Imagine, you are struggling to build a cohesive team or you are part of a team lacking camaraderie. If you find yourself in one of these situations as a leader, what do you do to reverse the course and build a cohesive team? Here are 5 unique leadership principles you need to know, principles I learned from a legendary football coach known for building high-performing cohesive teams. 

The principles I’m sharing are just a small portion of those I learned from playing for and studying Coach Pat Dye, former head football coach at East Carolina, and Auburn Universities.  Without a doubt, Coach Dye is the best leader I ever had the opportunity to be around.  No one else comes close.  His influence on me has been profound.  And, if you listen to others who had the same exposure as I did, I am certain the overwhelming majority of them will express the exact same sentiment.  He created deep emotional connections with his players and coaches.  Connections lasting beyond their playing and coaching days.  I feel truly blessed having these memories and fortunately, they are as vivid in my mind today as they were the day they occurred.

Coach Dye passed away recently.  His death has caused me to reflect even more on his influence in my life.  His principles are timeless, relevant, and impactful.  I can assure you, you will always add value to others and you will never go wrong implementing any one or all of these principles.  They will positively impact your daily leadership opportunities as well as your day-to-day life. 

Strong Leadership Principles  

Strong Leadership Principle #1 – Be Relatable

 I often think back to the many meetings I was a part of as a player.  One thing I noticed then and still remember to this day, was how attuned Coach Dye was to the player’s mind and the language of the day.  Words we used daily, he found ways to occasionally weave them into team meetings and conversations.  Just enough to create impact.

An example of this was Coach using the word “sweet”.  Sweet was a word players used frequently to praise a great run, an outstanding reception, etc.  And even though it was a part of our vocabulary, it was not the everyday language of coaches or older adults. 

I vividly remember during a team film session watching Anthony Collins make a beautiful run that started with a spectacular move against a defender.  Coach Dye could have used any number of terms to describe the run.  He took the opportunity to use a word that was a part of our daily vocabulary by exclaiming, “That was a sweet run!”  What was the result of that moment? The players erupted with excitement and laughter, it was a jubilant and enthusiastic reaction.  I still remember that moment like it was yesterday.  We ate it up!  That one little action said he understood us and it strengthened his bond with the team. Constantly making little deposits like this went a long way in building a cohesive team.

 

 

Strong Leadership Principle #2 – Making the Improbable Seem Possible

At the time, ECU was a school with a really good football program.  Good, but still considered a cut below two Atlantic Coast Conference schools in our state, UNC and NC State.  Both were nationally ranked.  In fact, UNC had arguably one of its greatest defenses ever during this time.  If I remember correctly, Carolina had seven defensive players on that team that played in the NFL.  Lawerence Taylor, (considered by many as the best defensive player ever) was one of the seven.  No one gave us a chance to win this game.  

So how did Coach Dye get his players to believe in something most experts thought to be highly improbable?  I know there is more than one approach to instill belief; however, I vividly remember his approach.  Whenever we had a big challenge, he would use this very effective phrase to frame the challenge.  “I don’t know if we can win, but I think we can win, and here is how we can win.”  What I took from this phrase, (and still do) was how we were being prepared to take on this daunting challenge.  Even though it was going to be tough, he laid out a plan which showed us how to win.  Lastly, he gave us the plan we collectively rallied around making the improbable

suddenly seem possible.  His approach allowed us to focus intently and prepare relentlessly.  

Even though we were facing one of the nation’s top teams,  we walked into Kenan Stadium as a confident cohesive team. Unafraid and prepared, both physically and mentally.  We were convinced we had a path to victory.  The experts said no way, but we knew we had the way.  We played our hearts out, leaving everything on the field that day.

Sparing the details, we didn’t win the game.  Carolina kicked a 47-yard field with a minute left on the game clock to escape with a tie.  What they did not leave with was any sense of superiority.  We put 490 yards of total offense on a defense that would give up only 300 yards a game on average.  We scored the most points of any team they played that year.  And, most importantly, we competed as a unit of one, with purpose.  No leader or coach could ever ask for anything more.  

 

Strong Leadership Principle #3 – It’s Never About You the Leader

So many times, especially today, it seems everyone is in a perpetual state of self-promotion.  Maybe it’s a sign of the times.  Distributing credit to others is a principle rarely thought about or practiced in today’s world.  One thing is for sure, I never heard Coach Dye direct attention or credit to himself for the success of our team. However, he shouldered any blame.  

Praise was directed to the assistant coaches and players.  Thinking back and remembering the day I spent with him a couple of years ago, not once did I hear him praise himself.  Just like years ago, the conversation was never about him, it was always about the team.  It was about the school, it was about eastern North Carolina, it was about our “mamas and daddies” as he liked to say.  Everybody but Pat Dye.  And, because we all witnessed his loyalty and giving to us, we gave everything we had to him and the goals of the team.

He used every opportunity of success to shower praise on his players and assistant coaches.  He was not a self-promoter, he was a team-promoter known for building cohesive teams.  

 

Strong Leadership Principle #4 – Be A Part of Something Bigger Than Yourself 

A uniting purpose is a pathway to excellence. Purpose binds and unites the efforts of the group while at the same time providing the energy to excel. So many leaders and businesses miss this key point.  We clearly knew and understood our purpose as teammates in that program.  

Numerous studies show that companies and organizations with a strong purpose allow people to not only fill the need to be a part of something bigger than themselves, but also help to outperform their competitors, increase employee retention rates, and improve personal health.

 

Strong Leadership Principle #5 – You Can Only Work Them As Hard As You Are Willing To Love Them

I saved this strong leadership principle for last because it is quite possibly, the most impactful principle I have learned from any person or book.  A few years ago I traveled with my friend and former teammate Andre to Alabama to visit with Coach Dye.  Our intention was simply to thank him and tell him how much he had impacted our life, nothing more than that.  

This trip was designed to say thank you and express our gratitude to him, instead, we reminisced and talked leadership.  In addition, we spent time learning about his new passion (Japanese Maple Trees). Our conversations on leadership were powerful and insightful.  Leadership was such an easy topic to discuss throughout the day because we were talking to one of sports great leaders.

Midway through the day we got into Coach’s car and headed to a restaurant named Elmer’s for lunch.  It was a big restaurant and it was packed. The first thing we noticed as my friend Andre and I walked in with Coach Dye was that ninety percent of the heads of customers snapped to get a look at him as he walked in.  Even though he had been out of coaching for many years, it was obvious he was still revered.  

Elmers served excellent southern cooking and we enjoyed every bite of our lunch. I sat across from Coach Dye and while eating, our conversation once again delved into the topic of leadership.  A statement he made triggered a question regarding an event that I have thought about many times.

It was week four of the season and we were coming off a couple of tough losses. Our team was in the middle of a really lackluster practice and Coach had seen enough.  He came down from his observation tower and gathered everyone in tightly.  In no uncertain terms, coach Dye stated the following; “we are playing without oneness, togetherness, without love and responsibility to the teammate beside you.”  He then stated that we were a senior-dominated team and we should know better.  Seniors should be ensuring the right things were being done the right way.

At that point, he said, “One of two things will happen when we break this huddle: either you will start playing with oneness and togetherness on your own, or I will drive you so far into the ground you will have to reach out to the person beside you to survive.” He then paused and finished with, “Make no mistake, the choice is yours.” Needless to say, the seniors took command and we had the most spirited and focused practice I ever experienced as a player or coach.  We never lost the momentum from that moment, in fact, we didn’t lose another game on our schedule, all wins, and one tie.

What amazed me the most about that practice was there were 100 players in that group and not once did I hear a teammate say anything negative or say something not aligned with his challenge to us.  That was quite remarkable when you consider all of us were young men, age 18-23, the most rambunctious years of our lives.

When I expressed to Coach Dye that I think of that moment often and I am even more amazed at what occurred, he said something to me so profound that it made an instant imprint in my mind.  “When leading people, always remember one thing: “You can only work them as hard as you are willing to love them.”  

That’s a sweet statement, let it sink in!