First of all, let me come out and admit my bias right way…I am a Husky Honk.  I grew up in Seattle and bleed purple.  So far as I am concerned there is no way in the world that the Miami Hurricanes in 1991 could have beat the Husky squad.  The Huskies of that year were one of the best and most dominant outfits of all time.   

In spite of being a huge fan, I think I can be objective too.  My objectivity led me to believe that if the Huskies could win 3 or 4 games they could consider it a good year.  Currently their football team, in spite of having some of the worst talent in the Pac-Ten, sit at 4-2 and still get to play Oregon State, Stanford, and the Washington Courgars.  Their only two losses have been to Oklahoma and USC on the road and honestly, they looked good in both games.  They also have some winnable games at home remaining and could be looking at a 7 or 8 win season….and a bowl birth.  These are things that no one thought possible when the season started.

And the architec of this turn around?  Coach Tyrone Willingham.  This is a drastic turn of events and I think coach Willingham has to be the front runner for Pac-Ten Coach of the Year.

I find this all the more remarkable as his hire was met with luke-warm approval at best.  I mean, who wants your coach to be a guy who could not get it done at another school?

So how is this happening?  How has coach Willingham turned this program around so quickly?  Granted, I am not in the inner-circle but read the papers and Husky Blogs daily and have a few ideas and thoughts and on how those ideas can be applied to our lives and leadership.

1.  Coach Willingham leads by example.

Take a look at the coach some time.  He is buff!  He looks like he could take any one of us down in a matter of seconds.  Everyone knows that coaches work long hours and no one would blame him if he slept in an extra hour each day rather then hitting the treadmill and weights.  But the coach also understands that if he is going to preach discipline and giving 100% to training, he needs to act disciplined and be an example.  If the coach had a weight problem, it would be much harder to hear his message of discipline and hard work.

Once I worked under a leader who told us we needed to tighten our belts as the budget was tight…and then we went out and purchased a new computer for him to use with organization funds.  To make matters worse, he then boasted about his good works when he passed his old computer to someone who worked for him.  If this was his only move like this he probably could have gotten away with it, but no tears were shed by those who worked with him directly when he moved to another organization as those who knew him best were sick of the double standards.

If you are asking for hard work, work harder then everyone else.  If you are asking for promptness to meetings, you better show up early.  Whatever you want, do it above and beyond the stated expectation.  Do this and you will be followed.  You set the tone for those you lead.

2.  Coach Willingham treats his players fairly and consistently.

No one has to guess what the coach will do in a given situation.  No one will get special favors.  Names are off the jerseys in an effort to keep everyone’s mind on the fact that football is a team game.  One does not have to guess what will happen to them should the break a team rule.  They know what is expected of them and what behaviors will be rewarded with playing time.  They do not have a plan of the week or the day but preach the same keys every game and every practice.

It needs to be made clear to those of us that lead that our folks to not expect perfection, but they crave consistency.  They should not have to guess how we would react…it ought to be clear to them as they have seen us act with consistency over the years.  Our mouths and actions need to be in perfect symmetry.

3.  Coach Willingham has set goals that are challenging but not impossible.

Let’s face it, if he had come out and said our goal is to win the national championship this season the players would have not given him a great deal of credibility.  They know the talent level is just not there to compete with Texas or Ohio State.  But they also know that it does not take much to make it to a bowl game and a little more effort here or there and reducing 1-2 mistakes a game could easily put them in a position to win the required 6 games to play in the plethora of post-season contests.

What goals do we set for ourselves and our teams?  Are they impossible or do they see that, with sacrifice and hard work, they just might happen?  If goals are seen as possible our motors kick in and our attitudes are right.  So don’t tell your team that the goal is to become the leader in your industry within one year if it is just not possible, but don’t think so small that you are only shooting for revenue improvement that is just above inflation either. 

Jim Collins writes about BHAG goals.  Big, Hairy, and Audacious Goals.  Going from the consensus pick to finish last to making a bowl game was a big goal..but an energizing and possible goal.

Go Dawgs!

(Note: This article is a slight modification of the one I posted today over at www.rareleadership.com)