Two days of snow. A rare gift of stillness. Time to watch football and witness something profound about leadership.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A day to reflect on how we choose to create change. Through conversation or command. Through influence or intimidation.
And there they were on my screen—the head coaches of the NFL, with everything on the line. Some stood calm, radiating certainty and assurance. They watched the field, saw what was happening, adjusted with quiet confidence. Others were in constant motion, frustrated, getting in players’ faces, too caught up in emotion to observe what was unfolding before them.
The contrast was stark. One approach builds trust. The other erodes it.
As a leader, you set the tone for your entire team. Not through what you say, but through how you show up when pressure mounts. When the game matters. When the stakes are highest.
The question isn’t whether you’ll face moments that test you. You will. The question is simpler: Which leader will you choose to be?
The one who instructs and threatens? Or the one who observes, adjusts, and leads with quiet certainty?
Your team is watching. They always are. And the tone you set in those moments—that’s the culture you’re building.
