Swagger and Substance: Deion Sanders' Recipe for Inspirational Leadership
Coach Prime and the Journey of Instilling Belief, Confidence, and Core Values
It’s football season again in America. That means it’s time for tailgating, rivalry games, setting fantasy football lineups, and learning important lessons about mindset and leadership from a college football coach.
You read that right. Football fans are getting more than quarterback controversies and backdoor covers so far this season, and it’s all thanks to Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders.
Coach Prime.
Sanders was an electrying football player in college at Florida State University and in the National Football League. He played both offense and defense at the professional level. He knows football, that much is undisputed.
Knowing football is one thing. Coaching it is another. Transcending beyond football yet another higher, rarer level.
In addition to proving good at coaching the Xs and Os of football — through the first three weeks of this season, Colorado already won three times more games than all of last season — Sanders is proving to be a skilled communicator, motivator, and leader. Not to mention his chops at salesmanship.
When Sanders talks, people listen, and it’s not necessarily because of the football.
You get more than “coachspeak” with Sanders. There’s a real authenticity there to go along with all that swagger. A clear vision. Truthful communication. These all are apparent in every interview with Sanders — and what many of us yearn for from the leaders in our lives — and all of it is accompanied by an incredible demonstration of the power of mindset.
Sanders believes in himself, his fellow coaches, the players, the program, and the process. There’s no doubt about that. Beyond that, though, Sanders’ belief creates an environment conducive to belief in others. If you are paying close attention when Sanders speaks, he makes you feel like he believes in you, too, and therefore you should believe in you.
That’s powerful, gravitational stuff.
Sanders demonstrates the kind of confidence all leaders aspire to, but most fail to achieve. True confidence, not arrogance disguising as confidence. There is a substance to it. It is difficult to put a finger on exactly, but, more than something you merely see or hear, it is something you feel. You can tell that it comes from a deep place and that it is true to the leader’s identity.
Sanders’ brand of confidence is not the kind that needs to brag about itself or be stroked by others, either. It’s belief, strength, resilience, and endurance. It’s knowing, deep down in your bones, that you can handle anything and everything that comes your way on any given day.
That kind of confidence allows you to do things as a leader that others struggle with, in part because true confidence removes you from your own way. Eliminating you from the equation allows you to see that it’s not about you. It’s about what’s right and what aligns with what matters most to you and your organization. It’s about purpose.
As a leader, Sanders pulls off one of the more difficult feats of management and leadership: How to be both honest and kind. That ability to be truthful and compassionate is exemplified throughout the recent profile on Sanders that was aired by the CBS program, 60 Minutes:
It was more than a lesson in compassion and straight talk, though. Beneath all the bluster, it is obvious that Sanders is driven by passion for the game, sure, but also by an enduring, resilient mindset. And beneath that, an even more foundational layer to the man that drives everything in his life: A clear set of core values.
Sanders knows why he does what he does. It’s the kind of belief you can only obtain if you spend time developing and knowing your core values. Decision-making actually becomes easier when you build a strong foundation of values, because every decision is filtered through the lens of your values. Spend time on your values and you know, instinctively, how to proceed when anything and everything comes your way.
In addition to Sanders’ value development, he maintains a clear vision of where he and the organization are headed. That combination — values and vision — is reminiscent of some of the other great leaders of our time, both in sport (Nick Saban, Kim Mulkey) and in business (Steve Jobs, Yvon Chouinard).
Values + Vision = Transcendent Brand. Like Apple, Patagonia, or Alabama football, a brand that consistently combines its purpose with a clear long-term vision is a brand with staying power. It’s the kind of brand people align with as a way to express their own identities.
Sanders is creating an exceptional brand in Colorado. His mode of operation is going to attract a lot of like-minded people to the program and he’s going to motivate other aspirational individuals. All of this makes Sanders a must-watch when it comes to the power of mindset, effective communication, and noble-purpose leadership.
The football’s not bad, either.