As Simon Sinek wrote in Start with Why (2009), leaders or visionaries deal with the why, or pragmatists deal with the how. Football coach Dan Campbell came to the Detroit Lions, as he himself stated, to lift the team out of depression and build a team of warriors. Campbell has both qualities, he shows the players both the end and the means. He has also shown that he knows how to motivate and praise his players for their achievements.

Locker room talk is a typical American type of communication. It is born from the desire of leaders to make their voices heard and unite people under a common vision. It energizes the players and relieves post-match stress and emotions. This is an ideal opportunity to repeat values, principles and “cook” the team. This type of language is so popular that it has also been used in films, such as the film Any Sunday (1999) directed by Oliver Stone, where Al Pacino plays the coach. True, his language is fictitious, staged, it certainly conveys strong emotions, but it lacks the spontaneity of lively, hot speech.

Back to Coach Campbell, before the playoffs, he gave them a speech about courage, that is, perseverance, an asset that is considered a basic principle, a “basic foundation”: “We’re going to go a little further, we’re going to shoot a little louder, and we’re going to think a little deeper and more refined.” [It’s our core foundation, man. Grit. And what does it mean? In a nutshell, I think it means this. We’ll go a little bit longer, we’ll push a little harder, and we’ll think a little deeper and a little sharper.]

Here’s what Campbell had to say to the players after a convincing 24-23 victory over the Las Vegas Rams in this year’s NFL playoffs.

It is worth considering that “Detroit” did not enter the playoffs for 32 years, so this match ended the “drought” of victories, or, as the Americans say, playoff droughts.

When you come here (to Detroit) 3 years ago, like me and this guy (Brad Holmes, CEO), you have a vision, you start working and you get an idea of ​​how you build it and what kind of players what you need and how you’re going to build the team from the bottom up — offense, defense, special teams, and you balance that… It’s a business, and it’s not always perfect, but we do a pretty good job. [îi pasează mingea lui Brad Holmes, GM-ul). B.H. : Îi iubesc pe toți de aici din sală, ați jucat cu mult avânt, dar am trecut și prin întuneric și ne-a făcut mai puternici că să putem înfrunta astfel de momente, vă iubesc și vă mulțumesc tuturor! Speech-ul lui Campbell după victoria asupra echipei Tampa Bay Buccaneers cu 31-23 a fost la fel de impresionant:

You are incredible, I tell you. We’ve talked about it all year, you’re built for it, and look what you did, you beat another team… you know how hard it is to beat a team in this league in the playoffs? Do you understand what you are doing now? What are we capable of? There were two victories and two more matches ahead. I’m incredibly proud of everyone here, coaches, players, you played against a very strong team. [îi pasează mingea lui Derrick Barnes] – in short, that he is proud that the staff put their trust in him and that he is proud of everyone in the organization. In the final of the conference NFC (NFC Championship), the semifinal of the competition, “Detroit Lions” categorically led in the first half, but in the second half “San Francisco 49ers” came back effectively and defeated them with a score of 34-31. .

Now let’s focus on what you say when you are very high and things are not going your way, what you say to the media, the fans, the team.

To be a leader, you have to go through it again: “I’m proud to be part of this team, and it’s hard to feel these two emotions at the same time: to be proud of what we’ve accomplished this year. and take the pain of losing,” defensive end Jared Goff said in a press conference after the midseason loss to the 49ers. As for Dan Campbell, he said he’s proud of the team, but it’s tough for him. Thanks to Dan Campbell’s exemplary leadership and comeback story ” Detroit’s team has outdone themselves and will likely be a team to be feared next season. A good leader must demonstrate emotional intelligence, empathy, instill trust in team members and lay the foundation for a productive work ethic, and Dan Campbell demonstrates all of these qualities .The Lions’ victories instilled pride throughout the city, and also attracted the support of Eminem himself, who came to games and whose lyrics were sung by the entire stadium.The Detroit Lions definitely expanded their fan base beyond Motown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i21lcwEU_6A