Some years ago, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski wrote a book entitled "Leading With Your Heart."
"What I told them was what I always told them," he replied. "Don't panic. We are built for moments like this!"
While the heart (that is, our emotions) indeed figure prominently in any strong performance, most psychologists agree that our emotions are actually formed by our thoughts.
And so it all really starts with the things we say to ourselves, and really how we lead with our HEAD.
So the thoughts we formulate, the things we say to ourselves - or in the case of a team leader, what we say to our team - can insure we choose self-trust over self-doubt. (See When the Pressure is On)
After Clemson beat Alabama in the very final seconds of a truly exciting national championship game, quarterback Deshaun Watson was asked what he said to his team at the start of that final drive down the field (with 2:00 on the clock and Clemson behind 31-28).
"What I told them was what I always told them," he replied. "Don't panic. We are built for moments like this!"
Teams and individuals who are able to step up in moments such as these can often alter the moment. Consider how many times an athlete starts to doubt himself under pressure or after having commited a few mistakes, or just trailing in the score during a games waning moments.
While nothing can guarantee pulling of a victory like Clemson did, it is pretty certain that without the champion's mindset victory is unlikely.
Some years ago, tennis great Andre Agassi was asked a hypothetic question: If you were down 5 games to 0 in the fifth set of a match, what would you say to yourself to stay competitive and have a fighting chance?
"I would tell myself there is no place else I would rather be."
Agassi and Watson remind us that the joyful anticipation of the chance to emerge victorious, whatever the challenge facing us, is perhaps the best way to LEAD WITH OUR HEAD.
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