Practicing Leadership - Cheering for Others

I don't typically interrupt Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald when he's answering a question, but I wanted to make sure I heard him correctly.

Did he really mean to say that he hopes the team gets a penalty for celebrating too much?

We were standing on the field for our regular pregame interview before the Seahawks first preseason game last week against the Dallas Cowboys. I had just asked about the role of the veterans who would be on the sidelines resting instead of playing in the game.

Coach smiled and confirmed that I heard him correctly. The veterans who weren't playing were instructed to cheer on the guys who were fighting for a spot on the team, to the point of drawing a penalty. Coach called it a "cost of doing business" penalty. In other words, he was willing to be penalized for showing the team cared about each other and cheered for the success of others. 

To be clear, it’s something he only advocates during the preseason because it’s a chance to build and enhance the connective tissue that makes a championship team truly special. It is also a way to show newcomers they’re seen and that their efforts are valued. 

The Seahawks did not draw any celebration penalties last week, but they did leave the sideline, jump around, high five and celebrate a few plays including a 52-yard punt return by an undrafted rookie. After the game he told me during an interview, “it was the kind of thing you dream of as a kid.” I wish the interview was for TV instead of radio so people could have seen the smile and the emotion on his face. 

There are any number of teachable moments and priorities that come out of a preseason football game and the head coach chose to focus on moments to celebrate.  It’s an unconventional way to measure the connectedness of a team. And it gives every leader a chance to think about how to build a stronger culture.  

How to Practice Leadership This Week 

When it comes to celebrating the success of your team, here are 3 questions to help you articulate the expectations 

• What do you want celebrated right now?
• How do you want the celebration to look?
• In what ways can you incentivize your team to cheer for others?