Leadership Lessons from Andy Reid

Last night’s Super Bowl win for the Kansas City Chiefs was one for the record books! And it wasn’t a chance win, it was very carefully choreographed.

I’m always studying Andy Reid on the field because the calmness he exudes is palpable. In fact, it spreads to other coaching staff as well as Quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Last night, you would never know just by watching the two of them how high the stakes were and that they were coming from behind most of the game. They were cool as ice because they knew something that most of us didn’t - they were going to win - and they trusted each other to make it happen.

That type of trust doesn’t just happen, it is the result of a relationship they have built over time. Everyone pulls their weight and they study the plays and strategy together over and over until muscle memory kicks in. To get that type of team, Coach Reid exhibits the following intentional habits:

1. His first priority is relationship with his coaching staff and team. I doubt many other coaches in his league has such a deep relationship and understanding of the people around him. And they of him.
2. He is calm in the face of stress that would break most of us. In fact, he barely broke a sweat. This comes through years of experience and learning from his mistakes and the many experiences he has encountered.
3. He continues to learn and evolve. He doesn’t let the conditions dictate his outcome. He thinks through every scenario, tests ideas, and consistently hones his craft. He never thinks he has arrived. Read that again. He never thinks that he has arrived. 
4. He doesn’t prioritize work over family. It is clear through images we see that he has a great relationship with his grandchildren. He also has that with his wife and kids. His family isn’t perfect and yet you can feel the love between them.

I can list so many more keys that he incorporates into his life to elevate him to such an iconic leader. I’ll let you do additional research to inspire your own leadership - and I hope you do. 

Let this exciting win be a catalyst for you to elevate your leadership. 

If you want to dive deeper into how to motivate your team and see your work from a different perspective, register for my upcoming challenge, The Executive Edge Challenge: 3 Days to ReIgnite Your Leadership Spark. We will talk about the above and so much more!   Register here.