I have written in the past (see"Row the Boat" ) about the new University of Minnesota Golden Gophers head football coach, PJ Fleck. While Coach Fleck was at Western Michigan, he created a winning culture based upon several key tenets, many of which he has brought to the University of Minnesota. Admittedly, Coach Fleck is absolutely, 100% high-energy - his leadership style is not for everyone. Moreover, some would argue that his leadership style is a bit clichéd and somewhat "over-the-top." If you are interested in a tutorial on the culture that Coach Fleck is trying to build, there is a great series of short video clips starring - you guessed it - PJ Fleck.
There are a few core tenets to Coach Fleck's culture. First off, he describes what it means to be "ELITE." If you follow him on Twitter (@Coach_Fleck), you will find that he uses the term "ELITE" for almost everything ("We had an ELITE practice today" or "Wishing the Gopher Volleyball team ELITE luck as they start their season today" or even, "We had an ELITE time at the Minnesota State Fair"). But don't be fooled - he is not overusing the term here. Rather, by using a common set of vocabulary (he reportedly gives a binder with between 150-200 words and phrases that he commonly uses to build his culture, an ELITE dictionary if you will), staying on the same message over and over, and boiling everything down to one vision, he is slowly creating the culture that he wants his team to embrace.
Coach Fleck says that there are five kinds of people in this world - bad, average, good, excellent, and ELITE. He goes further to say that "the problem with excellent is that it is a standard of excellence - a lot of people want to be excellent." Very few individuals want to be considered elite. "Being elite is a lifestyle and a choice." It is a commitment to being the BEST OF THE BEST. Coach Fleck wants his players to be ELITE in four ways - academically (i.e. intellectually), athletically, socially, and spiritually. He goes on to describe how his players can become ELITE:
1. Have a "Nekton Mentality": "Nektons" are an aquatic animal that is able to move or swim independently of the current (which differentiates from those aquatic animals that move passively with the current, or "plankton"). In Fleck-speak, Nektons are "always hungry, always attacking, and never satisfied." Nektons don't let the situation dictate what happens next - nektons dictate what happens next. The ultimate "nekton" is the Great White Shark - it is "always attacking, never full." Nektons are like the Great White Shark - always progressing forward and never satisfied with the status quo.
2. Set a "Prefontaine pace": Steve Prefontaine was an ELITE U.S. Olympic long-distance runner known for setting a "suicide pace" (legend has it that he once said, "The best pace is a suicide pace, and today is a good day to die." Steve Prefontaine was the ultimate Nekton - always looking forward, always attacking, and never satisfied with second-best.
3. Have a "Farmer's Alliance"": Coach Fleck says that a "farmer's alliance" is all about building trust throughout the organization - complete transparency, 100% honesty, and mutual trust and accountability. Be unselfish. Work as a team. Trust one another. Next time you are in a farm community, watch and listen. The farmer's are indeed a community - a family. They work for each other, just as much, if not more so than they work for themselves.
A little too much hyperbole? Just plain crazy? I don't know about that - PJ Fleck took Western Michigan to the 2016 Cotton Bowl and played competitively to a very good Wisconsin team, losing 24-16. He was one of the hottest, most sought after coaches during the 2016-2017 off-season, eventually accepting a job at the University of Minnesota. Time will tell if he coaches the Golden Gophers to success. But I like his style. And while I may not have my own language, I have adopted my own core tenets that build into my "Charlie Golf One"" mentality ("Be like Young."." "Work as a Team." "Clear the Deck."). Definitely not as catchy or memorable as a "Nekton Mentality", but it works for me. And that is what matters the most.
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