The Force Is Strong with this One

I am not a huge fan of the Star Wars series. I know, for some of my friends, that's sacrilege. I just never got involved with the story lines after the original and The Empire Strikes back. However, I do vividly recall Darth Vader's "the force is strong with this one" as Luke Skywalker raced through his targeting run in the concluding scenes of  A New Hope.

That line came to mind as I watched Matt Rhule's press conference as the University of Nebraska's next football coach. His personality is magnetic and his command of the room absolute. I fully understand now why he was so successful at Baylor and Temple. He faltered in the NFL, and we'll read about that more down the road. But as he stood at the podium today, I was left with little doubt that the Cornhuskers would be back.

Football aside, there were two leadership principles that Rhule eloquently addressed today that caught my attention. I thought both worth mentioning as these themes apply across all professions and volunteer opportunities. 

First, I was impressed with the Coach's grasp of the rebuild before him. He masterfully managed expectations and earned confidence with this succinct commentary: "It will be hard. It may take time. But it will be done." When change agents are hired, they frequently step in with oozing confidence and talk about the success to come as if it will happen in the blink of an eye. Many times, they don't temper the timeline and fall short of their own lofty expectations by disappointing those counting on them. Use Rhule's measured response as good instruction...assure your organization that change will happen but allow for the fact that change processes are not overnight nor are they easy.

His second point that I keyed in on was equally heavy and instructive: "Anybody can lead when things are easy. That's convenient leadership. Who steps up when things are hard?" Such a powerful reminder of when true leaders emerge. I think about the hiring I've done looking for leaders. This reminder will help center me on seeking more examples of how an applicant has thrived in the tough times and how they led as opposed to the scenario when they're leading on calm seas. 

Only time will tell if Rhule succeeds at Nebraska. There are a lot of circumstances that make the mountain to climb difficult such as their departure from a conference where they were a perennial favorite to win championships and their loss of prime recruiting markets. I'm not saying the leaving the Big XII was the wrong decision but it definitely altered the landscape for their athletic programs. The work will be hard, and it will take time, but I have great confidence in Rhule's ability to bring the once storied program back to national prominence. 

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