- The Great Coaches: Leadership & Life
- Posts
- Pressure Cannot Exceed Pleasure: Gordon Herbert
Pressure Cannot Exceed Pleasure: Gordon Herbert
There Is No Algorithm for Leadership
Pressure Cannot Exceed Pleasure: Gordon Herbert
There Is No Algorithm for Leadership
NEW EPISODE
Gordon Herbert
Gordon Herbert has coached across Europe and led Germany to a World Cup championship. Yet much of this conversation is about what he had to unlearn: believing knowledge alone was enough, mistaking pressure for seriousness, and assuming the best individuals automatically make the best team. His leadership philosophy today is built around authenticity, clear vision, care, role clarity and creating enough joy for people to perform freely.LISTEN TO GORDON HERBERT
Listen: Spotify | Apple Podcasts
3 TAKEAWAYS
1. Leadership is vision, direction and support.
Gordon says leaders must be clear about where the group is going not where it has been and resist leaving themselves “wiggle room” in case they fail. For him, vision becomes meaningful when it is reinforced by core values such as respect, trust and commitment, and when the leader models those values first.
2. Pressure cannot exceed the pleasure of the journey.
At the highest level, Gordon deliberately creates moments of laughter and lightness: half-court shooting contests, poker and even lottery cards. The point is not to lower standards. It is to stop pressure from overwhelming the joy that helps people compete freely, connect with one another and perform at their best.
3. Commitment is what you give, not what you get.
Gordon believes championship teams need elite individuals, but the team mentality must come first. His definition is simple: a committed person focuses on what they can give; a non-committed person focuses on what they can get. That means role players accepting their role and the stars still doing the unglamorous “pig work” that sets the standard for everyone else.
3 Questions to Take With You
1. Have you given your team a precise picture of where you are going or left enough wiggle room to protect yourself if you fail?
2. In your environment right now, has the pressure started to exceed the pleasure of the journey?
3. Are the people around you focused more on what they can give or what they can get?
ALSO WORTH YOUR TIME
MY TOP 10 INSIGHTS FROM 200+ INTERVIEWS
leadership advice for anyone looking to refine their leadership skills and approach to coaching.
FROM OUR PARTNER
This newsletter is brought to you by Macquarie University Business School’s MBA program. Designed to empower, challenge and transform, the Macquarie MBA gives you the business skills and knowledge you need to succeed in an evolving global economy.
WORK WITH US
How does your leadership compare to the Great Coaches?
Through interviewing >200 the worlds great coaches we have identified their key leadership traits. Take this free, short survey to see how you compare.
Enjoyed this edition? Forward it to someone who cares about coaching and leadership.