Lead Like Your Bracket Depends on It

NCAA Division I basketball champions Louisiana State University (women) and the University of Connecticut (men) emerged from grueling, weeks-long competitions against determined opponents. Leadership lessons abound—and they apply to more than sports.

Every team in the tournament had floor leaders. They needed to be students of the game, know their coaches’ intentions, know their teammates’ skills, know the game plan, and be able to adjust to changing situations. It’s one of the most valuable skills a student-athlete can learn.

It’s the talent that brought a light of hope to the darkest days of the pandemic—recognizing the threats, the opportunities, and reacting accordingly. First responders and hospital teams come to mind—acting, reacting and keeping up the good fight.

Coaches of “favorites,” teams that are expected to win, would represent the qualities government leaders need. They need to acknowledge that while success is likely, it will only come through hard work and dedication. Some did really well: keeping people safe, promising vaccines and sharing updated guidance as it became available. These are the “we’re taking it one game at a time” coaches  of a million game interviews. Some didn’t do so well, flinging insults and doubts when it turned out the coronavirus pandemic was going to be much worse than another flu.

Vaccine developers shared the attitudes of coaches of the “underdogs,” teams that weren’t expected to win. In recent interviews, some of the leading scientists who contributed to creating the vaccines still call them “a miracle.” Rather than sit back and complain about the difficulties of the situation, they kept the focus on doing what needed to be done, knowing their jobs and doing them to the best of their abilities.

Each leader type has the same mission, to win, and each faces different challenges.

When facing leadership challenges, act like your bracket depends on it.

COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS: In the U.S., 1,596 people died from a coronavirus infection during the week that ended April 3, per the CDC, with 139,991 new confirmed infections—an uptick of more than 6,000 new cases per week. The percentage of Americans who received an updated booster rose slightly to 16.5% of eligible people.

Amanda Schleede is founder and CEO of Attend Safe, which helps people to attend to life with sensible safety protocols. Visit Attend Safe online at AttendSafe.com