One Final Reminder

Before Jim Harbaugh sends his teams out onto the field, he gives them one final reminder.

It’s a message that has remained the same for many years:

“Play as hard as you can, as fast as you can, for as long as you can…and don’t worry!”

There are very few absolutes in team sports, but Harbaugh’s reminder touches on the four factors that I believe are as close to definitive as it gets.

Teams that are capable of winning things tend to play with superior intensity, at speed, for the full duration of the game, and aren’t overcome by fear.

• Play as hard as you can = Superior intensity

• As fast as you can = At speed

• For as long as you can = For the full duration

• And don’t worry = Aren’t overcome by fear

Quizzed on where ‘…and don’t worry!’ came from, Jim says he stole it from his brother, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

“My brother has this saying: Work and Don’t Worry,” Jim Harbaugh says. “Why I love that one so much is that whatever happens to you — something bad happens, something good happens, you feel wronged, you’re nervous — whatever emotion you’re going through; go find some work to do!”

What he’s describing is task-orientation; the ability to acknowledge your emotional state but quickly re-focus on the task at hand.

If you can get a team to play as hard as they can, as fast as they can, for as long as they can, and have them collectively re-orient to stay on task…your team is headed places.