The Best Place To Be Is When Expectations Are High

People fear failure, but I believe they fear success more.

People like the idea of success, but are unwilling to assume the identity of someone who is successful.

For most people (some pro athletes included) they’re satisfied with coasting along and just being okay. ‘Almost’ winning the big game is still a good pub story to tell their mates, and it keeps expectations low.

This individual phenomenon holds true for teams, too.

Teams like the idea of being a successful team, but are unwilling of assume the identity of a team who is successful.

Successful teams get every opponent’s best game. In many leagues, they get drawn more often against the other successful teams. They play in Prime Time, on national television, in front of sellout crowds. Every. Single. Week.

This is why I call it an identity. It can’t be something you do, it’s got to be a way of being.

With that in mind, one of the most skillful examples of leadership that I can think of is when a coach is able to persuade their team believe in themselves and want expectations to be high.

This is why I’ve always admired Rex Ryan.

Ryan is a polarizing figure in the NFL, but for two seasons his New York Jets were must-see-TV!

They were brash and they were loud, just like Ryan himself. But when your franchise’s iconic player is a guy nicknamed ‘Broadway Joe’ perhaps brash and loud are exactly what you should be.

It was a perfect match.

The Next Level

In 2009, the Jets emerged as a contender. They beat the other playoff teams the Patriots, Colts, and Bengals during the regular season, before knocking out the Bengals and Chargers during the playoffs to find themselves in the AFC Championship Game.

Knowing that they could beat some of the best teams in the league, Ryan saw an opportunity to push his team to the next level — to want expectations.

To open training camp in 2010, Ryan delivered an expletive-laden speech that is one of the enduring clips captured by HBO’s Hard Knocks:

In 53 seconds, the tone for the season is set:

• We have evidence that we’re good enough to contend

• We control our destiny

• What’s controllable right now is our effort and energy at training camp

• We should lean in to the expectations (afterall, this is New York)

• We’re going to be physical and aggressive

In 2010, Ryan’s Jets got even better. From flying under the radar, they burst onto the scene, winning 11 games, the second-most in franchise history. In the playoffs, they beat the Colts and Patriots — the era’s two dominant teams — before falling (again) in the AFC Championship Game.

The Jets assumed the identity of a successful team, and they began thriving under the bright lights of expectation.

Ultimately, it all fizzled out. The New York Jets have not made the playoffs since.

But this season, there’s expectations again. And we’re about to find out if they like the idea, or the identity.

Cody’s Notes

• My fear is that coaches are losing the skill of being able to drive talented and capable teams towards the success that they desire.

• I believe one of the reasons we’re losing this skill is that we’ve merged our approaches to participation sport with competitive sport. It turns out, the clue is in the name. Teams in competitive sport are in the competition industry, and can be coached as such.

• One of the crucial elements of team growth is the changing expectations at various stages in their maturity. There is craft skill required to drive your team beyond each of these landmarks, but the toughest one is undoubtedly when you become a genuine contender.

• This is the toughest stage because there are many unknowns, and many false signals. My friend Cameron Schwab has a great saying that captures the torment of this final stage: “the game does not give up its rewards easily”.

• To unlock the rewards on offer, we must become someone who is worthy of the rewards. It is a way of being.