I am always intrigued when a team like the Atlanta Hawks starts to win after a coaching change – same players, same opponents, same statistics, but suddenly they’re winning.
Same thing happened when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as interim head coach for Manchester United last year.
So what makes the difference? It’s a lot more than Xs and Os.
“They play better when they believe they can.”
Hawks coach Nate McMillan started with a) a strong sense of belief and b) connection with the players. Nate’s conviction that the team will win is infectious, not simply because he says he believes they will win but because he demonstrates his belief by identifying the paths to success. Paths that drive directly to an outcome they all want.
He shows them “why” he has conviction, the steps that would result in winning as a team and then communicates that conviction individually and collectively. His belief and conviction aren’t about the mechanics of executing plays, type of offense, type of defense, individual players or their statistics. His belief comes from knowing that his players can tap into much higher performance levels if they feel energized by the outcome and empowered to play freely.
They play better when they believe they can.
Coach McMillan’s emphasis on connection recognizes that people desperately want to be part of something – a community, a collective cause. People naturally crave success beyond their individual achievements. They want to rise up and succeed. They don’t want to do it alone. They want to connect – as a team.
He shows his players that they have a unique opportunity to forge a bond, a shared success. Without the sharing, the individual successes feel hollow and short-lived. Shared successes, like the kind you share when there are lots of hands holding up a trophy, last a lifetime.
Belief and connection first. The rest is detail.
Culture of Belief 