Paul’s Blog
December 12, 2020
FIND YOUR AUTHENTIC VOICE
I can remember going to watch Krzyzewski run a basketball practice one day and will never forget this. Five minutes into practice he was raging, screaming and throwing things before throwing everybody out of the gym. I asked what set him off and he said that he had scheduled that two weeks ago because he knew that he needed to get their attention. Now I'm not a screamer but I decided to try that and screamed at the team one day. At the end, they patted me on the back and said, “that was funny… Have a good day!”
I learned how to coach and manage people by being inauthentic at times and realizing that just didn't work for me. You’ve got to find a way to get to people. My sledgehammer is guilt. I was raised with guilt, so if I want to get people's attention, I would say something like, “I can't believe you feel so little about the history of this place or you care so little about me that you would cut corners and not give everything you have.” I motivate people differently. Never pretend to be something you're not. If you act inauthentically, they're gonna sniff that out and you will lose them forever. You need to find your own authentic way of working with people and coaching people. You've got to find your own authentic voice.