Every year I get excited when August rolls around. Why? Because Hard Knocks is back on TV! Hard Knocks is an annual five-episode series on HBO that chronicles the training camp of a different National Football League (NFL) team.
I’ve been faithfully watching this show for over 10 years, even though I don’t know much about football. That’s because football is only the backdrop. The real storylines are about leadership and team development. That’s what brings me back season after season.
It’s surprising to see the different leadership styles of each of the coaches and the approach they take to build their team from 53 individuals. What this show reminds me is that leadership comes in all shapes and sizes.
Here are some examples of different leadership styles I’ve seen:
- Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions, 2022 season) is a players’ coach. He leans heavily into his 10 years of experience as a tight end in the NFL to relate to his players. He brings enthusiasm and motivation to his team.
- Anthony Lynn (LA Chargers, 2020) expressed care and concern for his players as people, outside of their performance on the field. He didn’t shy away from offering honest feedback because he wanted to help each player on the team develop as a human being. (He was my favorite coach!)
- Rex Ryan (NY Jets, 2010) exuded confidence in his team and had a magnetic larger-than-life personality. He encouraged his players to be accountable to one another and step up to provide individual leadership.
If you are a leader or geek out about leadership like I do, I encourage you to check out this or other seasons of Hard Knocks and let me know what you take away from them.