Three Periods of Leadership
It is, arguably, the toughest position in all of professional sports.
To succeed at the highest level, an NHL goaltender needs the reflexes of a panther, the courage of a lion and the thick skin of an elephant to endure 20,000 opposing fans in a hostile environment heckling your every move. Beyond athletic skill, an Einstein-like appreciation for physics and geometry is also essential to play the correct angles and properly anticipate where the next lethal shot is coming from.
“How does anyone properly slide into position to block or deflect pieces of vulcanized rubber being ripped from every direction at triple-digit velocities?”
A single mistake spells the difference between winning and losing. Extreme emotional isolation often results from a combination of being alone in the crease, facing jacked-up opponents while bearing the brunt of public criticism and intense blame. Similar to a CEO, it’s a position that can involve significant mental stress.
That’s why having a great goaltending or executive coach is mission-critical in any ultimate high-performance arena. At the NHL level, a top goaltending coach combines deep technical knowledge with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire confidence, mental toughness while extracting every last ounce of athletic potential from the netminder. There is much more involved than just teaching someone how to stop pucks.
In that respect, a great goalie coach is no different than a top-notch executive coach who serves as patient teacher, sounding board and trusted mentor. Whether you are an NHL goalie or a top CEO, these positions represent incredible mental burdens that most people don’t carry and can’t relate to. In that respect it helps to have the unique perspective of a goaltending coach who has played a key role in helping the Tampa Bay Lightning capture back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
Widely respected around the NHL, Frantz Jean took time to share his thoughts on what any leader needs to know about competing and operating in high pressure environments. Opening face-off happens now for THREE PERIODS OF LEADERSHIP on this extended edition of Leaders & Legends.
“Because the demands on the goalie are mostly mental, it means that for a goalie the biggest enemy is himself. Not a puck, not a opponent, not a quirk of size or style. The stress and anxiety he feels when he plays, the fear of failing, the fear of being embarrassed, the fear of being physically hurt, all symptoms of his position, in constant ebb and flow, but never disappearing. The successful goalie understands these neuroses, accepts them, and puts them under control. The unsuccessful goalie is distracted by them, his mind twisted in knots. His body quickly follows”
- KEN DRYDEN
p.s… Making a cameo appearance in Three Periods of Leadership is highly experienced Vistage Worldwide executive coach, John Page. As a leader of CEO Peer Advisory Groups in both Chicago and Tampa, John has learned a thing or two about the delicate and confidential nature of coaching leaders across a wide range of organizations; from entrepreneurial start-ups to those who run publicly-traded international billion-dollar companies. He summarizes his leadership philosophy this way. “It’s much more than helping people managing tasks. It requires empathy, humility compassion and the courage to challenge an accomplished person on their vision. It also helps to have a little humour because we always have to remember we are dealing with people – not machines”
You can reach out and connect directly with John Page here:
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