John Harbaugh answers your leadership questions before the start of his first Giants season

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Each month, New York Giants coach John Harbaugh answers reader questions about leadership.

Harbaugh is in his first year with the Giants and is also the co-founder of the Harbaugh Coach AcademyA non-profit organization that helps coaches at all levels.

Anyone interested in asking Harban about leadership can enter one in the box below. You can read the previous month’s question and answer. over here.

Now to the questions:

When you meet an underdog (player or coach) who feels like they have an opportunity, how can you not give it to them? – Cole K.

Harbaugh Just honestly. I’ve had those discussions here over the past few days.

I think most of these guys deserve a better chance than they actually get because the competition is so tough. Often the key to doing this is simply the opportunity to quit. Finding that opportunity is not always easy.

I just try to explain the situation: “Here’s where we are, where we stand, and how you fit into that.”

I try to acknowledge the fact that they deserve more; They earn more. I tell guys, “You should be on this 53-man roster. You should be on another 53. You deserve to be on the 53-man roster. But that’s why it doesn’t work here right now.”

Do you train an established star and a rookie the same way? And why? – Pierre B.

Harbaugh I don’t think you train two people the same way. Everyone is unique. No one is the same.

You don’t categorize them as established stars or unestablished players or anything else. More about: Who is this person? I try to have as many conversations as I would with a star player.

The conversations are different because they are different people, and their needs and locations are different.

I try to think of them individually rather than compartmentalizing them.

My biggest struggle as a youth coach is knowing early on whether a player will respond to hard coaching or a soft touch. What concrete signs do you need to learn quickly rather than learning by trial and error? – Jack D.

Harbaugh Very interesting, but I don’t know how to describe it that way. How do you define what is a soft touch and what is a hard coach? What exactly does that mean?

It probably means different things to different people, so I think you should be careful about this.

For me, start with yourself first. Check your own heart.

Yes, I want to be practical, I want to be useful, I want to find the best way to reach the player to get the most out of them. But first I have to check myself. What is my motivation? Is it my motivation because I want to win more games? Yes, of course. But it should be more about the player himself.

What is better for this player? What can I do to help this player become the best version of himself? Why are we here? What is the ultimate goal?

Teachers should be about students; Coaches should be about players first.

And then the next thing: find the person where they are. Try to establish a relationship with that person. What does it take to gain their trust in a way that you have their best interests at heart and help them find what’s best for them?

It’s not about hard coaching or soft coaching. It’s more about relational coaching.

How do you handle tough conversations? Telling someone they are cut, not starting, firing someone, etc. – Britton S.

Harbaugh All this should start from passion. You want to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. I’ve been in those shoes too.

I try to do it in a positive way, and I try to look at it in terms of the great things they do. I’m just trying to explain the situation and the situation.

And if there are things they could do better, they want to be positively honest and open about those things.

Many leaders share how they hold subordinates accountable. How did you hold your peers accountable? What are the challenges with peers? – Tom S.

Harbaugh That’s a very good question. As coaches, we’re all peers, but even at this professional level, you’re essentially a peer — a partner is probably a better word — with your players.

The players and coaches are united in their mission to put the best team out there. And they work together to help each other achieve their goals, aspirations and dreams.

I think you do it by holding each other accountable in a relationship. Like, I think about you. If someone is willing to come to me and tell me I can do better, I don’t have to get defensive about it. I have to look at it from the following perspective: This person really cares about me and wants to help me.

That gives permission for the other person to come to you and help you become better.

It’s so easy to say nothing.

If we can all understand that’s the perspective we’re coming from, I think you can relate to your peers on the same level as everyone else.

What advice would you give to a young athlete trying to become a leader on his team? And how would you say your leadership on the field translates into life skills? – Nico

Harbaugh It translates perfectly. For me, football or any other sport is a way of life. There are groups everywhere. Your family is a team. You are in a group, man, and you face life’s challenges together.

Your first job, you’re on a team, and you have to be a good teammate.

First and foremost, great leadership starts with being a good teammate and a great servant. What leaders do is help everyone around them become better. Great leaders like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed made other players and coaches better by showing their work and operations.

And then you have to think about the people who really want you to lead. First you have to save them. They need to know that you really care about them, that you are in their corner and that you want them to do well.

Another thing is the example you set. You have to be willing to go in there and do the work. You have to be willing to get in there and be ready to make the sacrifices that the people around you ask you to make.

You should see it.

When you’re the one holding the vision, how do you move your players from what they believe is possible? I’m curious about the balance between what they want for themselves and what you want for them. – Christina J.

Harbaugh Ah, very good point. It is very important to mix, marry and merge individual dreams and goals with the team mission. These two things must go together.

We fully acknowledge that our players have dreams and goals and aspirations and we want to be there for them to realize all of those things.

We encourage our players and coaches to support each other: tell us what your dream is. Tell us what your goals are. Tell us about a dream in which you are really afraid to speak in public because you are afraid that someone will make fun of you.

We want to know how big your dream is because we want to help you get there.

There really is an “I” in the group. In fact, there are 53 “I’s” in our team, and there are many more as part of the wider team and organization. And all the “I’s” are working together to create the team.

You have to consider those individual desires and try to focus and combine them all together.

How do you inspire your own players to step up into leadership roles on your team? – Renee R.

Harbaugh Some people are uncomfortable standing up in front of the room and speaking. Some people are a little more reserved. That’s fine. You can lead in this kind of personality.

Many of these people, when they speak, are like the old EF Hutton ad: “When you speak, people listen.”

The best way to always start is by example. You must be respected. In soccer, you are respected for your hard work, how much you care about the team, and how well you play. And that is important. How much do you do at work?

Do all these things first. After that, leadership simply falls into line.