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“Sea – Hawks! Sea – Hawks! Sea – Hawks!”

And so the cheer gained more and more momentum until it reached a deafening crescendo. Each side of the plane leveraged off of the passion of the other side of the plane to produce one harmonious, synchronous, and united exaltation in support of their beloved Seattle Seahawks – and they hadn’t even won the Super Bowl yet!

This past week I happened to, quite innocently, wonder onto a flight to Philadelphia that was, unbeknownst to me, the flight dozens of passionate Seattle Seahawks fans were taking to attend Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey. As soon as they announced early boarding was being offered to all Seattle fans in team attire and I saw the masses of enthusiastic fans starting to celebrate in full regalia, I knew I was in for a long flight.

Sure enough, once seated, I was surrounded by scores of young men off on an athletic adventure, a pilgrimage to football mecca. They had all spent thousands of dollars for no other reason than to engage with other members of their tribe in support of a cause that brought meaning, hope and joy to their lives. They were firmly committed to do all they could to help their beloved Sea Hawks go all the way and win the big game.

“I wear the same socks to every game.” “I haven’t changed my underwear since the playoffs began.” “I haven’t changed my underwear all season!”

You wouldn’t believe all the stories of their rituals and superstitions I overheard. Each one convinced that what they were doing was somehow contributing to victory.

I admired their passion. I admired their enthusiasm. I admired their commitment. I admired their community.

I wanted to share it.

This whole experience got me thinking about leadership. Do the employees in your organization have that kind of passion and engagement? Do they have that kind of dedication? Do they have that kind of enthusiasm and commitment? Probably not.

And for the record, you don’t want fans in your organization, you want followers. Let me explain…

The one critical distinction between these Seattle fans and the employees of any organization is that employees are not meant to be spectators. They are not meant to be fans.

Employees have been drafted by the coaching staff (leaders) to play the game. Employees are not called to sit in the stands to cheer on the ‘real team’. Employees are not designed to dress for the game and then sit on the bench. No, employees need to put on the jersey of the organization, take up their position on the team, and play hard. Employees need to be equipped, engaged and inspired to march the ‘football’ down the field to score again and again and again – regardless of the opposition.

We want followers, not fans. Players, not spectators.

So, if we want followers not fans, what does that mean for leaders? We need to know what we are following. What is the big idea in your organization that inspires people to “play hard” for the organizational objectives? As an organizational coach our objective needs to be to equip the minds of our people, engage their hearts, and thereby inspire greatness in each of them.

A good coach sets the game plan, and plans the plays, then equips, engages, and encourages the players on the team to play their very best in order to accomplish the inspiring vision of what the team is able to accomplish together. It is the vision of what we can achieve together for which we all sacrifice.  Player follow coaches who care deeply about them, are able to the potential in the players, and then draw out of them a strength and a capability even they did not know they had.

So, fellow coaches, let’s ensure we set the game plan, plan the plays, then equip, engage, encourage and inspire our players to greatness – together. Players, not spectators. Followers, not fans.

Truly winning in the game of business, which is not simply measured in dollars and cents, demands wholehearted coaches who inspire followers, not simply fans.