Significant change within an organization tends to cause one of two reactions. In some cases there is nervous tension of the unknown that creates hesitancy and even resistance to accept the change. Other times the change is met with excitement and renewed sense of optimism for the possibilities that lie ahead. The landscape around us is changing faster than ever and in business we are constantly having to evolve, making changes to our personnel, our processes, our physical space and our products. The big question is; How do we spark the latter when making changes within our organizations?

As many of you know, I love a good coach story and I didn’t have to look far for this one. To say the University of Colorado football team has struggled the past 15 years would be an understatement. During that time they have only had two winning seasons and one of those was during the pandemic shortened year when they only played six games. They have had eight different head coaches during that time and last year finished with an abysmal 1-11 record.

The history of losing has led to general apathy among fans and supporters, sparse attendance at games and an overall lack of confidence in the program. That all changed though with the decision in December of last year to hire Deion Sanders to be the head coach of the football team. Since he was hired, there has been a constant buzz around the state, CU licensed merchandise sales are up 700% year over year, and season tickets sold out for the first time in 27 years. This past Saturday, despite snow and 32 degree weather, CU played their annual spring game in front of a sellout crowd of more than 47,000 fans - tripling the record for a spring game in Boulder and well above the 2,000 fans that showed up last year.

So how has “Coach Prime” generated this much excitement before the team has played an actual game? Three lessons have contributed to the hope and enthusiasm that I think all of us can apply when trying to make a change within our organizations.

Instill Confidence - Deion Sanders is a big personality and you can’t help but get excited when listening to him speak. He’s passionate, confident and not afraid to say what is on his mind. His straightforward and direct communication reflects his own confidence, which is contagious. If you’re not confident about the changes taking place, how can you expect anyone around you to believe it will work?

Evidence of Change - It’s one thing to talk about future success, it’s another thing to start making progress toward it. While he hasn’t won a game yet, Deion has provided proof that things are changing. He has recruited some of the top players in the country to come play at CU, landing the top transfer class in the country and one of the best recruiting classes CU has ever had. Talk must be backed up with action that continues to build the excitement and enthusiasm for the change.

Cut out the Negativity - When change is necessary it often means that something wasn’t working. Since December, 41 players have entered the transfer portal to leave CU. On his first day, Coach Prime addressed the team and suggested that many of them should leave the program. He set the tone for a new set of expectations and said; “There is not going to be any more mediocrity, period.” And made it clear that if the players weren’t up for it, they should leave. If things weren’t working in the past, you have to get to the root of why and eliminate that from your organization and often times it’s a negative mindset or a culture of mediocrity.

The Coach Prime effect has sent ripples through the program and college football as a whole and time will tell if he can translate this momentum into success on the field. Not all of us can be Coach Prime but we can apply these lessons as we implement change within our organizations. By instilling confidence, making progress with action in the right direction and getting rid of negativity, we can spark hope and enthusiasm that the change will create positive impact for the people that are committed to the success of our organizations!