When We Are Free to Move Article

Congratulations Eagles for playing an incredible game. A special thank you to Toyota for leveraging their Super Bowl LII commercial as a platform to underscore the importance of hope, motivation and leadership. Toyota’s slogan “when we are free to move, anything is possible”, was a beautiful story of Ms. Lauren Woolstencroft’s journey to success.
Ms. Woolstencroft was born missing an arm and both legs below the knee. With her chances of winning a Paralympic gold metal, at an astonishing one billion (yes with a B) to one odds, Ms. Wollstencroft beat the odds. She not only won one gold metal, but 8 gold medals! This is a true testament to dedication, perseverance and having the ability to freely move. Despite her disability, she proved that “anything is possible”… and so did our “underdogs”, now proudly known as our “top dogs”.
The game, the stories and the ambiance was not only exciting but was also informative. There were many strong leadership lessons for all of us to learn and this. This became very apparent as I scrolled through social media. As I looked at posts and thoughts about the game from others, I also noted some posts peppered in the news feed about people feeling marginalized in the workplace setting. I thought about the commonly referenced quote “hire smart people and then get out of their way”, which has been referenced by several well-known leaders in a variety of industries. They advise this is the key to strong leadership. I thought about how many leaders allow their teams to freely move, like Coach Doug does?
From quotes, to passive statements, to full-blown articles, clearly, people want to be able to “move freely” in their role. Having the ability to move freely brings a sense of purpose and meaning to day to day responsibilities. The phrase “move freely” really resonates with the Eagles jingle “Fly Eagles Fly”. I’m confident the Eagles team, leaders, and fans felt free to move to make the impossible, possible. Do you agree?
While watching Super Bowl LII, there were 4 key leadership themes that arose and can help leaders foster an environment where staff feel they are free to move. These themes include teamwork, forgiveness, engagement, and empathy. First, teamwork was displayed by the Eagles through team dinners, no cell phone use during certain times, and their ongoing resilience and persistence, despite being called the underdogs or losing Wentz, their starting quarterback. As a team, they actually embraced the underdog tagline and believed in their backup quarterback, Nick Fowles (who, may I add, was the MVP of the super bowl). Despite the many doubters, the team and Eagles family believed in themselves. Forgiveness was demonstrated when plays or passes didn’t go as planned. Players and coaches continued to stay positive and move forward. Did you note how the Eagles coaches and players didn’t place blame on individuals?
There was, undeniably, an intense amount of engagement among the fans, the players, the administration and the community at large. The engagement fueled the energy on the field. Everyone felt they had something at stake and the energy was contagious. The engagement was powerful. Finally, empathy was demonstrated through the handshakes and special moments shared with the Patriots after the Eagles won the game. The Eagles took the time to show good sportsmanship by sharing positive sentiments about the strength of both teams. This helps both teams feel respected and valued.
Coach Peterson, like many successful leaders, practice these themes in their day to day roles and responsibilities. They empower their teams to move freely by adopting the following behaviors:
Use positive reinforcement (5 positive sentiments to every 1 constructive one)
Ask (and accept) honest feedback
Approach situations with curiosity rather than certainty
Place themselves in others shoes (practice empathy)
Adding these behaviors to your leadership toolbox decreases blame and vulnerability and promotes teamwork, forgiveness, engagement, and empathy. It is important to always use open ended questions and ask your team to share their perspectives and recommendations for improvement. Even if you think you are allowing your team to move freely, it only takes a moment to ask for validation. Anything is possible when we take the time to make it possible.
How do you encourage your team to spread their wings and fly? Fly like an Eagle!

I provide empathy training and emotional intelligence coaching to organizations.
Cheri Clancy is a respected and passionate patient experience leader, nurse, author, speaker, and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Cheri Clancy