In the end, I’ve found, people like the direct approach. It’s much more valuable to them to have a leader who’s absolutely clear and open than to have one who soft-soaps or talks in circles. I’ve had many players come back to me ten years later and thank me for putting the pressure on them. They say what they remember most about me is one line: “I think you’re better than you think you are.” In fact, they say they use the same line with their kids when they’re not doing so well in school or are having other problems. My father used that expression with me, and there’s a lot of truth to it—people can do more than they think they can.
That’s Rule Two: confrontation is healthy.