Russell Wilson’s Advice to Leaders: Your Mindset Matters

Listen to my full interview with quarterback and startup founder Russell Wilson on the Office Hours podcast.

In August, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson visited our Seattle headquarters for a live recording of my Office Hours podcast in front of employees. As you can imagine, the excitement in the office was palpable. “12s” decked out in blue and green flooded the common area, where it was standing room only.

Russell and I discussed everything from his love of home shopping (who knew he used to drive around in a purple minivan with his parents visiting open houses?) to his experience as a quarterback and a startup founder. Russell is serious about winning at everything he does, and mental conditioning has been as critical to his success as the grueling physical workouts.

Russell says a key part of mental training has been learning to think neutrally, a trick he learned from his mental conditioning coach, Trevor Moawad, who’s trained elite athletes and Navy SEALs. Neutral thinking means looking at the facts of a situation, without ascribing a positive or negative value. On the field, that could mean staying focused on the number of touchdowns needed to win. In the business world, a leader who’s thinking neutrally may look at the vision for the business and outline the steps to get there, without thinking “that’s impossible” or, on the flip side, “that’s a piece of cake.” It’s about remaining “Zen,” cool under pressure, focusing on what you can control, putting one foot in front of the other.

Trevor teaches Russell to use neutral self-talk and language to motivate himself and his team. Even after Russell led the Seahawks to their Superbowl win in 2014, he says he didn’t celebrate very long. “I was already thinking, ‘OK, what’s next to do?’ I know that one moment doesn't define who I am and what I'm going to be. It’s a continual growth process.” He takes a similar approach to motivating his team. If the Seahawks are losing, he might tell the team that they’ve got two minutes left, and they only need two touchdowns. “I go to the truth,” he explained.

While it’d be tempting to rally himself and the team with false optimism, Russell says sticking to the facts and maintaining a neutral mindset is more motivating. It’s authentic, and it lays out a path to success. Wishful thinking or blind optimism can actually be demotivating because it may not be accompanied by a clear strategy.

Research backs up the power of mindset in improving individual and team performance. According to a study by British sports psychologists, the introduction of psychological skills, such as self-talk, during halftime improved the performance of soccer players in the second half of the game. Outside of sports psychology, which is a budding field, negative thinking has been linked to increased levels of cortisol, which is associated with stress. Positive or neutral thinking, however, is associated with increased life span, better health and more effective coping skills. Simply put, our mindset influences how we feel and how we perform.

Our conversation reminded me of psychologist Carol Dweck’s book, aptly titled “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.” I love her book because it argues that our beliefs can shape outcomes. In other words, each of us has more power than we think we do. Carol writes, “A belief that your qualities can be cultivated leads to a host of different thoughts and actions, taking you down an entirely different road.” (Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and I also discussed Carol’s book and growth mindset when he was on Office Hours.)

As leaders, Russell and I both face high-stakes moments, and we’re responsible for the motivation and performance of our teams. The best leaders in sports and in business aren’t just experts at strategy; they’re mentally tough, and they’re mindful of their own thought processes and the language they use with their teams. Leaders are in a position to motivate and empower their teams, but it starts with their own mindset.

As Russell’s coach Trevor has said, “What you tell yourself and what you think is 10 times more powerful than what anybody else thinks about you.”

Thanks to Russell for joining me on my podcast. He’s a great person and leader on and off the field, and it was an honor to have him spend time with us at Zillow Group.

You can listen to the full podcast here.

Check out previous episodes with:

• Dara Khosrowshahi on Building 'Uber 2.0'
• Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella: Revisit the Mission
• Bloomberg's Emily Chang on Solving Tech's Diversity Problem
• Thrive Global's Arianna Huffington: Prioritize Downtime