Lead With Influence

Emotive Deflective Cooperative Championship Leadership

Matt Norman Season 1 Episode 18

What does championship-level leadership actually look like in real life, under real pressure?

In this episode, Matt Norman breaks down a post-game interview that says far more about leadership than football. After Indiana’s historic win over Ohio State, quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s raw, unscripted reactions reveal three qualities that consistently show up in the strongest leaders.

Matt explores why being emotive in how you describe success, deflective with credit, and deeply cooperative in how you frame teamwork creates trust, alignment, and resilience. These aren’t personality traits or motivational slogans. They’re signals that a team is unified, process-driven, and capable of performing when it matters most.

Whether you’re leading a company, a team, or a community, this episode offers a simple but demanding blueprint for what national-champion leadership really looks like — and how to cultivate it where you are.