What Can Companies and Bosses Learn From Vikings Coach Kevin O’Connell?

Well, we’re into a new year. Most people have high hopes for a successful 2025, and for many, the possibility for success will be linked to their jobs in some way. 

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A study last May said that almost 63% of Americans were happy and satisfied in their jobs. That number was a record. But that leaves 37% of American workers who are either neutral on how they feel about where they work or are dissatisfied. 

We hear a lot of people saying that “people just don’t want to work these days”, and there is some measurement of truth to that statement. But, the other side of that coin is, what are companies doing to provide an environment that breeds happiness and offers incentives to employees? 

A better work culture is proven to lead to better productivity, but it seems so many companies or maybe to a different degree, managers or bosses don’t seem to understand that. Now I realize that some of those bosses have been burned in the past by employees who tried to abuse the structure that was set up for them.  

If we only had an example to prove of an employee friendly culture to use as an example. Oh wait, we do. The Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are 14-2 on the season, have won nine games in a row and have exceeded most people's expectations thus far this year.  

As the team prepares to play for the top spot in the NFC North and the #1 overall seed in the playoffs for the NFC along with home field advantage, I’ll use Coach Kevin O’Connell as “Exhibit A” of how being employee friendly yields great results. 

This week, Reggie Wilson from KARE-11 TV in Minneapolis shared a video on X (Twitter) of Coach O’Connell talking about the fact that when the team breaks down film of the game they just played, he includes plays where he could’ve done a better job too. 

“A lot of times it’s just me pointing things I made mistakes on” says the Vikings Head Coach. He wants to make sure the team understands that he is not in a contact state of correction.  

“I like for them to hear me say that I screwed this up and you guys totally bailed me out”. The coach says that it is part of his philosophy to highlight great plays as well as corrections. He feels it is important to spotlight when a player (employee) does something that is deserving of public praise.  

But he also feels that it is important to display ownership of shortcomings and admit to the team he could’ve done better in certain situations.  

I’ve been in management for 25 years and praising good work is something I always want to be better at. I, like Coach O’Connell, feel that when you have to offer correction to an employee, they’re going to receive it better, because you’ve also praised them when they’re deserving of that as well.  

There has to be “give and take” in the workplace and the company’s need to be able to succeed but in my opinion that doesn’t have to come at the expense of making those who work for you feel like they’re only working there out of necessity.  

Plus it goes a long way when employees hear the company or leadership say they say they made a mistake, especially when it's easy to tell that's the situation.

So, if you’re a manager, a boss, or especially an owner, with the start of the new year, what does it hurt to ask yourself and maybe some trusted employees about the culture you have in your workplace and how it could be better?  

In my opinion the only things you have to lose are overall success and less turnover in your employee base.