The best coaches… and the best leaders… are known most for the talent they develop in others… for the leadership they give away.
Great leaders focus on their individual team players; on relationships, attitude, and environment. They accept blame, and give credit; and they understand that their own success is dependent on the success of others… dependent on the success of the team.
Please allow me to share three examples from my day today…
The Green Bay Packers wallopped the Chicago Bears this afternoon 37-3… not that I want to gloat. As I said in another post, I like football, but sometimes for other reasons.
Looking at the stats, the Packers won on every front… Rushing, Passing, Total Yards… Turnovers, Special Teams, First Downs… Third and Fourth Down Efficiency, Penalties, Time of Possesion… and of course… Total Points.
Rock on.
And please understand, this is not a put-down toward the Bears; Lovie Smith and his entire team are class acts, but what happened today for the Pack was that everyone showed up… the team played as a team today. The team won today.
Now by saying that, I don’t mean in any way to minimize the role of Packer’s Head Coach Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff. And I don’t want to diminish the strategy or the game plan. But great teams… strong teams… confident teams, make coaches look really, really good.
Ben Howland, UCLA Bruins Head Coach, once made the point in an ESPN interview. “The thing that consistently works,” Howland said, “is getting really good players. I’m a lot better coach when I have great players.”
As for the Packers, there is no doubt that Mike McCarthy is a good leader. He understands that the best strategy, executed poorly… is useless. After today’s game, he thanked his assistants and his players… his team.
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Earlier this evening I opened the book “Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?” by Bryan Eisenberg, Jeffrey Eisenberg, and Linda T. Davis.
I began reading the ‘Acknowledgements’ on page ix, and got all the way to page x before it hit me. There it was again… the mark of leadership… let me explain.
Here were the authors… thanking all those who helped make the bestseller possible. Humbly, with appreciation… doing what leaders do… thanking the team.
There are friends who believed, friends who processed, friends who concepted, and friends who held feet to the fire. There are friends who edited, friends who refined, friends who brought clarity, and friends who advised.
There are energetic friends, enthusiastic friends, generous, insightful, and patient friends.
There are supporting publishers and staff, and there are loving and encouraging families. There are those who have gone before, and those that will come after… and there are many of us who appreciate their work, and whom they may never meet. Taken together… we’re the team.
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So, right now I’m listening to a Switchfoot CD; I really like their music. And I’m reading the liner notes, and wouldn’t you know… they’re all here too.
Friends, families, musicians, producers, fans, artists, and advisers.
People who love them, believe in them, sharpen, encourage, support, promote, and fund… in short, their team.
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Over the course of my life, I’ve played on many teams and led many others. I’ve had great examples to follow, and leaders who have devoted time to developing and coaching me. As I look back, it seems that every victory was made possible by the love and support… the loyalty and work… of one or another of my teams.
For that I am grateful. Thanks guys.
Principles:
1) The power of the team… is the team.
2) Strong teams beat weak teams.
3) Be thankful for the team you’ve got.
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