What Defines A Great Leader?

When thinking about the most revered leaders throughout history or even in the history of our own country they generally share many of the same traits and characteristics. Words like strong, passionate, and intelligent often come to mind. But when looking at leaders like Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and  Martin Luther King Jr. the most significant trait they shared was their ability to inspire and empower their nation and their communities. Those we often look up to in our own lives was not their ability to give money or possession, but their willingness to expose themselves to unknown, adverse situations and the appreciation they communicated to those around them.

From the time I was a kid my oldest brother would point out my own selfishness. I still remember the time as an 8 year old that I took the last few pieces from the candy drawer eating them before the opportunity to share could arise. My brother made the comment that I was conceited and selfish for not sharing and thinking of others. When I was in middle school and as a freshmen in high school I would yell and scream at my offensive line for not blocking for myself or our running backs. My middle brother had been the starting quarterback for 3 years and had just graduated. I was excited about the opportunity to be the starting quarterback as a sophomore. My oldest brother heard me talking about the prospect and said "They won't play for you. They're not going to play for someone selfish like you." He was probably in part saying that to get under my skin, which was very easy to do, but there is many a truth said in jest. That one statement, whether he realized it or not, had a profound effect on me. I wanted them to block well for me so I looked good. It forced me to think about how I didn't recognize their efforts and how vital they were to our team success. As a coach now, I believe that success in football is largely predicated on the success of the offensive and defensive line even though it mostly goes unnoticed. It is the ability for each player to understand their role is greatly important and valuable to reaching the goal. Great leaders appreciate and acknowledge the efforts of everyone around them that contributes to the success of a whole.

Our middle school principal in Hesston, Mr. Proctor, is a man I greatly respect and admire. He was also my high school basketball coach my senior season. It is very routine for him to leave small notes to teachers around the building saying how much he appreciates what they do for our students. It is a small gesture, but has a great impact on the environment that we work in each day that trickles down from our staff to our students. As the principal at Southeast High School, Mr. Proctor was loved by our teaching staff. It was a very sad day when he let everyone know he would be moving on. I stayed at Southeast for one more year, and perhaps the person who admired and missed him the most was one our custodians. He would talk at length about how Mr. Proctor would notice and appreciate the quality of his work. The agenda behind our efforts must also have the right motivation. Lou Holtz, legendary football coach at Notre Dame, tells a story of when he used to be a salesman that sold cemetery plots for which he earned a commission off each sale. When he first started, he wanted people to buy cemetery plots to help him, but wasn't having great success, but once he started communicating to customers how buying a cemetery plot could help them his results greatly increased. The motivation behind our ability to succeed must be pure and take into account those who help us become successful as a team, a business, or a family. It is human nature to want to feel appreciated for what we do. It is very easy for those around us to recognize when our motivations aren't genuine and in the best interest of everyone involved. Don't lead with the lash, lead with love and appreciation.

There are generally two ways to accomplish a task as leader, but they have greatly differing results. Standing proud and giving demands, or humbling ourselves and empowering those who are entrusted to you. The first may get the job done, but will breed resentment and may barely accomplish the task. It is not built to last. The latter will lead to inspiration that will yield greater results than anticipated. To lead by definition is: to cause a person to go with one by holding them by the hand while moving forward. I often think of the painting of George Washington and his troops crossing the Delaware River. (Below)

What stands out to me most is the he is at the front of the first boat crossing the river. His troops had the comfort that their general was leading them into a situation he was willing to put his own life in. Leading from the front shelters those entrusted to you and shows them how to navigate uncharted territory as opposed to leading from behind and exposing them to circumstances unknown before ones own self. It also shows that you are willing to encounter the same conditions, good or bad, as everyone else. Leading from behind is unsafe and dangerous to those around you. Being a leader is found directly in it's definition. Whatever you hope to accomplish, or environment that you wish to create you must be at the forefront and communicate appreciation to reach your destination. Who knows? Perhaps the heights are greater than you yourself anticipated.

Victory Has Defeated You

About a year a ago, I wrote a blog post that was derived around a statement from one of my favorite movies, The Dark Knight Rises, called "Darkness is Your Ally".  I'm one of those people that will watch my favorite movies over and over, and yesterday afternoon I popped the movie on as I fell in and out of a nap (I woke up early to watch a few of our athletes participate in a powerlifting meet). During the same scene in the movie when Batman fights Bane for the first time, and another statement stuck out to me. Batman had lost a great deal of his strength after not using his skills in recent years due to the fact that organized crime had been reduced a great deal and he wasn't needed. Noticing the lack of strength, Bane told Batman "Victory has defeated you." This simple statement led me to thinking about how that applies to all of us not only in coaching, but in our average daily lives in many different ways.

In coaching and athletics, it is very easy to be motivated when things aren't going our way. If we lose a game that we feel we should have won, have a disappointing season, or are coming back from an injury. There is a natural drive that is present in times of despair. But what happens to that motivation when we experience success? Nick Saban talked frequently after his teams at Alabama won the National Championship that repeating as champions was the hardest thing to do in athletics because those in the organization become satisfied. They don't feel the need to do the things they had to do the year before to have the same result thus weakening themselves and leading to future disappointment.  The organization that continually challenges themselves to make improvements and seek areas of weakness will have the best chance of staying on top. The first statement Saban made to his returning team shortly after winning the 2011 National Championship, was "You are NOT the National Champions. Some of you played on a National Championship team, but THIS team is not the National Champions. A Champion is yet to be determined this season."

As coaches, it is easy to become comfortable with winning, and we fail to take into account that the same teams we have enjoyed success against are hungry to experience what we have enjoyed. Perhaps we don't approach our offseason workouts with the same tenacity, make changes to our playbook that could give us a strategic advantage, or hold players to the same standards in practice and preparation. During the powerlifting competition yesterday, I saw a few players from a school on our schedule that we have beaten the last two years, this year the game being closer than the first. I have to say that I was impressed with the physical improvements of their players. You could see the hunger in their approach. It was a feeling familiar to me. In my first season as a head coach, our team went 1-8 and it was easy to point out and explain to our players the areas that we need to improve upon. We only lost one game this season, although a crucial one) and have not lost a league game in over two years. Without a doubt that is a blessing, but if our organization doesn't use that success properly to springboard our program and continually raise the bar then it will most assuredly become a curse. We cannot allow our success to make us weak or we can find ourselves back in the same situation we have risen from.

How does this affect us in our daily lives? How does it affect those not involved in athletics? There are many things in life that we take for granted. In the early stages of a relationship with our spouse or significant other, we constantly tell them how important they are to us, but as time goes on perhaps we may not remind them enough or show the same affection we did when the relationship was new and fresh. A CEO or salesman becomes comfortable when the numbers look good and fails to anticipate the problems that lie ahead or fix cracks in the organization. A teacher whose classes scores high on states assessments might not be as creative in their instructional methods the following year. My wife and I recently bought a house and couldn't be happier. I quickly found that it was more difficult to stay motivated and was more apt to flop down on the couch and flip on the tv in the "man cave" I'd never had. Remembering the sacrifices that we had both made to improve our situation is the best way to keep us grounded.

Good or great? What is it that you seek? Will you settle for a good, normal life or will you strive to reach your dreams and aspirations? Are you satisfied with an average marriage or relationship with your children? Is your team comfortable with a winning season, winning a couple of playoff games, or winning a championship? Though you have enjoyed the spoils of victory, life does not had out warrantees of how long success or happiness will last. It has an uncanny ability to pull us down just when we begin to become comfortable with our accomplishments. The difference between organizations and people that enjoy and sustain greatness in any facet of their lives is in their ability recognize the areas of weakness and build upon them. They seek new ideas and innovative ways to present information. They hold a certain level of paranoia that constantly reminds them of the possibility of their demise. Our world is a competitive environment. Everyone is reaching for something better. Keep practicing your developmental skills. Stay sharp. Keep reaching higher. If you are experiencing great success in your personal or professional life, don't forget the process of what got you where you are. Don't forget the lessons you have learned. Don't take for granted those around you that helped you get to where you are. Don't let victory defeat you.