My TV viewing time is limited. I watch NFL and college football, Deal or No Deal, Jeopardy and Dancing with The Stars. That’s it. I tune in "Deal or No Deal” knowing that, “what’s in here is not out there.” The way most of the contestants bet against the odds, I assume there is very little in their head. Jeopardy is just the opposite. The contestants have everything in their head.
I never learned to dance, but I do enjoy watching the celebrities on "Dancing With The Stars" get outside their comfort zones and attempt something new. We all need to do that. Then, there is football. I think television was invented for football, especially pro football. I enjoy the close-ups, instant replay, and slow-mo, but most of all I enjoy John Madden’s analysis and insights of the game. Madden is the football commentator for NBC Sunday Night Football. He was also the last color commentator for Monday Night Football before it moved to ESPN IN 2006.
Madden is at the top of his game. He is arguable the all time top broadcast analyst of NFL games. When asked by a Time Magazine reporter what he considers to be the traits of leadership, this former Oakland Raiders coach replied, “Just being a hard worker and a good player. Some people think that it’s about talking. If a guy doesn’t work hard and doesn’t play well, he can’t lead anything. All he is a talker."
I think that the art of leadership is governed by six “work-hard, play-well” responsibilities, all of which need to be taken into account. They are: Direction, Stewardship, Communications, Guidance, Management, and Control.
Direction. To be a leader you must first decide to be a leader. Then, every day do more of the things that move you in the direction of your goal and less of the things that move you away from your goal. Thomas A. Edison, who turned night into day with the invention of the light blub, was more than one of the world’s great inventors. He was also a man of wisdom. If more would-be leaders adopted Edison’s idea that “If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves”, more teams would turn defeat into victory.
Stewardship. The dictionary defines stewardship as, the “careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” True leaders never forget that the most important thing entrusted to them is the group they are leading. As in the military, the troops eat before the officers, so the real leader puts his or her team first. They make certain that team has the ability, training, equipment, information, direction and support they need to succeed. Leadership is putting others first. Mohandas K. Gandhi illustrates that ego has no place in leadership. “Many could forego heavy meals, a full wardrobe, a fine house; it is the ego that they cannot forego.”
Communications. This is the leader’s most effective tool. Using this trait you make known or convey knowledge. True communications forms a loop. It begins with the imparting of information, leads to feedback thus accomplishing an exchange of thoughts or ideas. The ability to listen for feedback is a distinguishing mark of a great leader and not typically, a manager’s strength. It has been said that we have two ears and one mouth and we should use them in that proportion.
Guidance. Leadership revolves around human beings. Anyone can be a manager if he or she is willing to compel people to do things right. Leadership leads the team to do the right things. The mark of the leader is their ability to motivate and guide the team to do the right things because they are the right things for the team to do. People can distinguish between managers and leaders. They may do what a manager tells them to do, but they embrace the goals and strategies of their leader.
Management. Without a group to lead there is no leader. But a group that is not managed is a group without a leader. A good leader is a manager but a manager is not necessarily a good leader. A good leader knows that he or she is getting paid for team results. So, the leader motivates and focuses the team on the things that produce the desired results.
Control. To be a great leader you must control your circumstances, especially your environment and entourage as best as you can. Who wants to lead a group of naysayers in a pity party? Nalls’ law of group motion states that unless acted upon by an outside force, a negative group tends to stay negative. All things being equal a negative group is odds on to bring down the lone change agent rather than the change agent lifting up the negative group. Therefore, a leader may have to replace some members of their team in order to insure the desired outcome.
John Madden’s top selling home video game. Madden. NFL has been around since 1988. NFL obviously stands for the National Football League, or does it? NFL may just mean Never Forget Leadership. If you work hard and play well, you can lead.
HOG THOUGHT:
Forget about being a manager or even a boss, and focus on leading your team, group, club, and family to discover the great talents they have within themselves. Then, to paraphrase Michelangelo, you help them chip away all the “marble” that is not the “angel” and what remains is the angel: the successful salesperson, the professional accountant, the service-oriented waitperson, the caring pastor, the proficient technician, the learning student, the mentoring father, the guiding mother, the responsible son or daughter.
HOG QUOTE: “Leadership is not rank, privilege, titles or money, it is responsibility.” — Peter F. Drucker
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