August 2024
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Sir Isaac Newton 1643-1727
Mark Sanborn tells us in his book with the same name, “You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader.” I fully agree! I was once teaching a leadership class and asked one of the attendees if she was a leader in her company. She responded that she was. I then asked her if she was hired to be a General Manager, would she be a manager? She responded that she indeed would be a manager. “What if you were asked to no longer be the manager?’ I asked. “Would you still be a manager?” She then responded that she would no longer be a manager. “Would you still be a leader?” I asked. “Yes!” She quickly responded. “I would still be a leader, and no one could take that away from me!” True story! I was very proud of her! She knew who she was!
Looking through some old notes today, I came across this one by Jack Welch, from his book, “Straight from the Gut:” “When the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.” We all need to embrace change. We must also keep an eye on the rate of change. This quote from Welch reminded me that we all need to be careful not to move too fast. When changes are made, there needs to be time to test them and time to see how the changes work. If we try to move too fast, we may “lose” those that stand on our shoulders. Go ahead with change, but to change a quote by Dylan Thomas and Paulo Coelho just a bit, “do go gently into that good night.” (Haha)
Maybe the rate of change needs to be in the “Goldilocks Zone.” The distance Earth orbits the Sun is just right for water to remain a liquid. This distance from the Sun is called the “habitable zone” or the “Goldilocks Zone.” (It’s just right). We might ask ourselves if we, our team, and our company are “in that zone” and if the changes we make will keep us in that zone?
There is always something special about a champion, and it isn’t about doing everything right! It is not even about always being successful. Many feel that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time, and I could not argue against that. Yet, in his career he missed over 900 shots, his team lost almost 360 games, 26 times he took the game winning shot and missed, but he was and still is a great leader! Twice, I had the opportunity to meet Magic Johnson. Truly he was another great basketball player. In private conversations long after his career in basketball, and in many of his speeches he makes, he considers himself a better leader today than when he was a basketball player. Amazing, considering the impact he had back then! Prominent today among basketball heroes is Jayson Tatum. A local newspaper stated that Jayson Tatum was teaching a “master class in leadership in the NBA finals, referring to his determination and selflessness in doing whatever the team needed him to do to win! Jayson lives by the personal belief that “to be successful we have to lead by example.” Meanwhile, the entire Celtics team lives by the common belief: “Do whatever it takes, for however long it takes.” Champions? Oh, yes. but along the way Michael, Magic, and Tatum have become great leaders.
How to be a leader worth following. Karin Hurt writes, “The best leaders are easy to follow. That means they're approachable, forgiving, trustworthy and well-informed about their industry and their company's operations. Know what you're doing. ... It's hard for people to follow a bozo.”
“You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments. That to me is a sign of a champion.”
Roger Federer, professional tennis player
Michael M. Carney mr.mikecarney@gmail.com
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