Monthly Archives: June 2014
The World Cup and Great Leadership
Watching the great performances at the 2014 F.I.F.A. World Cup in Brazil, we noticed many parallels between football (soccer) and great leadership. Competing at the World Cup and employing great leadership both take: Patience. The game is long and can sometimes appear uneventful to the untrained eye, but then there are spurts of breakaway brilliance and intensity with tackles, moves, sprints, crosses, shots, and saves. Great leadership is willing to grind out tasks over the long term, ready for bursts of activity when opportunities arise. Stamina. The heat and humidity in Brazil wear down the best performers. Similarly, the pressures of leadership require one to stay the course and not give up. “You will go through tough times, it’s about getting through them.” -David Beckham, legendary U.K. footballer Hard Work. It …Continue Reading
The Longest Tail (Guest Blog by Walt Hampton)
According to Steve Coburn, “It’s not fair to the horses that have been in the race since Day 1.” Coburn is the co-owner of California Chrome, once thought to be the heir to the Triple Crown, who lost at Belmont. “Look at it this way, if you can’t make enough points to get in the Kentucky Derby, you can’t run in the other two races. It’s all or nothing, because it’s not fair to these horses who have been running their guts out since Day 1,” Coburn spewed before his wife dragged him off camera. It’s not fair. Life’s not fair. And leaders – real leaders – know that. When I was growing up, I used to compete in the Central-Belden PTA Pet Show. Well, not me, exactly. I would …Continue Reading
Tips for New Graduates about Leading and Living
Image: iStock With this cap and gown season upon us, here are some thoughts for new graduates as they transition from school to work or other pursuits. 1. Avoid making choices for the wrong reasons. You are probably under a lot of pressure, both self-imposed and externally thrust upon you. As you look at various work opportunities, even in this challenging job market, consider not only external motivations such as income and status but also internal motivations such as meaning, values, and fulfillment. You will spend lots of time at work, so work hard to find a good fit for you (not for others). 2. There will be a day of reckoning for the choices you make. With time, a job often leads to a series of promotions, or other …Continue Reading
The Triple Crown Takes Head and Heart
Teams that win the Triple Crown of Horseracing exhibit more than just technical skill and “head” smarts. They also possess a certain quality of “heart”. Recruiting, developing, and rewarding personnel for head and heart is the first practice of Triple Crown Leadership. Most organizations focus on knowledge, skills, and experience—“head” issues. Triple crown leaders, by contrast, recruit for those plus personal character, emotional intelligence, passion, and “fit” with the organization’s culture—people with both “head” and “heart.” In honor of the possible Triple Crown victory at the Belmont Stakes this year—which would be the first such win in 36 years—we share an encore presentation of some of our prior reflections on the Triple Crown of Horseracing and the parallel value of head and heart in the pursuit of Triple Crown Leadership. …Continue Reading
