Leadership

This principle holds true in sports and business alike. Legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi famously began each preseason by holding up a football and saying, “Gentlemen, this is a football. This is what the game is called. We need to run, block, tackle, pass, and catch better than the other team. Doing so doesn’t guarantee a win, but failing to do so almost always guarantees a loss.” And for our beloved Bills fans, Coach Sean McDermott echoed this sentiment during Sunday night's locker room victory speech, saying, “When you take care of the football, and you take the football away, that’s what it comes down to—good, strong fundamentals.” Similarly, UCLA basketball legend John Wooden would teach his players how [...]

If you don't like change. "If you don’t like change, you’ll dislike irrelevance even more." Leaders are agents of change. The "status quo" concept doesn’t belong in a leader’s vocabulary. Change is inevitable. External factors like the economy or unforeseen challenges may be out of our control, but internal change—whether to scale, improve systems, or elevate the business—is within our grasp. Just as cars need tune-ups, businesses benefit from intentional check-ins. Proactively ask your team: What can we improve? What’s holding us back? Those closest to the work often have valuable insights—but you’ll only discover them if you ask. Reflect: Are there issues I’ve tolerated for too long? Am I actively pursuing improvements in critical areas? Do I subscribe to “if it [...]

Only a few years ago, the business world used the terms leadership and management interchangeably. Today, however, we have recognized a significant difference between the two. Management is focused on developing and maintaining systems and processes, while leadership is designed to motivate and mobilize people. When managing people, we often turn to policies and rules to direct or correct them. There can be a tendency to treat everyone equally instead of using good judgment. Leaders who lead people use personal connections within the team to guide everyone toward success. They listen and offer feedback. Effective leaders understand that standards and expectations bring more out of people than rules and regulations. Lest I be misunderstood, I am not saying one is [...]