Success in Everything You Do

In Derek Jeter's biography, The Captain, he makes the comment that "All great leaders are the individuals who know how to find success."

Leaders work the hardest to achieve the goals they set for themselves, and the funny thing is that their goals actually come true.

Wesleyan's own Bill Belichick '78, P'07 had something great to say about finding success (aspects of strong leadership are in this):

You can analyze performance a thousand different ways, but in the end it’s simple. You can do your best and still lose. Success comes when everyone you are working with is totally dedicated and focused on getting the details right. Don’t spend your time worrying about the competition. Don’t worry about whether other people believe in you. Whatever your game, if you work hard, work together and believe in yourselves, you will experience a peak performance.

It's important to realize that in order to achieve something you must put in the effort to attain it. Whether you win or lose, it's about the effort that you put in.

If you half-ass something, you're going to get half-ass results. If you go all out, you may fall a little short of your goal, but at least you know in your heart that you did everything imagineable to achieve your goal and that's when you become "successful," maybe not in the wins and losses column, but you know you the way you prepared and you should be happy...

It's not about who you're up against, or the economic climate affecting your business - it's what did you do today, over 3 months, or over a year to accomplish what you set out to do.

It's not about the competition, the competition is yourself, and it's how you prepare to be the best company, team, or individual out there. The people who continually make excuses are the ones without the jobs, or the money, or the girls, or who are left wishing they had what they could only whine about.

50 Cent once said, "I have the opportunity to make a dream a reality," and he wasn't going to let jealousy, a lack of motivation, or time stop him from being one of the most successful rappers ever.

They told Tim Tebow he'd never be a 1st round draft pick coming out of the University of Florida. Who's laughing now after he was the 25th pick of the 2010 draft. They told him he'd never be a starting quarterback in the NFL. I think we know who's winning that argument.

"You must show no mercy, nor have any belief whatsoever in how others judge you, for your greatness will silence them all."

Amy Schulman Wesleyan Class of '82 on Leadership in NY Times

Thought this article was great. Amy Schulman is a Wesleyan graduate class of 1982 and works on the board at Pfizer. She was interviewed on what her leadership style is - she also talks about what she looks for when she interviews potential candidates.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/business/amy-schulman-of-pfizer-on-demonstrating-leadership.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&ref=business&adxnnlx=1323789601-onLzNWzjsIf2yNbpzg7Kjg

Guest Speakers Dennis McCauley and Tom Arrix Evaluate Effective Forms of Leadership

“Don’t be afraid to be the early adapter. Don’t be afraid to run with an idea.”

– Dennis McCauley

Strategies of Leadership welcomed two proven business leaders Mr. Dennis McCauley and Mr. Tom Arrix. Mr. McCauley was the former co-president of network sales and marketing for Univision Communications, a Spanish-language television network, while Mr. Arrix is the current vice president of sales in the U.S. for Facebook. Both gentlemen shared their personal experiences and the leadership techniques they thought were effective throughout their careers. Additionally, they supplied advice to our class on what it takes to be a successful leader, from the extent of leading oneself to leading a multinational company.

Mr. Arrix first discussed the importance of being your own individual leader and to “be intellectually curious.” Today, everyone is overly qualified and talented that the best way to separate yourself from your peers is to help management understand what type of person you are behind your job title. “It is important to become well-respected and well-known because you are not going to get to the next level, especially in the media business, if the people around you do not know you as a person, “ stated Mr. Arrix. “As people become more familiar with you, they get a better idea of what you plan on getting out of the job. Most importantly, why you are here and what gets you out of bed everyday,” he added. These are the type of characteristics employers look for. Treat everyday as an opportunity to meet someone new and to learn from them. Curiosity shows the environment around you that you care – a great individualistic leadership technique.

In understanding one another, a successful working environment is created and goals are reached. This understanding drives leadership throughout Facebook and all successful firms, teams, organizations, etc. Mr. McCauley mentioned, “You are never going to achieve greatness if you don’t have the right people onboard. You need people who are going to believe in your vision.” It is not always about having the most talented players, but the key to success at any level is having the right ones. Those are the people who will go the extra mile and have an appetite to learn. Those are the people all leaders want on their teams.

Both leaders agreed that the most important aspect of being a leader is finding the right people. The right people are the ones who have often times failed, but have learned from the failures. This is similar to our discussion on how the most effective leaders admit to their faults. Humbleness at the top creates an atmosphere of effective followers where innovation and creative thinking are encouraged. People are not scared of losing their job, but actually more focused on what they can do to make the place around them better. Mr. McCauley also mentioned that you want to hire people better than you and who are different than you. That will help make the working environment unique and enjoyable. What Mr. Arrix shared revealed that this is how things are done at Facebook and Mr. McCauley agreed. "When I walked into Facebook for the first time, I got that feeling that is was a great place," mentioned Mr. McCauley. From our discussions, Mr. McCauley and Mr. Arrix helped us under who they were as people. In doing so, they undoubtedly revealed their similarities to many of the other proven leaders we have studied throughout the semester.

Mr. McCauley concluded that proven leaders worked hard to become respected and that even though some people are naturally gifted with leadership skills, the best leaders are the individuals who observe, listen, and study the greatest leaders of past and present generations. Leaders are those who seek information to make themselves better every day. Everyone has their own inner leader, waiting to be cultivated, but it’s up to you to discover it through hard work and self-assessment.

“Leaders are people to be studied because you just don’t get that way. Leaders are the best learners and observers – they live everyday as an experience.”

Coach Drew Black on the Importance of RESPECT

“It’s fourth and one and you need a stop to win the game. Do you have what it takes?” –Coach Drew Black

On Tuesday, our class - Strategies of Leadership, welcomed proven Wesleyan University leader Drew Black. For those unfamiliar with Drew Black, he is currently Wesleyan’s head wrestling and strength and conditioning coach. He has led individual Wesleyan wrestlers to the NCAA Division III Tournament five out of the last six years and his team to back to back 3^rd place finishes in the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Conference Championships the past two seasons. His 131 career victories over the last 13 seasons make him the winningest wrestling coach in school history. Coach Black is a campus figure we chose to bring in to share his thoughts on the importance of respect in becoming an

effective leader.

Coach Black began the discussion by asking the class what we believed garnered respect on our respective Wesleyan athletic teams. “Who do you respect on your team?” asked Coach. We mentioned that we respect the best players, the hardest workers, and the individuals with the most character. Coach Black agreed and added that he respects those with the best worth ethic, both on the mats and in everyday life. The one comment in response to Coach’s original question that stuck with me most came from Wesleyan senior field hockey captain Morgan McCauley. “I respect those who work the hardest for their success and are modest about it,” stated Morgan. “This doesn’t necessarily mean the most talented player, but the player who makes the most out of his or her talents through hard work and commitment to the team.” Respect should never be given. Respect must always be earned.

We also discussed how we as seniors are all leaders. Regardless of having the actual ‘Captain’ title, we all have a responsibility to lead our younger peers and teammates in all aspects of life. As student-athletes we have the responsibility to show up every day, whether it be to class or to practice, with a positive attitude and efficient work ethic. Just as we aspired to the upperclassmen when we first came to Wesleyan, these individuals look up to us. “It is our responsibility to influence those around us and the underclassmen tend to be the ones influenced the most by our actions. Therefore, our job is to lead by example and motivate the younger guys when things may not be going as planned,” stated Wesleyan senior football player Derrick Williams. This does create a sense of added pressure, but undoubtedly prepares us for future endeavors. Responsibility is important and at times stressful, but developing the ability to conquer those challenges will only make us better off down the road.

Strategies of Leadership would love to thank Coach Black for taking his time to share his experiences and knowledge on a pressing topic. There is no question Coach Black is an effective leader. Now the question is, ARE YOU?

CAPTAIN DEREK

“You just try to play hard because the least you can do is go out there and give 100% effort. It doesn’t mean you’re always going to get the job done or be successful, but the last thing you want to do, when it’s all said and done, is wish you had tried harder.”

-Derek Jeter

(This blog was never intended to come out after last night's events, but nonetheless I add insult to injury because that was the most pathetic sports moment of my life.)

Derek Jeter is one of the greatest leaders in the history of professional sports. Certainly his 3000 hits, 5 World Series Titles, 5 Gold Gloves, and numerous other baseball accolades lock him into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but when it’s all said and done we should remember The Captain for everything he taught us about being a leader- both to himself and the greatest professional sports franchise in history (Although I am hard felt to admit this as a member of Red Sox Nation, the Yankees do have 27 World Championships, which is more than any other professional sports team).

Throughout his life, Derek Jeter (DJ3K) has exhibited numerous forms of leadership in achieving greatness; the two most notable forms being setting goals high (and, of course working endlessly to achieve those goals) and leading by example. In Tuesday’s class, Wesleyan senior Coale Mechlin commented on Jeter’s ways. “I think Jeter has enjoyed so much success because he is so good at what he does. Everyone respects the guy because of the way he carries himself and how hard he works.”

From an early age, DJ3K was known to set his goals high. At age 9 he told his mother that he was going to play in the Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. He ate, slept and lived baseball. From his grandmother to his sister and elsewhere, Derek was always looking for someone to play baseball with. He was passionate for the game and that passion was slowly shaping him into quite the ballplayer. DJ3K believed in himself and the amount of work he put in over the years proved that. “There is always going to be someone who is better than you, but there is no reason someone should outwork you,” mentioned Jeter. This is the type of positive attitude that all great leaders possess.

Additionally, DJ3K displayed the ability to lead by example. In the clubhouse, on the field and in society, Jeter has made his presence felt by all. He was never intimidated by teammates and confronted them if he didn’t like something – signs of a great leader. For example, DJ3K approached a Yankee pitcher who made negative hand gestures after an infielder committed an error. “We don’t do that kind of thing on this team,” stated Jeter. By holding himself accountable for his actions, he forces others to follow. “He doesn’t put blame on others,” stated classmate and Wesleyan senior Ali Singer. “When you look up to someone you want that person to show he or she is human. A great leader admits to his or her mistakes,” Ali added. DJ3K admits when he makes a mistake and forces others to do the same.

What our class loved about DJ3K was that he was very relatable. He likes hanging out, women, and partying, but has never let that get in the way of what he is trying to accomplish (Contrarily, our class discussions proved Michael Vick and Tiger Woods did.). “Jeter gets along with everyone and is able to deal with personality differences, but the second someone gets out of line he is right there to humble them. That’s the sign of a leader,” stated Wesleyan senior AJ Ferraro.

Congrats to Captain Derek on all his accomplishments. All young athletes look up to DJ3K and although I am older now, I still share that admiration. Derek Jeter is and will be a model for athletes and leaders to come. Much like Coach Whalen, DJ3K is a born leader.

Jim Collins - Eric Mangini - Mike Whalen: LEADERS

Our class this week revolved around a series of videos on how effective leaders gain effective followers. The first video was an interview with Jim Collins. Jim is the author of two National best sellers, Built to Last and Good to Great, which we will reference continuously throughout the semester. In the interview, Collins makes a great point on the conditions in which he believes leadership is most effective. He states, “True leadership only exists when people follow, if they have the freedom to not follow. If I put a gun to your head I can make you do something, but I haven’t led you anywhere.” He later says, “If the people truly have the freedom to follow, they are not going to follow if in the end: a.) it’s about you or b.) you’re unwilling to sell the mills.” I believe Collins hit the nail on the head with this one. If a leader plans to be successful, he or she must have the respect and commitment of the team working under them. This can only be achieved if the followers actually believe the leader’s vision is for the greater good and not personal goals. Our senior classmate Geoff Mucha had a great comment on this issue. “Today, people are using leadership positions as a platform to advance professionally. When employees see this, they are less inept to believe in the leader,” stated Geoff. Our class agreed. We also concluded that a balance of personal and company goals is key for both leaders and followers. Mike Barsotti summed it up nicely. “Air on the side of productivity,” Mike stated.

The second clip was an interview hosted by Wesleyan in 2010 with ’94 Wesleyan graduate Eric Mangini. As some of you might know, Eric was a head coach in the National Football League with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. The clip fit our class perfectly as not only does Mangini have a personal connection with Wesleyan, but he also focuses his interview on leadership. The comment that stuck with me most was when Mangini talked about recruiting players at the 2:22 mark of the interview. He states, “I drive the personnel guys crazy. They’ll come in and tell me about a guy’s 40. They’ll tell me about his broad jump, how many tackles he had, and I don’t really care about that. I don’t care about the player until you can tell me about the person because I know that one guy is going to affect five guys in the locker room either positively or negatively. “ In other words, you can have the talent, you can have the grades, you can have all the skill in the world, but if you don’t have the heart you will never reach your full potential. In some cases, you might even negatively influence team or company goals. Wesleyan senior Colin Hartwig stated, “Recruiting people with value - by knowing he is a good person, then you can trust him. You can trust that he will be at work on time, value his job, and be an asset in more than the traditional ways.” Jim Collins talks continuously about having the right people. The right people are any team, firm, or organizations most valuable asset. Those are the people who know how to deal with the challenges and overcome them because they are willing to go the extra mile and do whatever it takes.

The final video was an interview with current Wesleyan head football coach and ’83 graduate Mike Whalen. By the tone of his voice and his first comment you can without doubt tell Coach Whalen is a born leader. Coach Whalen states, “The first words out of my mouth when I met with the team…..was guys we are going to win now.” I am a competitive person and when I heard this chills ran through my body. Even though I am not on the football team, I felt like I immediately accepted Coach Whalen’s identity. He didn’t sit there in front of Wesleyan Alum’s and current coaches and preach NESCAC championship or anything like that, but rather put it simply by saying “we are going to win now.” That’s deep. I have been around sports all my life and never heard anything so meaningful. Would you follow?

-A leader laying out the most simplistic vision possible, yet the most effective vision.

In class we discussed that this was probably so effective because of his reputation and I agreed to some extent. (For those unfamiliar with Coach Whalen, he was the head coach at rival Williams College for six seasons posting a 38-10 overall record during that time.) However, everyone wants to win regardless and for that, he earned the respect upon hiring and will someday lead Wesleyan football to the big prize, a NESCAC championship. Is this even up for debate? Coach Mike Whalen is the right person for the job. He is a born leader.

Effective Long-Term Leaders

In class on Tuesday we discussed long-term effective leadership. We determined that the most effective leaders believe in themselves and their strategies. They are confident people, but also admit when they are wrong. This is the type of check and balance system that eliminates a leader from appearing arrogant or cocky. Wesleyan senior Liz Chabot stated, “You need confidence in everything you do, but effective leaders do not let their egos get the best of them.” Our class agreed. We also determined that creating a family-like working atmosphere where all opinions are equally valued is important to long-term success. Obviously the leader has the last say, but individuals in a firm or on a team should be able to think freely and feel important. When employees and team members feel valued they are far more likely to perform at their best. Wesleyan senior Derrick Williams supported this idea. “The CEOs were not always around, but when they were they took the staff out to lunch on them. This created a feeling of importance and made us work hard everyday regardless of whether or not they were around.” Part of being an effective leader is having effective followers. In our coming class, we will discuss how a leader can build character in his or her followers- the type of character that appears when people are not watching.

Best,

Salah 

Leadership: Commitment to Building a Clock versus Telling the Time

Taking over the student forum in the fall, will be Tom Salah who you might remember posted back in February: http://leadershipatwesleyanu.blogspot.com/2011/02/salah-comments-on-leadership.html. He'll be leading class with the help of Wesleyan Government Professor Giulio Gallarotti. It's an honor to have the academic deans pass the class again and Tom is going to do a great job with it. Here's a post he's written while he's done research over summer break:

Last week ESPN’s Rece Davis hosted a 2-hour special with two of the most committed leaders in the history of collegiate athletics: Penn State Football coach Joe Paterno and Duke Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. “Difference Makers: Life Lessons with Paterno and Krzyzewski,” examined the illustrious coaching careers of these two individuals, their strategies of leadership, and what got them to where they are today. To them it was the structure, the process, and the passion they had to build the indestructible clock. On numerous occasions they lost five-star recruits, blew big leads, and had by their standards, ‘unsuccessful’ seasons, but at no point lost faith in what they were trying to accomplish. They believed that overcoming these challenges was a small kink in the armor and that little had to be done, if anything at all. Joe Pa and Coach K stayed true to themselves and their mission and in doing so built a legacy of trusting and committed players who believed in the clock that never stopped ticking.

 

To me, a clock is built in three steps: formulate a vision, commit to that vision, and stay committed to that vision. From the beginning, a leader must construct a vision that exploits the creativity of the human mind. By this I mean, the vision should not be team specific, year specific, or aimed at a specific goal for those visions are boring and for the ‘time tellers.’ They create tunnel vision and fail to factor in human curiosity. This is why I never agreed with Rex Ryan’s strategy to adamantly publicize the Jet’s goal to win the Super Bowl year after year. When the Jet’s lost in the 2011 AFC Championship to the Steelers, one win shy of Super Bowl XLV, Rex was again found commenting in an interview about the Jets' 2012 goal. What a surprise. Their vision for the third straight season (Rex’s 3^rd season in the Big Apple) was aimed at a specific goal, to win the Super Bowl. Don’t get me wrong, Rex is a committed leader, but it seems though he’s committed to time telling and not clock building. His vision makes for a mundane working environment. No room for imagination, no room for incentive, no Super Bowl (Knock on wood – I’m a diehard Pats fan). Sorry Rex.

On the other hand, Joe Pa and Coach K never focused on how their season was going to end until it was actually the end of the season. They were committed to building character in young men and believed that the success of the team would fall into place if they were able to accomplish this goal. Their equations never changed, but allowed each one of their teams to have its own identity, thus factoring in human curiosity. Both Penn State Football and Duke Basketball have winning traditions, though not simply a credit to their great leaders. Joe Pa and Coach K built an environment deemed for success, regardless of changing time and tough breaks. Good leaders are ‘time tellers.’ Great leaders are clock builders. (Built to Last: Successful Habit of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins) Rex Ryan is a time teller, while Joe Pa and Coach K are clock builders.

Now that I laid down some ideas behind creating ‘the winning way’ if you will, let’s discuss the role commitment plays in staying true to this vision. Commitment can be interpreted in various ways, but the most successful leaders are the ones who stay committed to their original mission, regardless of what is occurring around them. Joe Pa and Coach K are the epitome of leaders who continuously stayed true to their vision. They never wavered, never let outside factors influence their decisions, (I think it’s funny how much the media influences coaching decisions, but not Joe Pa or Coach K. They could care less.) and most importantly never lost sight of the bigger picture. As previously stated, the bigger picture for them was to create a winning environment by building character in their players. Coach K discusses this point in his book, Leading with the Heart: Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business and Life. “If our culture is properly developed, if it’s nurtured and cared for and watered every day, then in the heat of competition, in those moments when you need to slam home a message, where you need to “spike it,” the individual, or the team collectively, will respond well,” states Krzyzewski. The framework at Duke, built from the ground up by Coach K himself, has resulted in over 800 wins and 4 National Championships. Clearly Duke Basketball players believe in the system. They believe that plugging the right habits into the equation, results in an output of a National Title. If you want to build a clock, take a page out of Coach K’s book. His clock is still ticking.

A lot can be learned from studying leaders. Whether you have intentions to lead large groups of people down the road or not, everyone should understand leadership for their own personal sake. What I share is not restricted to specific settings. You can incorporate these ideas into your family, professional, or social lives.  I think it is important to learn what different people, from various walks of life think makes up a great leader and how individuals influence others. Everyone is a leader at one point or another, so how should people measure success (I do not intend for success to mean anything more than personal satisfaction- how satisfied you are in your leadership?) For individuals like Joe Pa and Coach K, one could argue that success can be determined on the number of wins, championships, etc. but what the special revealed was they accepted leadership roles for a different reason: to build character in their players. Over the course of the next 6 months, I will continue to tackle the challenge behind what it takes to truly be a great leader. I hope to adopt many of what I’ve picked up along the way from Joe Pa and Coach K and apply those ideas to the class I will be teaching, Strategies of Leadership. Joey G (who taught the class this past spring) and I have and will continue to discuss this topic. We feel strongly about leadership and understand that unfortunately the world lacks great leaders because they don't take on the responsibility of it. However, we're here to prove that there are time tested ways to become a leader yourself. I hope you enjoy my thoughts and please feel free to respond.

Best, 

Salah

Hero to Villain Yet Still a Leader: Lebron James

Hero to villain in a matter of months.  

"He's overrated."
 
"I asked Lebron for a dollar and he couldn't give me the fourth quarter." Good one.

Lebron's one of the best in the game, hands down. For most of the playoffs he led his team in points, assists, and was a close second to Chris Bosh in rebounds. I'll make the excuse for him: he's 26 years old. He probably ran out of steam. 28 other NBA cities could only dream and wish that they ended their seasons two wins away from a world championship. Kobe, Durant, Carmelo, and a slew of other NBA stars were left at home watching one of the best and closest NBA Finals in league history.

Is Lebron arrogant? No doubt. I've never met a great player that wasn't, who didn't have that confidence in himself. Labeled as the next coming and the King since middle school, I think you'd be somewhat full of yourself too. With little guidance from adults, he had no role models to look up to. He had nobody tell him, "The Decision" was a bad idea. Maybe he should've stayed in Cleveland. But, in LBJ's defense, the Cavaliers' owner wasn't shelling out money like George Steinbrenner either. Little help from role players, and tired of mediocrity will get to people who want to look for better. Why wouldn't you want to form a legendary trio with two of the other top players in the league, be in a great city, and play somewhere else than Ohio for the first time in your life? It's like the way a father feels the first time his son leaves home for college. People will certainly feel a sense of despair, except in Lebron's case - a little hatred too.

Lebron is an icon. He is seen everywhere by young kids. He's what every kid on the blacktop at their local park wants to be - a high flying, Nike wearing, jump shooting stud. Is he Derek Jeter? No. I wish Lebron would say the right things or handled himself better.

Will he be as good as Michael Jordan? That's unfair. No one ever will. Lebron James will be as good as Lebron James is. He'll be as good as he wants to be. For probably the first time in his young life, he has failed and most of America loved to see it. LBJ didn't handle it all that well either.

Adversity. Lebron's going to grow up. As outsiders we can only hope he'll work on his jump-shot and low-post game this summer. Lebron is a leader in the NBA and in professional sports. All great leaders have failed, but all great leaders have that drive and determination to be the best at what they do. It is how people come back from adversity to achieve the goals they set out to that makes them leaders. Sylvestor Stallone said it best: "It's not how hard you can hit -- it's how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."

I read about how Jack Nicklaus offered advice to Rory McIlroy at the U.S. Open. Nicklaus said that he always put a lot of pressure on himself. He expected himself to play well. He expected himself to be [on the leader board] all the time. It's the same with Lebron. We can only hope he does.

Guest Speaker Kennedy Odede Featured on MSNBC Nightly News

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Our friend and fellow Wesleyan student, Kennedy Odede, who came into speak to our class in April was featured in an MSNBC Nightly News clip. Kennedy doing big things and getting the positive word out about Shining Hope for Communities, his organization that is building schools for girls in his native Kibera, Kenya.

Tufts Men's Lacrosse National Champion Documentary (2010)

Classmate Todd Keats '11 let us know about this documentary in the forum. The head coach, Mike Daley, does a great job as the chief motivator guiding his players. You'll see the effort, preparation, and dedication that is required in the off-season to achieve success in-season.

Most importantly, for our purpose, you'll also see the message he sends to his players about trusting one another (which derives from those off-season workouts) and also about focusing on one thing at a time - "take care of the ball, take care of each other, and YOU will be proud, YOU will be champions." We always talks about how effective leaders inspire a shared vision [scroll down to the Kouzes and Posner part towards the Obama video]. I love when he gives his team the article about how they will get blown out against Cortland - great go to motivational tactic.

Tufts is on another run this season after winning back to back NESCAC championships. They face Cortland St. for the second year in a row, except this time earlier in the quarterfinals. Even though I'm a Wesleyan U. Cardinal, I wish them the best of luck as they represent the 'CAC in the National Tournament.

Wesleyan Connection Article

This is copied directly from Ben Cohen's stellar article about our class that was featured a couple weeks ago in the Wesleyan Connection.

Ask any group of NESCAC student-athletes why they chose their respective institutions, and each will likely mention the conference schools’ strength in both academics and athletics. But Joe Giaimo ’11 has taken things one step further. Giaimo, a captain on the Cardinal football and baseball squads, is leading a student forum this semester, CCIV420-02: “Leadership, Mentoring, and Coaching.”
The forum evaluates effective forms of leadership, seeks out answers to what is leadership, defines it, dissects the changing conceptions of leadership, analyzes the psychology of leaders, and eventually discusses the difference between leadership and power.
The roundtable discussions are made up of many future Wesleyan leaders in business, medicine, law, teaching, religion, and athletics.
“It’s almost like a talk radio show throwing around ideas and observations,” Giaimo says.
Although the course is taught by one of the campus’s most prominent student-athletes, Giaimo and his 14 students have by no means limited their case studies to coaches. Leaders studied in the class have ranged from Fortune 500 CEOs to Barack Obama. Of course, sports figures are well represented in the curriculum, as the class has also studied New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, former UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden and Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, among others. Giaimo also arranged for frequent guest lecturers, including Wesleyan baseball coach Mark Woodworth ’94, football coach Mike Whalen ’83 and Wesleyan President Michael Roth ’78.
“Wesleyan has given us the opportunity to go off and study this heavily interesting question in an academic environment amongst our peers,” says Giaimo, who serves as vice president of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. “The forum is going to be an inspiring journey that is going to allow people who may have never been in leadership positions before to find their inner leader, because according to Former Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi: ‘Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.’”
Some students, such as men’s ice hockey co-captain Tom Salah ’12, are not enrolled in the class but have been able to follow its progress via the blog. Salah praised the real-world applications of the course in a guest post.
“I enjoyed your links between leaders throughout social scenes and various interactions,” Salah wrote. “I had an interview this past week for an internship at a bank in Boston and I answered many of the woman’s questions by relating them to sports….[F]or me, it felt right. I think your tie between a firm, team, parish, and family is right on. This was the direction I headed in my interview….I would have to say that leaders of all different groups should value many of the same things.”
Students in the forum have not had to leave campus to apply the lessons they have learned in the classroom. In a guest blog post, men’s tennis co-captain Steve Hauser ’11, who is also a member of the football team, wrote about the parallels between a Sports Illustrated article on Kansas City Chiefs team president Scott Pioli and his goals for the tennis team.
“As a newly appointed captain for the Wesleyan men’s tennis team, I am attempting to ‘model the way’ for my teammates,” wrote Hauser. “After reading these accounts and listening to the discussion in our forum, I decided to gather the team and we created a mission statement. Like Pioli, we found keywords that harkened back to the origins of our beliefs and those words were effort, aggressiveness, and teamwork (a.k.a. EAT). With a catchy mnemonic and a basic creed, our team now has concrete aims.
“Sustainable success, however, is not simply granted upon the creation of a mission statement; it must be earned through action. With our goals now concretely formulated and proudly shown on a large banner, these words must continually resonate and be religiously practiced. It is my responsibility, as a captain, to make sure we continually move forward in line with these virtues.”
Giaimo’s guest lecturers have also brought a series of diverse perspectives on what defines a leader. For example, Woodworth spoke of his view of the parallels of coaches and CEOs.
“Coach [Woodworth] then introduced his idea that a leader or a coach is a CEO,” wrote Giaimo in a blog post after Woodworth’s lecture. “What does a CEO do – they oversee and manage a company. Coaches need to be CEOs and CEOs need to be coaches – it’s about getting people to do what they need to do. It’s as simple as that. The CEO implements a vision, has a set of convictions and morals that guide an organization. A coach implements a vision for his team, has a set of convictions and morals that guide his/her players. It’s an interesting concept and something that we talked for a long time about.”
“I think that what’s great about having guest speakers in class is that you can learn so much from people who’ve been through it and who are real world leaders,” Giaimo continued. “The key word is learning – learning something new every day is what makes life so beautiful. I think that being open minded and willing to learn is in fact one of the keys to making people great leaders.”
Despite the differing perspectives, however, the underlying themes of leadership have remained the same. As Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) chair and baseball team captain Jon Sheehan ’11 explained, “The most interesting thing has been that all of our readings have, in some way, hit on the same themes: Treating those under you with respect, getting those you lead on board, and leading by example.”
Giaimo has certainly excelled at leading by example through his time in the Cardinal and Black, most notably in the aftermath of an injury suffered during the 2008 football season opener at Tufts. In the fourth quarter of that game, Giaimo was sacked and broke his leg in half on the play, ending his season and forcing him to miss the entire baseball campaign as well. Giaimo worked tirelessly to “get that athletic edge back,” as he put it, and when the football coaches decided to move him from quarterback to tight end last fall, his efforts throughout the transition did not go unnoticed.
“Joe approaches everything with a positive attitude and unbelievable enthusiasm,” offensive coordinator Jack Siedlecki said at the time. “His leadership has been invaluable to our success this season.”
While many of the class’s guests have been alumni, Giaimo has not shied away from bringing in fellow students to lecture. Kennedy Odede ’12, who started an organization called Shining Hope for Communities to combat gender inequality in his hometown of Nairobi, Kenya, was the semester’s third guest speaker.
“Kennedy’s definition of leadership is how the leader is able to influence others,” Giaimo wrote in a blog post. “Leadership to Kennedy happens when you don’t do it for yourself. You can’t force it. A leader is a person who can connect with people and a good leader is someone who ‘leads from behind.’ When things are bad the leader takes the blame and he shoves attention away to the members of the group when times are good….Kennedy explained that leadership is not easy. Leadership is a responsibility…and leaders don’t have to know everything, but they have to be able to work with what they have. Good leaders inspire hope in people who have no hope in life.”
Above all, Giaimo noted that leading the forum has made him further appreciate the leadership qualities of the Wesleyan faculty, in addition to giving him an experience he will treasure for a lifetime.
“I have a newfound appreciation for what teachers and professors do when I think about how hard it is to get through to kids and really inspire them,” he said. “I’ve been surprised about how hard teaching is. But I love connecting with my students….It’s been an awesome experience having Wesleyan award me this opportunity. I was so honored…to be able to lead a class and try to inspire others. It’s what a teacher does, and that’s what I’m doing.”
Wesleyan offers several other student forums, and allows students to create them.

Great job Ben!

Elvin Lim for President 2012

Did you ever think Jesus, Batman, and George Washington’s leadership styles would ever be compared? Well, when in an Elvin Lim class you can expect just about anything for him to get through to his students.

Elvin Lim is a Professor of Government here at Wesleyan who teaches classes on presidential politics and political communications. He’s probably one of the sharpest men I’ve ever met in both mind and dress.

He’s the reason why I come to class in button downs and ties. Professor Lim loves what he does and he is very passionate about every lecture he makes. He is so knowledgeable on politics and he writes his own blog that I visit weekly. Fellow students who have had Lim in class often joke that if he ran for President then this country would be set.

Elvin Lim defined leadership as the ability to solve the collective action problem. The “leaders” who just command is not leadership, Lim claims. Strong leadership comes from whoever is able to make the person who won’t cooperate, to follow.

Professor presented the prisoner's dilemma. The officer in the situation is the sovereign leader and commands or dictates. It’s either going to be this way or that way. The best outcome for the prisoners is to cooperate, which creates the mutually best outcome for both of them. So, if the officer can get the two prisoners to cooperate then he is an effective leader.

Before there was democracy, there was no need for leadership because the King and Lords simply commanded. Everyone had to cooperate. James Madison, in Federalist 51, compared men to angels in saying that angels are naturally obedient to God, are unselfish and they fall in line. However, we know that humans have preferences, priorities, and self-interests so in a democratic form of government there needs to be a leader who will solve this collective action problem – to get people who wouldn’t cooperate to give in and listen.

Professor Lim, prepared as always, studied our blog and was drawn specifically to Jim Collins’ Level 5 leader. Professor noted that much of what we’ve discussed in our class this semester has surrounded around personality traits. Lim argued that personality matters because good leaders have a “paradoxical will and humility” about them.

If you remember, Level 5 leaders were the self-less individuals who looked through the window to give congratulations to everyone but himself when the company found success and  looks into the mirror when the company is struggling. Lim stated that an effective leader is willing to take a hit for their organization or constituents.

Lim argued that people can’t lead until they learn that it’s not just about you. He stated that the leaders who have failed never looked into the mirror because they were insecure. Level 5 leaders look outside and see how they can make others better. Effective leaders aren’t self-regarding, they never talk about themselves and they are quick to take the blame (take the hit). 

Lim demonstrated that Alexander Hamilton was young, feisty, and assertive where as George Washington felt no need to press his opinions on others. Elvin Lim calls Washington a Patrician President, because they were self-less leaders who shoved away attention, very similar to Level 5 leaders. Professor noted that Washington was the only Level 5 leader because the other great presidents – Lincoln or FDR – had to adapt to their political times. Lincoln and FDR had to promote themselves, make speeches, and campaigns. After the Patrician period, the presidency was a different type of position that required presidents to stand above the rest. This doesn’t mean that the great presidents weren’t effective leaders, but they were not, by definition, Level 5 leaders.

We moved to Jesus, who according to The Bible sacrificed himself. Jesus’ greatest power was that he could have asked God to save him. The great leaders contemplate how far to stretch their prerogative and not use it. Power, Lim said, is not how much you can use, but how little you use it.
 

Lim believes that leaders can emerge at any moment and there doesn’t need to be a crisis. Leaders need to be willing to sacrifice.

In my personal opinion, everyone can do this. It’s not easy and that’s why leadership isn’t for everyone. But, can everyone be a leader? Sure, you just need to make the sacrifice for others and be humble.

Lim stated that today there are so few great individuals who run for President because of the job’s revealing nature. And he’s right, and that’s why he’ll never run, but I’ll end with…

E. LIM FOR PRESIDENT 2012!