Wednesday, September 28, 2011

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.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

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.


Monday, September 19, 2011

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