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March 2014 
Recommended Reading

 

This month's Leadership Book Recommendation:

 

Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life

 

By: Eugene O'Kelly

 

"Voicing universal truths . . . shared . . . simply and clearly."-Janet Malin, New York Times

What We Can Learn About Leadership From Sports 

 

I have a son Tod who plays squash in college - I have always been fascinated with the sport (I could never play it). Watching him grow up and attending many of his matches, I learned how difficult a sport it is to play let alone for one of the highest ranking teams. It takes more than shot making.

 

It's amazing to me how close the correlation is between being a business leader and taking his or her business to the top as it is for a coach to take his or her team to the top.

 

After he went off to college, I began following the college men's national squash rankings and learned that Trinity College in Hartford, CT were national champs for the better part of the last 15 years. Although Harvard was always among the top 5 teams, they were unable to break through to the top. Then came along Harvard's new coach in 2010, Mike Way.

 

Having been ranked 5th when the new coach came aboard, the next year Harvard finished 3rd and in 2013 they were 2nd. This year - 2014 - they surpased Trinity to the top spot defeating them by a match score of 9-0. Listen to this brief interview after winning the national championship.

 

We often see in sports that leadership of a team is the difference between success or falling short of expectations. What I found refreshing in my conversation with Mike was his coaching is a labor of love. There is no better feeling when we see a member of our team have an ahha moment and we see growth and maturity on a human level and a break through to a new level of performance.

 

Here are some of the lessons I learned from my conversation with Coach Mike Way that are portable to your company.

 

When a new leader takes charge, survey the climate and focus on those aspects of your skills that will bring greatest value to the new organization, giving yourself time to grow into the newest aspects of your job.

 

What does this mean? Mike was a squash coach, not an already trained Head Coach of a university the size of Harvard. There was a lot to learn coming into an organization of this size. Stakeholders were many, team players, Athletic Director, alumni, public pressure to win it all. I am sure there were others.

 

He knew instinctively he had to work with the team players using his greatest (and most developed) skill - getting the best out of all the players. His focus, change the culture of the team from playing 'not to lose' to playing 'to win'. Easier said than done.

 

Team culture - brittle at times and crumbling under stressful situations needed to be modified. Players had to take responsibility for their own actions (on and off the court), their own matches - the good and the bad. They needed to look at it through a clear lens - one that is reality and not emotionally based, which usually results in distortion.

 

How do you take 20-year-olds whose confidence may be a bit over the top - touching arrogance - and help them develop a deep(er) quiet and knowing confidence - a confidence that is more real?

 

Twenty year olds are highly emotional, not always seeing with clarity the reality of any situation. The coach's commitment brings clarity to their being.  This comes about through 1-2-1 conversations, situational coaching moments and the patience to go deep when the circumstance arises.

 

The desired result - having the player recognize his true self and take responsibility for his actions. Under no circumstances can the player's behavior be allowed to sap energy from the team. Those team members need to take early showers and come back another day when they are ready to adjust their attitude.

 

Much of this resonates to us, as leaders we desire to bring the best out in our teams and its individual members.  Individual team members who sap energy from the entire team need to be isolated - proverbially sent to the showers to reflect on their behavior. If they are unable to adjust, then they need to leave (the team, company). In our world, this means being fired.

 

What did I learn? Mike loves his job; he loves to see his team's members grow in maturity, enveloping themselves around a truer 'self' and preparing them to be life long squash players and authentic leaders.

 

The net result - a national championship.

 

Our job as corporate leaders is to lead our respective organizations yet also grow the next generation of leaders. Then we can answer the question with a resounding YES - Am I an Effective Leader?  

 

Member News - Vistage
Unfamiliar with Vistage? As a Vistage Chair, I work with CEOs, Business Owners and Key Executives to increase their effectiveness and enhance their lives. We meet monthly in peer groups and also have one-to-ones resulting in more authentic leaders, higher-quality decisions and better results. We are joined by world class speakers and subject matter experts from across the US to present half day in-depth explorations of C-Level business topics. From time to time I'll mention special achievements of Vistage Members. Hope you find this section of the newsletter of interest. -PH
 
Larry O'Toole

 

Gentle Giant, the well known moving company out of Somerville was in the news recently. It won the esteemed 2013 Angie's List Super Service Award. Why is this important?

 

A month or so ago, Larry O'Toole, Gentle Giant's Founder and CEO and I were talking about his business when I asked him what KPIs he uses to measure his Company's performance? KPIs are a term used for Key Performance Indicators - mostly known as financial measures.

 

I was (mentally) prepared for the discussion about cash flows, profit margins, current ratio or another financially related subject.

 

No, his quick response was Customer Satisfaction. Three weeks later they received the Angie's List Super Service Award.

 

Why is this important? When we focus on customers and all our stakeholders our business will perform well, grow and be recognized as a leader in the industry.

 

This is exactly what Larry and his team does - day in and day out.

 

Larry is quick to speak about his employee culture and how it is so important to the Company's success. When it comes to employee contribution, Gentle Giant is well known for having a culture of excellence - this shines through in its recent Angie's List award.

 

The Company's Mission Statement says it all.

 

Gentle Giant was founded in 1980 with the goal of establishing a company of unique quality and service. Over the years we have established a reputation for service that is second to none. We maintain a commitment to hire the very best and provide exceptional service in terms of care, efficiency, and courtesy. We draw heavily upon our resources within the international rowing community and other athletic disciplines. These resources have enabled us to assemble a professional work force, whose renowned size and strength are complemented by our GIANT standards of skill, intellect, and integrity. 

Our people are outstanding, intelligent, and highly trained. We treat our employees with respect and compassion and expect that they will extend the same courtesy to our customers. Working in teams, our people are encouraged to communicate fully with customers and to make on-the-job decisions that result in success and exceed their customers' expectations. 

We encourage employee growth and development, and maintain the highest level of concern for the health, welfare, and safety of all who represent Gentle Giant. 

Our Values begin with fair, open, and ethical behavior. We appreciate the trust that is placed in our hands every day with each move we handle. We always put our customers' interests first, and make dependability our hallmark. Each customer's needs demand the most efficient, prompt, and energetic effort. Applying the best equipment and technology available, we strive tirelessly to better our own unmatched levels of performance. We never take our reputation for granted. 

Our passion is simple: we love what we do. We know the difference we can make for our customers, particularly in taking the anxiety out of moving. We take immeasurable pride in always achieving peak performance. We choose enthusiasm over any other attitude. 

Our goal is to make every customer a customer for life.

 

Thank you Larry for being the leader you are and for building Gentle Giant into an industry frontrunner.  

 

I hope you've found this newsletter helpful. If you'd like to learn more about The Holberton Group and our executive coaching and business advisory services, or whether a Vistage Peer Advisory Group can help your organization, please send an email to [email protected].

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Speaking of Leadership� is written and produced by Phil Holberton. If you have any questions or comments, or for reprint permission of this newsletter, please email: [email protected].
 
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