Category Archives: Pat’s Leadership Blog

An ABC newscast recently featured Pope Francis and emphasized that he is living simply and that his life-style is having a profound effect on people – Catholics and non-Catholics alike. His impact has been so great that Time Magazine named him its 2013 Person-of-the-Year.

Isn’t it amazing how the simple can often be the profound?

It seems that throughout history, we have had so many leaders surround themselves with all things majestic. They use material things to show the rest of us that they are the leaders. They are above us. They separate themselves from us. They are the leaders and their surroundings express their supreme position.

Then we have leaders like Gandhi and Mother Teresa. They are leaders who walk with the people – not above them – and they are leaders who truly make a difference.

Gandhi summed up his leadership style with this simple quote, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Mother Teresa explained her philosophy of leadership when she said, “Do not wait for leaders. Do it alone, person to person.”

Pope Francis seems to fit the Gandhi/Mother Teresa mold and maybe he is teaching all leaders that we don’t need to be surrounded by all the hoopla. Instead, it is leading simply that has the most impact on those we lead. “Don’t wait for people to come ringing. You need to go out and look for the poor,” he said in describing his leadership values.

Leaders can learn from these leaders by living simply and leading simply.

It seems that the least respected teachers in American high schools are the Physical Education and Health teachers, many of whom are coaches. All they do is throw out the balls and play games. They are not really “teachers.”

This is not at all an accurate picture. Most P.E. teachers I know are as hard-working and dedicated as the best Chemistry, Math or English teachers. I have always known them too, to have the highest levels of energy and enthusiasm

Besides these character traits, another overlooked aspect is the importance of their role in today’s society and their impact on children and adults.

Recent research by the Physical Activity Council “emphatically shows that children in PE are less sedentary and participate in more activities outside of school.”

Risa Livisso-Mourey, the CEO of the Robert Wood Foundation, recently wrote, “The U.S. spends $2.7 trillion a year on health care, more than any other country by far, and yet we are not healthy….So my big idea for 2014 is the emergence of a ‘culture of health.’”

How important is the health of a leader?

According to a recent article in the Washington Post, leading medical professionals are drawing linkages between physical fitness and cognitive abilities. “John Ratey, a neoropsychiatrist at Harvard Medical School and others are finding that … physical activity seems to be important during childhood, powering the brain through the many changes that help us to mature into adulthood. But it may also play a role as we reach advanced age, with a decline in fitness explaining why some people are more prone to dementia than others.”

Coaches and Physical Education teachers are constantly stressing the importance of being in great physical shape and numerous studies have validated the value of physical shape in concert with mental performance.

If you believe in the mind-body connection, then exercise must be a priority in your life-style. And prioritizing is the only way you can attain this connection. You must decide how many times you will work-out each week, prioritize time for your work-outs, and then follow through.

Arguably, one of the most important tasks a leader does on a daily basis is decision-making. The better physical shape a leader is in, the better her / his decision-making may be.

Let’s recognize the work of P.E. teachers and coaches. Their work can lead to life-long health and quality decision-making.

A friend recently told me about a survey taken by senior citizens. They were asked about the most important things in their lives and their order of importance.

The first priority on the list was no surprise: It was health.

The second concept made me think as I did not expect it. It was FUN. Upon reflection, it made a great deal of sense because seniors do not know how much time they have left. So, whatever time remains, why not enjoy it?

I believe the second characteristic is something for leaders to consider. Many athletic coaches have picked up on this concept. They do add some fun into their practices, especially at the end of practice. We often ended a practice with a shooting drill we learned from a great coach, the late Rick Majerus. We pitted the big men against the perimeter players in the drill. After making five baskets at each end of the floor, the teams came to midcourt and the winning team had to score on a half-court shot. Balls would be flying all over the gym and the players would be wildly cheering for their team. This fun drill ended the practice on a high note.

Leaders and coaches have to be demanding, or nothing will be accomplished. However, work and practices can become long and tedious. Interspersing some fun into them can pick up the spirit of those whom we are leading.

The elderly continue to teach us.

Chris Carter, the NFL Hall of Fame receiver, made this point on the Mike and Mike Show recently. In short, he told young athletes that success in your career will be determined by what you do when nobody’s looking.

I was privileged to coach some outstanding athletes in my forty-four years of coaching basketball at the high school and collegiate levels. I never played with nor coached great athletes who weren’t great workers on their own time. They all practiced hard, but they took their game way beyond the practice court. Their off-season was spent working on their game!

Great leaders are men and women of character. The best definition I have heard of character is that it is who you are when no one is looking.

In recent years we have unfortunately had too many leaders who said all the right things in public. They presented themselves as men of character when the camera was rolling and often spoke to the importance of character in leadership roles. But in their private lives, they did not walk the talk.

Saint Francis of Assisi may have best summed up character in the fourteenth century when he wrote, “It’s no use walking anywhere to preach unless your walking is your preaching.”

I think it is sound policy for leaders to examine who they are when the cameras are off, when no one is looking.

With our inaugural newsletter arriving just after Thanksgiving, I would like to share four thoughts with you on two of the most important words that leaders should consider incorporating in their vocabulary – Thank-You. These two words carry a lot of meaning both for the giver and the recipient.

 
First, we all appreciate being thanked. We don’t do things for others to be thanked, but we do appreciate the Thank-You when it comes our way.

I spent forty-four years coaching and teaching at the high school and collegiate levels. As the years went on, I was fortunate to receive a number of Thank-You notes form former players and students. I was so moved by them that I named a drawer in my dresser my “Keeper’s Drawer.” This was the drawer where I put these notes. I have yet to take the time to relax and read through them, but I certainly plan to do so. Therefore, I know first-hand that Thank-You notes are appreciated by the recipients.

Secondly, I played in college for a coach named Gordie Gillespie. He was and is an extraordinary coach and man. He has been inducted into seventeen Halls of Fame and is the winningest coach in the history of collegiate baseball. No one I have ever known has written more congratulatory or Thank-You notes than Gordie. I recently had lunch with our former college president and the former executive director of our park district. When Gordie’s name came up in our conversation, both men referenced a Thank-You note they had received from him. These two men received tons of correspondence in their working years, but they remembered with great appreciation the note from Gord.

With email becoming so prevalent in today’s society, leaders may consider using the hand-written note more to thank their constituents. We know a Thank-You is appreciated and the hand-written note can make the Thank-You more personal. Something to consider.

Thirdly, the German philosopher, Meister Eckhart wrote something that succinctly covers Thank-You when he wrote, “If the only prayer you ever say is ‘thank you,’ it will be enough.” Especially in our country, we have so much to be thankful for. My good friend and fellow coach, Jack Hermanski, has a great perspective on this. He has fought MS for the past seventeen years, but consistently reiterates, “I look around and see so many people who have it so much worse than me.” Despite his plight in life, he remains thankful for what he has. “Thank-You” may very well be our greatest prayer.

Finally, years ago I heard an historian say, “You know who built this country? The top politicians did not nor did those of wealth. The ‘nobodies’ built America. The everyday working man whose work often goes unnoticed and unappreciated built this country.” So, leaders may want to consider thanking those in their organization who are rarely thanked. Thanking the nobodies could become an important part of your leadership value system.

Thanksgiving could have leaders reflect on how much Thank-You notes are appreciated; the value of the hand-written note; the prayer, “Thank-You;” and thanking the nobodies.

“Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.”

Dr. Arvid Johnson was inaugurated as the ninth president of the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois on October 4th, 2013.

Whenever leaders are asked to speak on behalf of the organization they lead, it is of paramount importance that they take quality time to prepare. Many leaders do not take the time to properly prepare and too often speak off-the-cuff.

Every time a leader speaks, he or she has the opportunity to make a good impression for their organization. They are not speaking for themselves; they are speaking and representing their organization.

Every speech is important, but inaugural speeches are especially important because they ingrain that critical first impression.

Dr. Arvid Johnson was inaugurated as the ninth president of the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois on October 4th, 2013. His presentation was outstanding in every way – content, humor, humility, and delivery. It was obvious that he adhered to the Five P’s. His presentation was both thorough and meticulous.

The theme of his presentation and his presidency is “Called to Serve; Called to Lead.” He made it very clear that he knows what a servant-leader is and that this style of leadership will be the trademark of his presidency.

Everyone in the audience left believing that St. Francis’ future is in good hands. Dr. Johnson’s preparation paid great dividends for the University he will be leading.