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.

Wes Welker had an interesting interview on ESPN.

Welker, one of the NFL’s top wide receivers in recent years, has been in the spotlight a bit lately because of the terrific start by his new team, the Denver Broncos.

During the interview I saw, he had three insights into leadership – one on his career and two from two prolific quarterbacks he has caught passes from. He has the distinct perspective of being a receiver for two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history – Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

His first insight was on his career. As an undrafted rookie free agent in 2004 (and cut by the San Diego Chargers after one game), it wasn’t until his fourth season in the league that he got the opportunity to start. The ESPN interviewer asked him how he became such a force in the NFL when he was not even drafted coming out of Texas Tech. His answer was he only got into the NFL because of special teams and because of his attitude.

He was always determined to be the toughest player on the field. Despite his very small physical stature compared to other NFL players, he could compete because of his toughness.

Leadership is tough and leaders have to develop tough-mindedness because they will inevitably have numerous critics.

When asked to compare Brady and Manning, he said each leads with different leadership traits. Brady, he said, is a passionate leader, whereas Manning is a steady leadership voice. These are two different ways of leading – at first glance – but both effective.

I think great leaders combine both traits and I also believe Brady’s passionate style is as effective as Manning’s passion about preparation and execution.
Leaders have to be tough, passionate in their beliefs, and steady in their daily habits. It also helps to have the toughness for which Welker himself has become admired.

A recent blog article in the Harvard Business Review got my attention. It was entitled, “Nice or Tough: Which Approach Engages Employees the Most?”

More than 160,000 employees were surveyed to ascertain whether leaders who were “drivers” or “enhancers” were the most effective.

Their conclusion was something most athletic coaches do on a regular basis. They concluded the “or” in their question was the wrong word – that it should be supplanted by “and.”

The best leaders in business did both – they drove and they enhanced.

We have known and continue to know in coaching that you have to demand. Competition is tough; opponents are tough; and coaches have to be demanding to make their athletes game-ready.

Think of the best teacher or coach you ever had…… Was he or she easy or demanding? When I ask that question in a presentation, and ask the audience to raise their hands on easy or demanding, the result has always been unanimous. To a person, everyone agrees that the best teacher or coach they ever had was demanding.

We also know in coaching that you have to care about your athletes beyond the narrow confines of an athletic arena if you want to get the best they have to give. You don’t fool the athletes. They know which coaches genuinely care about their welfare and which don’t.

Great coaches do both. They demand and they care.