Brian Dodd On Leadership

Leaders want to make a difference.  They want to make significant positive change.  They want to do something memorable and not feel like they have wasted time, resources, or opportunity.  They want to leave a legacy of positive change and growth.  I know that I do and I am sure you do as well.

As a 45-year-old man, I figure I have about 15-20 years of optimum energy left to make that a reality.  That is assuming something negative does not happen during the interim.  Therefore, I am always looking for new skills and ideas to help make that a reality.

In the December/January issue of Fast Company magazine, a group of “Disrupters” discussed how they pulled off significant positive change in the organizations where they worked when every tradition and profitability scale worked against them.  Here is what we learn from them:

1. Trust Your Gut – This is what Maryam Banikarim did as Marketing VP of NBC to solicit ideas from employees.
2. Creativity Can Survive Compromise – Tony Salvador of Intel created a new product to sell in India.  His boss wanted him to make changes to the design which would hurt sales there.  Salvador said, “Well, if it’s not going to sell in India, let’s sell it to the rest of the world.  And we did.  The Classmate PC was not exactly what we wanted it to be, but it still had value.”
3. Fight For Flexibility – Joichi Ito of the MIT Media Lab states, “That’s the problem with large organizations.  They create roles and constraints, and sometimes people forget why they’re there.”
4. Embrace Failure – “I love the idea of wrong thinking – of encouraging people who have ideas to go see if they work and not dismissing them just because they sound like the wrong solution.” – James Dyson, Founder and CEO of Dyson
5. Respect Tradition But Give It A Twist – To twist tradition, Marketing SVP of Coca-Cola states this is done by “building authentic, meaningful campaigns around their (target audience) passion points.”
6. Be Willing To Play Against Type – Dhani Jones does this by “self-representation, service, collaboration, and critical thought.”
7. Court A-list Allies – For this to be done in a church, let’s replace term “A-list Allies” with “Influencers”.  Monique Pean, a jewelry designer, tells us that when influencers buy-in to ideas then “our customers really do care about where their products come from.”
8. Pitch The Right Crowd First – Many in your church are already doing very effective ministry.  One of our goals as leaders is to have the insight to what is already working well and then multiply it.  Tumblr Founder and CEO David Karp says, “when we released our platform, we took it straight to the tumbleblogging community and said, ‘Hey, look, we built a real tool to make all the neat stuff you guys are doing available to more people.’”
9. Defend Your Beliefs – And Prepare For The Consequences – Be aware.  One step ahead of the people is a leader.  Ten steps ahead of the people is a martyr.
10. Blaze New Trails – Rather than introducing his artists through the traditional method of radio, Founder and CEO of Coalition Media Group Troy Carter utilizes all social media tools and influential bloggers.  Pastors and church leaders, are you effectively utilizing a new type of leader who exists in your church, the social media leader to multiply and advance mission and vision?

I’ve got maybe 20 years of great energy left for leadership.  Am I ready to do what is necessary to be a Disrupter in my local church?  Are you?

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“You get hurt. They cart you off. They blow the whistle. The game continues.”  – Tom Brady

In the January 25th edition of the USA Today, I was struck by two uncomfortable articles in the sports section.  One was covering the funeral of Joe Paterno and the other on whether Peyton Manning will remain as the Indianapolis Colts quarterback next season.  Both articles were difficult to read because they reminded me of potentially the worst reality of leadership – that it is always temporary.

We are not entitled to anything as leaders.  We are simply stewarding an extreme high calling – to serve others while advancing mission and vision.  Leaders are ultimately judged by how well they stewarded that temporary assignment.

I think it is helpful to see how Manning is handling his uncertain future with the Colts.  To read a full article on the situation by the incredible writer Bob Kravitz, click here.

• Manning is remaining calm.  He has a peace.  This is unusual, because as Kravitz points out, Manning who is used to controlling every aspect of his life currently controls none of it.
• Manning is maintaining a sense of humor.  Referring to Rob Lowe’s tweet that he was retiring, Manning replied “I never thought Soapbox Curtis would announce my retirement.”  This is a name of a character Lowe played in the 1983 movie The Outsiders. 
• Manning is honoring his authority and not sowing discontent.  Even though he was very close to the previous administration and coaching staff, he has not publicly tarnished the reputation of ownership or their process.
• Manning is continuing to do his job.  He still reports daily to the team’s training facility for his rehab work.
• Manning is facing reality.  As he said in the interview, “I guess it’s the reality of the football world, just not something I’ve had to deal with very often…Everybody’s being evaluated, and I’m no different.  It’s not the best environment.”
• Manning knows that many times it is a financial decision.  He is due a $28 million option in March.

I think Peyton Manning is the best regular season quarterback and the most prepared athlete I have ever seen.  He deserves better.  He deserves to retire as an Indianapolis Colt.  He deserves to leave on his own terms.  Or does he?

The bigger question is – Does any of us?

How do you feel about the concept of your leadership being temporary and out of your control? 

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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is arguably the best at his position in the NFL and one of the top 5 of all-time.  However, even though he led his team to a 23-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens and the right to play in Super Bowl XLVI, his performance did not meet his normal standards of excellence.  Brady completed 22 of 36 passes but had two interceptions and no touchdowns.  In addition, he missed several open receivers. 

Leaders like Brady do not rest on previous accomplishments.  There is a holy unrest that does not accept plateaued or sub-par performance.  As a result, Jim Corbett reports in today’s USA Today that Brady immediately texted his long-time “throwing coach” Tom Martinez for assistance.

Even though Brady is as talented as anyone in the game, he understands and values the benefits he receives from personal coaching.  The following are the leadership lessons I gleaned from Corbett’s report.  These insights are critical for all leaders to learn and apply so they can reach their maximum potential.  To read the full article, click here.

1. Personal Coaching Forces You To Focus On Fundamentals – Martinez helps Brady with his mechanics.  Effective leadership always returns to the basics.
2. Personal Coaching Assists You In Achieving Personal Goals - Matinez said, “Winning Super Bowls are what Tom plays for.”  He coaches him to achieve that objective.
3. Personal Coaching Compounds Value Over Time – Martinez has been Brady’s throwing coach since age 13.  For personal coaching to be as effective as possible, it must be done over an extended period of time.
4. Personal Coaching Values Little Things - Two weeks prior to the Ravens game, Martinez coached Brady on properly doing a quarterback dive in goal line situations.  This proactive coaching resulted in a 4th quarter touchdown play against the Ravens.  What small thing can you do as a leader today that will yield HUGE results tomorrow?
5. Personal Coaching Produces Better Results – Two weeks prior to the season opener against the Miami Dolphins, Martinez made a slight tweak in Brady’s delivery.  The result was a 517 yard passing performance in a 38-24 victory.  If your church or organization is not achieving the results you desire, try bringing in a personal coach.
6. Personal Coaching Brings Confidence And Security – Martinez is a security blanket for Brady.  The best personal coaches operate on a relational foundation.  They care about you and your success.  This brings leaders tremendous comfort and confidence.

If Tom Brady, the winner of three Super Bowls is this passionate about personal coaching, then the rest of us should as well. 

Fundamentals, Personal Goals, Compounded Value, Little Things, Better Results, and Confidence.  You may be a great leader.  But if you want to see these six qualities become reality, hire a personal coach.    

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The Baltimore Ravens suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game when kicker Billy Cundiff missed a last second field goal that would have tied the game.  How leaders handle defeat and disappointments speaks greatly to their character and influence.

Ray Lewis is the unquestioned leader of the Ravens and one of the great leaders in sports.  The following are the quotes and lessons we can take from his post-game comments.  I gleaned 12 leadership principles that when practiced will help leaders better deal with disappointment and missed expectations.  It would be a privilege to play alongside this incredible leader.

1. Perspective – When asked was it your toughest loss ever, Lewis replied, “Absolutely not.  Been in this business too long to be the toughest loss ever.”
2. Define Current Reality – “Is it a tough loss?  Absolutely.”
3. Lift Others Up – “I take my hat off to my team.”
4. Understand Life Cycles Of Performance – “God has never made a mistake.  Ever.  Somebody’s gonna feel like this tomorrow.  Somebody’s gonna feel like this after the Super Bowl.  And whoever wins it, that’s their year.”
5. Trust God – “There’s a winner and there’s a loser.  And when you lose, you’ve got to suck it up a like a man and say, ‘Father, if it’s Your will, so be it.’”
6. Continual Improvement – “As a team, we’ve got to keep moving.  Keep building.  Keep building.  Keep building”
7. Be Thankful – “Life offers too much and every time you step on this field, it’s a true blessing.”
8. Desire Unity – “As a team, not one guy doubted is probably the most important thing we learned as a team.”
9. Confidence In Others – “Not one guy doubted Joe Flacco was going to move the ball down the field.”
10. Give Maximum Effort – “Our offense played their tail off.  Our team played their tail off.”
11. Respect The Opposition – “It’s the mutual respect of when you line up, you put your pants on one leg at a time, they knew they was gonna have to give us everything they got.  And we knew we were going to give them everything we got.”
12. Comfort Others – Regarding Billy Cundiff – “Not one play won or lost the game…There’s no one man that’s ever lost a game.  And for me to go to him which I will very quickly (and say), ‘Don’t you ever drop your head.  We win as a team.  We lose as a team.  There’s no Billy lost the game.  Billy missed the kick.  It happened.  Move on.  Move on very quickly.  As a man, because life doesn’t stop.”

Perspective, Define Current Reality, Lift Others Up, Understand Life Cycles, Trust God, Continually Improve, Be Thankful, Desire Unity, Have Confidence In Others, Give Maximum Effort, Respect Your Opposition, and Comfort Others.  As a leader, Lewis gives us a great model of how to practice these 12 principles during a time of great disappointment.

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The last time I bought a suit was in 1988.  That’s right, 25 years ago!  It hasn’t fit in a long, long time.  I have the privilege of working with churches and there are times when I dress nice for those meetings.  However, I have not been required by any to wear a suit.  

I am fine with my 25-year-old suit.  My wife is not.  There will probably be an event coming up later this year though that is going to require a suit.  As a proactive measure we went to a place that I passionately avoid, an evil place - the mall to go shopping.

While at the men’s store, I waited 40 minutes to be helped.  Then it took another 1 hour and 20 minutes to pick out the suit, try it on, get measured, buy the accessories, pay, and get back to my car.  Needless to say, I was extremely frustrated.

Of all things though that frustrate me, it was spending that amount of money.  My poor wife.  She is a saint.  After putting up with my incessant whining, she said these words, “Brian, when is the last time you bought something of great value for yourself?  It was over 13 years ago when you bought that double-decker VCR.  Your birthday is next month.  Enjoy the suit.”

I’ve thought a lot about what she said.  I remember paying over $700 for that VCR.  It was a real splurge.  It was a great piece of electronic equipment.  But it pales compared to my family.

It has been a privilege to provide for my family the last 13 years rather than lavish myself with nice, shiny gifts.  It is an honor to serve them.  I receive great fulfillment from their happiness.  A great sense of satisfaction comes from blessing them.  I love my job and it was absolutely wonderful knowing that my efforts there go to improving their quality of life.

You know the real irony.  Over the last 13 years, I have never felt that I lacked anything.  I have always had nice clothes, multiple pairs of shoes, a leather jacket, a flat panel televsion, the NFL Network, a quality car, when I want a book I can go on Amazon and order it, and basically anything I have ever wanted.

But what I really desire is for my wife and daughter to know they are loved and valued, both by God and by me.  I want them to know that I would protect them, sacrifice for them, honor them, pray for them, and do everything I could to pass on a Godly legacy that breaks many of the bad habits in my family’s history.

I hated the shopping experience but was humbled and honored by my wife’s evaluation of the last 13 years.  It is always sobering to know that a great past does not guarantee anything as a husband and father tomorrow.  Trust is built over a lifetime but can always be lost at a moment in time.  Therefore, I need to be just as diligent, maybe more so, for the next 13 years.

And I have already started saving for when I buy my next suit 25 years from now in 2037!

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