14 Qualities Of Leaders Who Create Lasting Change

It has often been said that young people do not go to Harvard to get a job.  They go to Harvard to create a job.  As a leader, I LOVE that mentality.  I love innovation and creativity.  Leaders do not need precedent.  The very nature of leadership is that you are taking people to a place they currently are not.

I am currently reading Ron Jaworski’s great book The Games That Changed The Game.  Jaworski, currently an analyst for ESPN, is a maven when it comes to football strategy and the study of performance and behavior.  Reading this book has taught me that leaders who create lasting change are those who do things that lack precedent.  They do things never done before.

Bud Carson is the 2nd greatest defensive coordinator in the history of pro football, trailing only Dick LeBeau. Carson coached the Pittsburgh Steelers defense during the 70s which included the legendary Steel Curtain front four.  His lasting impact on the game though is that he created the Cover-Two Defense, which many now know as the Tampa-Two.

The following are 14 qualities of leaders who create lasting change that can be extracted from Jaworski’s profile of Carson.  As you read each quality, notice that you cannot make lasting change without having incredibly intelligent people around you.

1. Healthy Discontent – Creative leaders are frustrated with the way things currently are.
2. Courage – Because their level of frustration is so high, it eclipses the comfort of following the crowd.  Linebacker Andy Russell says, “Bud Carson was a guy who had the courage to try things that had never been done before.”
3. Value Intelligence – Carson valued speed and intelligence over size.  Dumb people get leaders fired.  Because Carson valued intelligence, he could easily…..
4. Re-Define The Current Responsibilities Of Those On Your Team – On the first things Carson did was re-define the responsibilities of his secondary.
5. Proactive Reactions – Carson’s teams could make adjustments quickly and easily.  Carson was one of the first coaches who changed entire alignments and made mid-game adjustments.
6. Intelligent Depth – Carson understood that by having many smart players, there was never a lack of good suggestions coming his way.  Carson was confident enough in his own abilities that he freely welcomed and implemented the suggestions of others.
7. Adapt To Your Talent – Carson constantly adapted his concepts to the skills of those on his team.
8. Aggressiveness – Carson’s defenses always played aggressively.  They did not let the offense dictate what they did.  They were constantly taking it to the offense.  Leaders who constantly make lasting change are proactive and make things happen.
9. Preparation – Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham says, “Games are won on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays…We were perfectly capable of making adjustments on the field ourselves.”
10. Trust And Generosity – I have been part of teams that were very selfish and had a scarcity mindset with their intellectual capital.  On the contrary, Carson’s teams were very happy to share trade secrets with those alongside them.  Also, those on the team trusted the insights of their teammates.
11. Help Others See The Big Picture – Those on your team are down on what they are not up on.  Carson did an excellent job of not only teaching his teams skills and responsibilities, he also created buy-in by teaching them why certain plays were being called.
12. Protect Your Vision – The natural default for all leaders is to drift towards passivity, security, and that which is familiar.  Carson had to literally force Mel Blount to fit into his system.  Butting heads with Mel was a norm early in Blount’s career, to the point that in 1974 he was benched and almost replaced.  Interestingly, Blount became a star a year later when he finally embraced Carson’s system.
13. Thing Big Picture – No one likes change but a baby.  Anything new will encounter great resistance.  When things go wrong, and they do even in the best of circumstances, remain calm and do the fundamentals well.
14. Know Your Limitations – Carson is one of the top two assistant coaches in pro football history.  However, in his brief tenure as a head coach, he did a poor job because of his lack of people skills.  The best leaders understand their personal capacity and operate in their strength zones.

What are you doing as a leader to create lasting change in your church, team, or organization?

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