Everything rises and falls on leadership. Therefore, getting the right leaders in your organization is vital to its long-term success.
I will soon finish The Leader’s Mind: How Great Leaders Prepare, Perform, And Prevail by Jim Afremow, PhD. One of the people he profiles is All Blacks’s legendary team captain Richie McGraw. For those unfamiliar with McGraw, he may have an ordinary name but he is an extraordinary athlete. Afrenow calls him “the best rugby player ever.”
Here is what he wrote:
“Two days later, I was walking down a big hallway and Richie was coming the other way. He looked like he was going into battle. His face was blank, he was utterly focused, and there was no small talk. This was five days before the game. It was very much Richie. He was so driven to win that everything he did or thought was about the game and winning on Saturday. Nothing else mattered. He was never an inspirational speaker. It was all his actions. He’d just roll up his sleeves and do the hard stuff, and everyone followed his lead. He’s still the best skipper that I’ve ever been associated with.”
Afremow’s words and McGraw’s actions show us seven qualities of the type of leader every organization wants. First is the quality followed by Afremow’s quote with additional thoughts.
The Type Of Leader Every Organization Wants Is Focused
“He looked like he was going into battle. His face was blank, he was utterly focused.” Successful leaders are not easily distracted. They have stripped away the non-essentials and give attention to only what matters.
The Type Of Leader Every Organization Wants Are Stewards Of Language
“there was no small talk.” Leaders traffic language. One of the key factors of a leader’s influence is the words they use. Therefore, wise leaders are reflective, think before they speak, and use an economy of words.
The Type Of Leader Every Organization Wants Owns The Result
“He was so driven to win that everything he did or thought was about the game and winning on Saturday. Nothing else mattered.” I define passion as owning the result. There is an “over my dead body” mentality of passionate leaders. Nothing else mattered to McGraw but winning.
The Type Of Leader Every Organization Wants Leads By Example
“He was never an inspirational speaker. It was all his actions.” As we discussed, words matter… . but not more than actions. People do what people see.
The Type Of Leader Every Organization Wants Does Hard Things
“He’d just roll up his sleeves and do the hard stuff.” The small print on the leadership contract states that leaders must be willing to pay a price no one else is willing to pay. They must do the things others are unwilling to do. Leaders must be the first to arrive and last to leave.
As McGraw demonstrates, leaders must do the hard stuff.
The Type Of Leader Every Organization Wants Is Someone People Will Follow
“everyone followed his lead.” What ultimately defines if someone is a leader or not is if anyone is actually following them. Everyone followed McGraw. Are they following you?
The Type Of Leader Every Organization Wants Is Remarkable
“He’s still the best skipper that I’ve ever been associated with.” What makes someone or something remarkable is people remark about it. People will be remarking about McGraw as long as there as discussions about the game of rugby.
Conclusion
You never have enough leaders. So as you build your leadership pipeline, look for people who are focused, stewards of language, passionate, lead by example, do the hard stuff, are someone people will follow, and remarkable.
If you find that type of person, you have found yourself a leader.