The following are five leadership lessons I am (re)learning this past week:
Relief Syndrome
Have you or your team recently experienced a certain level of success? If so, you may need to be concerned about a unique organizational behavior known as Relief Syndrome.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban often talks about this condition how it can ambush successful teams. Relief Syndrome is a state of complacency. It is an attitude of “We’ve got this.” People with Relief Syndrome have a tendency to take their foot off the gas and begin coasting.
To combat Relief Syndrome, treat every day as if you are starting over and have accomplished nothing. Address complacency immediately. Aggressively root it out and do not let it fester.
For a deeper dive on the legendary leadership of Coach Saban, click Nick Saban’s Two Most Important Words About Creating Value for Yourself.
2 Ways Young Leaders Earn Respect
Rico Lewis is an 18-year-old future star of the Manchester City futbol club. In this article from The Athletic, legendary manager Pep Guardiola talked about why his playing time was increasing. He said, “Today he played more in his normal position (hybrid right-back/central midfield). In that position, he’s a master; he’s so intelligent.”
Guardiola added, “The most important thing for a footballer is to earn the respect of your team-mates. When they can rely on you on the pitch and you know what you have to do, you are in heaven. The players are not stupid, they smell everything on the pitch, they know who they can rely on on the pitch, and they can rely on him.”
Rico Lewis teaches young leaders they can earn respect by having a high level of intelligence (no dummies allowed) and being reliable. Be where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there, and make good decisions while there. This is how you earn respect.
The Supply Chain High-Producers Need
Speaking of Manchester City, defender Joleon Lescott was asked in this article from The Athletic about the team’s decline in scoring. Speaking specifically about Erling Haaland, he noted, “It’s a different type of supply chain now. Kevin (De Bruyne) would look for him instantly, whereas (Jeremy) Doku and Phil Foden are dribbling with it, they want to attract opposition players and try a threaded pass. Kevin was more like, ‘Where are you? Where’s the space? I’m going to put it where defenders can’t get it.’ It’s just adaptation in terms of the type of assists and the chances that come his way.”
De Bruyne, who is a superior passer of the ball, suffered a hamstring injury in the first game of the season. This has created “a different type of supply chain” and dramatically affected Haaland’s number and quality of opportunities.
Even the best producers on your team cannot self-combust opportunity. Even if you are as talented as Haaland, your success is still determined by those around.
For a deeper dive into the leadership skills of Guardiola and Haaland, read 6 Lessons on Apex Leadership we learn from Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland.
Defining The Roles And Expectations Of New Employees Is Critical
Expectations are sky-high this year for the Milwaukee Bucks after trading for Damien Lilliard in the off-season. In his first game, Lilliard did not disappoint. He scored 39 points against the Philadelphia 76ers and put away a tight game in the closing moments.
Click the image below for Lilliard’s post-game press conference comments:
His initial words resonated with me. Lillard said, “I came here knowing what was expected of me when these type of situations came.”
As a new employee, Bucks management did an outstanding job defining his role and expectations with the club. As a result, both he and the team are experiencing immediate success.
Have you done the same for the new employees of your organization?
5 Things Which Make A Leader Special
As part of the domino effect of the Lillard trade, former Buck Jrue Holiday was traded to the Boston Celtics. Holiday has also made an immediate impact. In fact, when I saw The Athletic headline, Jrue Holiday’s defensive prowess already a boon for Celtics: ‘Jrue’s special’, I needed to discover why.
Celtics’ forward Al Horford said in the article, “He is a guard, but he’s strong, and he has just the ability to guard one through five. He does. And that’s the luxury of having a guy like him. He’s going to impact winning, and he’s going to do whatever he needs to do.”
From Horford’s comments, we learn the following five things which make Holiday (and all leaders) special:
- Reliability – Holiday is “strong.” This means he is in excellent physical condition and should be a regular contributor on the court. He can be counted on.
- Versatility – Holiday can guard all five positions on a basketball court. Special leaders have great range as well. They fill a number of gaps for their organization.
- Winning – Special leaders impact winning. They affect the bottom line.
- Passion – Holiday is “going to do whatever he needs to do.” I define passion as owning the result. Special leaders do whatever it takes for their teams to have success.
- Respect – Holiday is considered special because others say he is. Teammate Derrick White said, “Jrue’s special. He can guard one through five and do a lot of different things. Obviously, (Wednesday), he did a great job on Randle and just having a guy like that and all the different things you can do out there. He’s fun to play with.”
What things did you learn this past week as a leader?
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