The only people who will remember how much overtime you worked will be your children. Someone will one day put your awards and trophies in a cardboard box. Your accomplishments will eventually be minimized because people will think they could have done the job better than you. So what will people actually remember about you?
An Impactful Leader
You may or may not be familiar with the name Larry Keith. If not, he likely know his work. Keith worked for Sports Illustrated from 1970-2003 as a reporter, writer, and editor. During his amazing tenure, he was a three-time Time Inc. President Award winner and wrote 19 cover stories.
One of his most famous was the March 20, 1978 cover shown below of Kansas City Royals rookie phenom Clint Hurdle.
Keith opened the article by writing, “In 1968, Clint Hurdle was a precocious 10-year-old kid dragging bats for the Cocoa Astros of the Florida State League and playing an occasional game of catch with a promising Astros first baseman named John Mayberry. Now in 1978, Hurdle was tall, dark, handsome, and brash, and able to hit a baseball nine miles. And he and Mayberry are together again, this time at the Kansas City Royals training camp in Fort Myers, Florida. Clint Hurdle, you see, is trying to take away John Mayberry’s job.”
A Podcast Interview
Keith was a guest on Jeff Pearlman’s July 1, 2024 podcast Two Writers Slinging Yang discussing his career and various aspects of the writing and editorial process. Pearlman asked Keith about the famous cover. Keith noted he attempted to temper the “phenom” talk in the article but then made a very interesting observation.
He said, “I think if you go beyond that first paragraph, there are definitely doubts expressed by me. In fact, I later in the piece described, well, there was another phenom named Clint, Clint Hartung. And so that was, I sort of gave him his due as a phenom, but after that, the story became much more of a realistic appraisal of him and his chances. He later became a very successful manager and is still to this day, the only subject who wrote me a thank you letter.” (emphasis is mine)
The Number One Thing Leaders Are Remembered For
Despite being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, playing 10 years in the major leagues, and winning 1269 games as a manager including being named the 2013 National League Manager of the Year Award, what Larry Keith remembers most about Clint Hurdle is his gratitude. Out of hundreds, maybe thousands of profiles he wrote, Hurdle is the only one to ever show gratitude by writing Keith a Thank You note.
In the spirit of full transparency, Clint Hurdle is a friend of mine. When reflecting on Coach Hurdle, my thoughts are first drawn to aspects beyond his achievements in baseball. I am deeply moved by his devotion to Christ and family, his dedication to supporting the Special Needs community, and his kindness and gratitude.
There is a well-known saying that states people may not remember for what you said or did, but they will always remember the way you made them feel. More than their accomplishments, leaders are truly remembered for their acts of kindness, expressions of gratitude, and unwavering attitude of thankfulness.
A great leader is also a grateful leader. Don’t believe me, ask Larry Keith about Clint Hurdle.
Now I’ve got some Thank You notes I need to go write!
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