To be successful, leaders must intentionally position themselves for success. Recently, I encountered three powerful stories from leaders that offer valuable lessons on how we can strategically set ourselves up for success.
Get Off to a Fast Start
In their last 133 games, the Houston Astros have taken the lead by scoring first in 69 of them. Remarkably, they went on to win 49 of those games, which translates to an impressive 71% win rate when they score first.
The lesson for leaders is you never have to recover from a good start.
Be Humble and have Develop Self-Awareness
Ohio State Buckeyes head football coach Ryan Day has a reputation for being a brilliant offensive mind. But after last year’s 14-3 Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri, Coach Day knew changes needed to be made, and it started with him. Coach Day subsequently hired Chip Kelly to run the offense. This move freed Coach Day up to give increased focus to modern head coaching duties like NIL management, fundraising, managing the transfer portal, and giving his unique perspective to the defense.
For Coach Day, considered an offensive guru, to give up these responsibilities took humility, self-awareness, and a desire to do what is best for the team. I think it will work. The Buckeyes are my pick to win college football’s championship this week.
What are you willing to give up to make your team better?
Give Hope to Others
In the August 29th edition of Morning Brew, it was reported Abercrombie & Fitch had an excellent second quarter of sales. In fact, it grew by 21%! But its stock price, which was up 89% this year, plunged 15%!!! So sales were up but the stock was down? Why?
The company’s CEO’s Fran Horowitz forecast for the future was an “increasingly uncertain environment.”
Horowitz forgot one of the most basic parts of leadership – Leaders are dealers of hope. They should always be pointing to a brighter tomorrow. Think about it, if the future isn’t brighter under your leadership, then why should I follow? People will follow someone else who has a brighter vision. Evidently, many investors did just that after Horowitz’s forecast.
Conclusion
To recap, to strategically position yourself for success, do the following:
- Get off to a fast start.
- Be humble and develop some self-awareness.
- Give hope to others.
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These quotes will take 15 minutes to read and a lifetime to apply. Let’s get started. You’re about to get smarter and better as a leader! #CommissionsEarned