Lessons from a GOAT and a Guy

Recently, a friend of mine made me aware of an article from Harvard Business Review addressing some insightful leadership practices gleaned over the NFL during the career of “The GOAT”, Quarterback Tom Brady. It is an article worth reading and includes several of the truths I've been sharing with our aspiring leaders.

This article also speaks to certain actions that will always differentiate the best leaders from the good, the difference makers from the mundane. It is what “This Guy” has spent a lifetime studying, assessing, analyzing, and acquiring insights from leaders at every level while leading and working in the leadership arena. I know this to be true at any level, genuine leadership isn’t for the faint of heart, but for those who furiously focus on what can be and faithfully strive to get there. Tom agrees!

Of note, there are three key actions genuine leaders perform every day. First, they focus on "WE" (the "team" as Tom puts it) not on "ME." Tom says, there is a most important question a leader must ask themselves daily, "Do you want to be a Star (me focused), or a Champion (we focused)?"  Stars burn out, but Champions build legacies of positive impact that last for generations to come. Focusing on something bigger than "ME" always broadens one's perspective and bolster's one potential. Second, is the act of "Tapping into Potential", Tom calls it learning to do or say the things necessary to "get more out of them." Genuine leaders take the time to learn what makes a person tick, or what gets a person ticked. They then employ the tactics necessary to bring out the best in people in order to be the best in performance. Third, genuine leaders take the time as often as possible to practice the art of "E and E." Now in the military to E and E is to escape and evade the enemy, but in the leadership arena it means the exact opposite. Genuine leaders take time to engage and enjoy those they are privileged to lead. Tom Brady affirms this practice is a real difference maker or perhaps better stated, "Authentically Transforming."

Time to put the lessons learned, into practice. Let’s Go!