The LA Dodgers' Leadership Group----The Total Package

After months of turmoil and no direction from the top, the Los Angeles Dodgers have righted the ship and now have a committed leadership group to chart the course. Interestingly enough, the Dodgers had plenty of suitors who were willing to invest “big bucks” for the right to attempt to fix one of the most dysfunctional management teams in the history of sport. The proud franchise that brought you Sandy Koufax, Steve Garvey, Don Drysdale, Maury Wills et.al, had become the central figure in the marital problems of Frank and Jamie McCourt and a prime example of how unfocused leadership will bring down any organization.

Now the Dodgers have made a 180 degree turn with a leadership team that fits together perfectly. Each of the three primary players in management have unique skills and experiences that meet the three most critical needs of the Dodger organization. Every leadership teams should want to create an environment that allows the talents of the inner circle of decision makers to be maximized. Looking at the Dodgers ownership trifecta, the talents fit together perfectly.

Magic Johnson’s personality and public persona is the perfect face for the organization. The former Laker icon is respected and loved by the entire Southern California community. He transcends ethnicity, religion and race and will be able to rally a declining fan base with his energy and enthusiasm. His stature as one of the greatest athletes of the 20 th century will assure every Dodger player that the organization is focused on winning championships and playing at the highest level. Additionally by having Magic as part of the team, there is a huge benefit having a public spokesman that is well-respected by the media while having total access to television, radio and every communication platform internationally.

The second piece of the puzzle is having the financial resources to acquire the necessary assets and Mark Walters, the CEO of Guggenheim Partners, fulfills that need. As the controlling partner, Walters and Guggenheim’s deep pockets allow the baseball operation the money to make moves quickly. As the CEO of one of the top financial management firms in the world, Walters will insure sound fiscal management with a clear understanding that success breeds profits.

Maybe the most important member of the leadership team is Stan Kasten, the baseball guy. With a resume that includes being the man in charge of the Atlanta Braves from 1987 to 2003 when the Braves won more games than any other club, the Dodger have one of the most respected and successful baseball executives calling the day to day shots. Kasten, who also has been the president of Hawks, Thrashers and the Washington Nationals, has seen it all and has a vast resource of experience and contacts necessary to build the actual Dodger management team.

Great teams have players who compliment each other and have different talents that fit together to allow each to focus on their individual strengths. This leadership group fits together like a glove. When you put together your team, take a page out Magic, Walters and Kasten’s group, find individuals who have all the important skill sets that fit together to allow each to be the most productive they can be and create that overused but very important word---SYNERGY. Look for the LA Dodgers to become a force in the very near future.

Shaka Smart---Do You Believe In Magic?

With the NCAA Tournament winding down to the Final Four, it is always interesting to watch the merry-go-round of coaches who have success in the tournament moving from the mid-majors to the traditional powerhouses. This year while the big boys came calling, the most desired mid-major mentor, Shaka Smart (VCU) decided to stay put and continue to build on his already incredible run.

As you examine this dynamic young coach, it is interesting to attempt to determine why he has reached such an amazing level of success in four years. While there are many factors involved, his decision to stay gives a strong indication of unity within his program and his focus on his athletes. Smart has done a great job of getting his players to believe in what he is saying and a great deal of that is based on the player-coach relationship. The former Clemson and Florida Assistant has developed a concept based on full-court pressure and total commitment to creating a game that most opponents rarely see. To be successful in his type of game, players have to be willing to “sacrifice their bodies” and be willing to invest all their effort for the benefit of the team. In his style if one player lets down for one possession, the result will be an easy basket for the other team. Very similar to Arkansas’ Nolan Richardson’s “40 Minutes of Hell”, Coach Smart’s Rams win because they totally have faith in the system and leadership.

Understand that the Coach Smart’s system works for various reasons including:

1. A highly competent staff who can really coach the fundamentals.
2. A talented team with the physical characteristics to implement the system.
3. A plan that forces teams to play a style that they are not accustomed that creates a differentiated approach.

All of the above are very important elements for any leader to have as part of their strategic positioning. One of the most important factors in bringing these elements together is having team members who totally believe that this plan is the absolute best way to get the desired result. Some leaders think by having the right system in place, success will assuredly follow. Reality is that is a good system or concept is an important piece of the puzzle not the end all , be all. Understand that the most critical thing for having the entire team buy-in to the system is they first have to believe in the leader. Remember that team members must believe in both the system and the leader. When you watch Shaka Smart’s team create havoc, it is easy to see that each player is a believer. Keep in mind that individuals must buy-in to the leader and his credibility first before they buy-in to the vision. Many great concepts have failed because the organization did not have confidence in the leader. Some of the brightest minds in coaching have had short tenures because the players did not commit. Can you think of any leaders who have failed for that reason?

A Leadership Lesson From 3 NCAA Tournament Coaches---Buzz, AG and John

With the NCAA Basketball Tournament first weekend completed, like always, there has been tons of interesting stories and sidebars to the actual competition. For me, I love to watch the coaches and see how they go about doing their business. It is so interesting because there are many different styles, strategies and concepts and while they are different, they all work for that particular coach and team. I always look for competencies or successful consistencies that can be applied in any leadership situation to get quality results.

In this year’s tournament, three of the head coaches (Marquette, Ohio and Alabama) actually were part of the first group of coaches to be involved in the Villa 7 coaching preparation program I created while at VCU. When I first met each of these individuals, I was certain they would have long and successful head coaching careers. In that first year I met the top assistant coaches at Ohio State (John Groce), Texas A&M (Buzz Williams) and Florida (Anthony Grant) and was so impressed that I mentally placed these up and comers on my list as the top potential successors to my coach (Jeff Capel) at VCU. While all of these great young coaches’ backgrounds were very different, they had one thing in common---INTENSITY.

Each was tremendously passionate about their profession and their desire to be great coaches and leaders. They each had an intensity that burned through every conversation and interaction. Each of these three had an incredible commitment to being the best that they could possibly be. They left nothing to chance and stayed on top of every situation. They were able to integrate very engaging personalities with a powerful focus on achieving their goals. After talking with them and being in their company, you would know immediately that they had tremendous futures.

One episode that I always share with young coaches was a social event that we held at the Nike campus in Beaverton, Oregon that included about 40 assistant coaches and 20 Mid-major Athletic directors. The intent of the event was to give coaches and AD’s an opportunity to interact in a social setting without much formality. Watching the dynamics of this event was truly enlightening. Many of the assistant coaches hung around with each other and never really made any serious attempt to connect with the AD’s. However Buzz, AG and John all used this forum to connect with as many AD’s as possible. Their behavior during that social event did not go un-noticed by many of the AD’s and actually became a topic of conversation at the AD’s forum. These three future leaders looked at every situation as an opportunity to enhance their leadership potential.

Great leaders like Williams, Groce and Grant, analyze every situation from a leadership perspective. As you are faced with challenges and opportunities in your everyday life, use a leadership filter to determine what your ultimate decision should be. Remember leaders are concerned with the big picture. That is why Marquette, Ohio University and Alabama are making national news on the hardwood. They have strong leaders that are totally focused on building successful programs and have instilled their same intensity into their teams. One final thought, do not mistake intensity for insensitivity. Insensitivity translates into a self-serving environment that ultimately falls apart. While Williams, Groce and Grant demand maximum effort, they do so in a manner that positively impacts each team member.

Bountygate---Where were Coach Peyton and GM Loomis?

Last week more information surfaced on the New Orleans Saints “bountygate” program where Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams incentivized defensive players for “knocking out” key opponent offensive players. As the NFL looked into the pay for injury program, they discovered that Head Coach Sean Peyton and General Manager Mickey Loomis both were aware of William’s motivational efforts. Without question most rational people would balk at the thought of trying to physically injure another human being in the pursuit of winning a game and yet Loomis and Peyton turned their heads and ignored the despicable incentive program that clearly violated their leadership responsibility.

Why would talented and successful executives accept a program that flies in the face of good judgment and basic humanity? Quite often I have seen leaders give responsibility to subordinates to do a job and then absolve themselves from the processes that are implemented. This is a sure fire way to put yourself as a leader into an extremely vulnerable and dangerous position. Because someone else may have direct supervision of a program, you as a leader cannot accept the belief that you do not have the ultimate responsibility for the actions of the project manager. Every leader needs to realize that people are human and that some of your followers, irrespective of what you do, will make bad decisions and that you MUST deal with those bad decisions in a timely and appropriate way.

Peyton and Loomis both acknowledge that Williams “bountygate” program was wrong and that they were aware of it. However neither saw fit to do anything about it because they were more concerned about the short-term result of winning football games. All leaders needs to understand that not everyone in the “leadership cabinet” will have a big picture and understand the long-term implications of certain decisions. Quite often people who are in significant positions under the leader are motivated to be successful and will be focused on an immediate result with no real feeling for the “down the road”.

Leaders cannot be naïve and believe that everyone under their direction is going to “do the right thing”. So while many leadership books will encourage leaders to “not micromanage” their people, realize that you are the ultimate authority and need to know what is going on in every area of your responsibility. By being engaged with your organization and engaging your followers in a meaningful way, you will know what is going on and be aware of any potential areas of concern. Leaders who insulate themselves from the day to day operations are making a huge mistake. When you find out that something is amiss, address it immediately. When leaders look the other way, they lose credibility among all their constituents and promote a very bad climate for their organization. By ignoring unacceptable practices, the leader basically is fostering a philosophy that anything goes as long as it works and you don’t get caught. That philosophy is reminiscent of old time comedian Flip Wilson’s line, “A lie is as good as the truth, if you can get somebody to believe it.” I do not think any leader wants to be viewed as a subscriber to the Flip Wilson philosophy.

Coach L---A Model For Flip-Flopping For Your Own Benefit

Over the weekend the Washington Post’s Mark Giannnoto wrote an interesting article about coaches lobbying to influence the NCAA Basketball Committee regarding at-large selection into the NCAA tournament. Over the past 10 years former George Mason Head Coach Jim Larranaga has been the loudest voice in the wilderness trumpeting the cause for Mid-majors to be included in the field. Looking at the success of Mason, VCU, Butler and other non-BCS teams, Larranaga’s message had seemed to be substantiated by the results. While his rhetoric had some validity, everyone who has any connection to the NCAA selection process, knows that all the banter in the world is not going to change the decisions by the committee.

Now fast-forward to this week to the sunny climes of South Beach where Larranaga now resides as Head Coach at the University of Miami, his message had an entirely different ring to it. About 180 degrees from his thought process for the last ten years, Coach L opines, “In this particular year looking at their non-conference performance, it would appear to me that those spots should be reserved for high majors who played a much more difficult non-conference schedule and were far more successful than any of the teams in the mid-majors.” Of course, Laranaga’s Hurricanes are one of the “high-majors” who are in contention with many mid-majors for the last few at-large spots in the tournament. With tongue in cheek Virginia Tech veteran head coach and bubble participant Seth Greeenberg remarked, “Jim's a smart guy. It’s amazing, though, eight, nine months, he had revelations.”

While we all understand that every leader is charged with supporting his team, leaders and coaches must understand by changing one’s value system and thought processes because of their own particular situation, people quickly understand that the leader is self serving and self absorbed, characteristics that are severe hurdles to engaging constituents. Every leader needs to understand that people are not naïve and oblivious to the past. Credibility plays such an important role in getting buy-in from followers, that any breach of credibility will detract from long-term success for the organization. Additionally by trying to elevate your situation by demeaning the success of others is always a bad idea. In an interview with David Teel, Larranaga totally discounted his former school when asked would you be saying the same thing if you were at Mason with (at the time of interview) a 14-2 conference record, he responded, "... if you look at their non-conference strength of schedule, it is in the 300's." (Actually at the time of the interview, Mason's strength of schedule was 239.) "That's not the type of resume the committee has looked for over the years." My parents told me, "If you can't say something nice...."

To make the Larranaga flip flop that much more a bad idea, the reality is that what he says will have absolutely no effect on the final outcome of who is selected as at-large participants. When a leader talks just to hear themselves talk, they risk saying something that can hurt their own personal image. In this case by trying to position his own personal well-being at the expense of his former employers, Coach L has drained all the goodwill he built with the George Mason family over the last 15 years. I encourage everyone to focus on themselves and what they can control and not focus on what they cannot control. Your time will be used much more productively.

Robert Griffin III's Leadership Skills Surface at NFL Combine

This past week the National Football League held its annual evaluation for potential draftees in Indianapolis at the NFL combine. While there was tons of talent and great players, no one stood out more than Heisman Trophy winner, Robert Griffin III. While his athletic skills running, jumping and lifting were very impressive, the real key to his meteoric rise in the view of coaches and management came from the realization of his tremendous leadership potential and the reality that he has an incredible presence. Not since Peyton Manning has another player exhibited the traits that every franchise is looking for to lead their team.

Entering last week everyone was familiar with RG III’s throwing arm and his track star speed, but few really had experienced his unique set of leadership talents. In analyzing his interviews, it became so apparent that Griffin is the total package. In trying to breakdown why the former Baylor star came across so well, I identified three C’s that I believe are the foundation of effective leadership.

Confidence---Griffin demonstrated a confident attitude where he clearly believes he can be a very successful quarterback in the NFL who will lead his team to championships. He did this in a way where he was confident but not cocky. He was self-assured without being arrogant. People want to follow individuals who they believe can deliver a result that is beneficial to the organization (team) and to the individuals themselves. One of my favorite quotes for leaders is by Alexandre Dumas:

“A person who doubts himself is like a man who would enlist in the ranks of his enemies and bear arms against himself. He makes his failure certain by himself being the first person to be convinced of it.”

Communication—Hearing Griffin during his interview on the NFL network, the Copperas Cove High School graduate was not only articulate but also original. His style and composure were off the chart believable. Additionally he was very refreshing and avoided the traditional clichés that so often surface when people are not really communicating but just regurgitating what they think people want to hear or what they have heard other people say. The dynamics of the interaction with host Rich Eisen were both believable and entertaining. You really left the show with the impression they were engaged in meaningful dialogue.

Charisma—Defined as personal magnetism, Griffin’s personality exploded during the interview. While being confident, he also was extremely likable. For NFL franchises, likability of their stars is extremely important, as research has found that likability is incredibly important in building a positive brand. His smile and demeanor was reminiscent of one of the nation’s most likable celebrities (Will Smith). People want to follow leaders that they like and enjoy being part of a team that works together in an atmosphere of cordiality not conflict. RG III has style, presence, enthusiasm, believability and energy; all important pieces of charisma. While some leaders have succeeded with limited charisma, having it makes the journey much easier.

It will be interesting to see which NFL team has been most impressed with Griffin and how much they are willing to invest in finding the future face of their franchise.