Show Me the Money: Understanding Leadership Priorty

In every aspect of our lives, having a leader and someone we can look up to is inevitable. These are the people that provide inspiration and lead us in times of doubt, weakness, and troubles, but how do we really know if we have found the right person for the task. I always remember being told that a leader is not born, but rather emerges over time, everyone of us are born with certain talents and skills that are essential leadership characteristics, and it is up to each of us to expand and perfect our skill sets. In every organization there are a variety of people who hold leadership positions but in a successful franchise, what attracts and motivates these individuals to be successful. In order to be a good leader and especially a CEO, there are some essential qualities in which we most fervently look for, including character, the intention to do the right thing, competence, knowing how to do the right thing, and influence, their ability to execute and deliver on the right thing. Within any business operation these qualities are necessary to succeed and ultimately fulfill operations within each of the four quadrants of leadership development, personal, organizational, cultural, and knowledge, but in having a successful enterprise in such an industry as sports all of these become of greater importance at every possible level of operation from the owner and general manager of a team, the head coach and coaching staff, to the players, and even front office staff.
For every sports team in particular a necessary level of connection needs to be experienced at all levels of interaction and team involvement and success. For instance within the professional level, it all begins with a team owner and general manager. In any team organization it is essential for everyone to be on the same page and have the same desire at will and in heart. Often times in such organizations, this level of commitment is non-existent because everyone is only there for themselves and personal motivations and goals. Focusing on the owner and general manager it is necessary for this individual to have a winning mentality and mindset in order to find the right people to bring to his organization to make it successful. Having a general passion for the sport and love of the game is also important, because without this driving passion, no one else will have the will and passion to want to win. Often times in sports we here the phrases, “Show me the money” and “Winning is everything” in order to motivate, but how inspirational are these quotations. Although all of these are important things, they can’t be representative of the team ideals. Secondly, this person must exhibit excellent communication skills and have an inspirational drive to motivate everyone within the organization. This drive for hard work and commitment to the team’s goals are all important but as mentioned in an article entitled, Leadership Run Amok, this can be destructive at times as well. “Too intense a focus on achievement can demolish trust and undermine morale, measurably reducing work place productivity, and eroding confidence in management both inside and outside the corporation.”
While winning is ultimately the goal of every professional organization, it is important for the owner and general manager to have a professional aim towards personal success and community involvement outside of the team. Although, Jay-Z makes a remarkable artist and music producer and truly does have an inspiration drive for success in the corporate world, his level of commitment to the professional sports arena must sometimes be questioned. However, in contrast, although the Patriots were unable to gain a Super Bowl title this season, their owner, Robert Kraft, is one of the best owners and CEO’s within a professional sports organization and understands the importance or a leader-member exchange between everyone involved. So, in conclusion, While winning is important to bring in the money, I want to see a team owner that requires everyone involved to demonstrate the commitment necessary to win not only in the game but in life as well.