Technology Review published a story, How Technology Failed in Iraq, about one of the largest resistance efforts, code-named Objective Peach, of Saddam's Army during the early-morning hours of April 3, 2003, near a key bridge on the Euphrates River, located about 30 kilometers southwest of Baghdad in the Karbala Gap. The battle turned out to be a fairly conventional fight between tanks and other armored vehicles. During this operation, a four lane fixed bridge was secured and a second bridge was put in place by Engineer units.
The Iraqi attack was quite large, thus it should have been known well in advance since the U.S. troops were supported by a large technology assisted intelligence network, such as aircraft spotters, satellite-mounted motion sensors, heat detectors, image senors, and communications eavesdroppers. Commanders had high-bandwidth links to tap into this intelligence network while in the field.
Yet, during Objective Peach, Lt. Col. Ernest "Rock" Marcone, a battalion commander with the 69th Armor of the Third Infantry Division, was starved for information about Iraqi troop movements and as he said in the Technology Review article, "I would argue that I was the intelligence-gathering device for my higher headquarters."
As night fell, Marcone realized the situation was getting quite threatening so he arrayed his battalion in a defensive position on the far side of the bridge. It was not long before his fighting force of 1,000 soldiers, 30 tanks, and 14 Bradley fighting vehicles was facing three brigades of Iraq fighters composed of about 30 tanks, 70 armored personnel carriers, artillery, and about 7,000 Iraqi soldiers coming at him from three different directions.
This Iraqi deployment should have been fairly easy to detect, yet they received no information until the Iraqis slammed into them. This was not an isolated case as one key node was consistently falling off the intelligence network -- the front-line troops. This soon became known as the digital divide: at the division level and above, the view of the battle space was adequate, yet among the front-line troops, such as Marcone's, the situational awareness was terrible.
Yet, a new U.S. intelligence paradigm was employed at the time -- "force transformation," which was to use a number of technologies so that field commanders, such Marcone, would be networked into an information gathering and disseminating array. This information was to help units project not only power, but also act as protection. Lucky for Marcone, the tactical adroitness of his warriors easily overcame the attacking Iraqi army. Thus they won on superior tactical strength, rather than a vision of total knowledge.
One of the breakdowns in this intelligence network were the antenna relays carried by the advancing units. These antennas needed to be stationary to function and be within a line of sight to pass information to each nother. However, these units were moving much too fast and too far for the system to work. In a few cases, they were attacked while they stopped to set up their antenna relays.
A second breakdown happened in the rear units -- their connectivity was too good. They received so much data from some of their sensors that they couldn't process it all; thus they had to stop accepting some of their information feeds.
Horizontal Verses VerticalOne of the arguments for this intelligence breakdown is that it is doctrinal in nature, rather than technological -- the communication breakdown was out of date as it used vertical command and control rather than a horizontal flow. Information was to go "up" the chain of command, so that the major commanders in the rear could interpret it, and then send "down" their decisions. This resulted in major time delays. Thus the information was out there, yet it was not getting to the people who needed it the most.
In contrast, during the 2001 war in Afghanistan, special-operations forces were organized into small teams (about two dozen soldiers) who patrolled the mountains near the Pakistan border on horseback. Their mission was to root out the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces. Rather that being linked to a central command, the teams were networked to each other -- no one person was in tactical command.
Each team also had a key node -- the alpha geek, whose job was to manage the flow of information between his team and the others. Thus, rather than being confined to the "corporate IT department," the information geeks were actually in the field.
These special force units also maintained a web page, that arranged all the data collected by the teams into information that could easily be accessed by all.
Horizontal LeadershipVertical leadership refers to an individual who is in a formal position of power, such as being the hierarchical head of a division. But if we start looking at leadership as being a total system, rather than an individual, then information becomes networked, rather than running up the ladder, and then back down.
From this point-of-view, the various work teams receive leadership contributions from every member, not just the official designated leader. Now this does not mean that everyone is a boss or manager, for there are those who main purpose is to set the vision for the various teams. However, once the vision is received, it becomes the job of everyone to see to it that the vision is actually implemented.
Thus, we still have a Howard Schultz who visions an experience, rather than just a cup of coffee; and a Steve Jobs, who visions a digital lifestyle, rather than just a computer.
But rather than a vertical stream of information that goes vertically between Jobs or Schultz and their employees, their employees are now beside them on the same horizontal information stream.
Digital DashboardsA digital dashboard is an interface, resembling an automobile's dashboard, that organizes and presents information in a way that is easy to read. One of their uses is to present key performance indicators (KPI) in a visual and easy to under manner. Yet a lot of the literature coming out is directing them towards executives (see Executive Dashboards and KPI).
While some key information should only go to select individuals, organizations need to start thinking more along the lines of the special-operations forces operating in Afghanistan -- pulling information from all sources and then providing the means, in this case via the internet, so that all teams have access to it.
One of the advantages of horizontal leadership is that it fits in more with the OODA Loop model that was developed by Col. John Boyd, USAF (Ret). When Colonel John Boyd first introduced the OODA: Observe-Orient-Decide-Act). Thus, it allows for faster decision making:
Sponsored by
verses
Horizontal leadership is a means of involving networked teams to ensure a leader's vision is executed. Its primary method is knowledge management
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Rules of the Red Rubber Ball
Last week in class, we discussed the issue of passion for your work. Specifically, could you be passionate about something that wasn't a 'non-profit' job that you were volunteering your tme for.
I came across the book "Rules of the Red Rubber Ball" by Kevin Carroll. One of my directors is very determined to spread this book to everyone in my function because he feels so strongly about its contents.
Essentially, the book is about finding your red rubber ball, that is, something you are so passionate about that you chase it until you get it. There is a back story about a boy who was saved by the red rubber ball when he was growing up. He felt lost as his parents had abandoned him and he was moved to a modest street in a wealthy suberb with his grandparents. It was here that he discovered the playground and the red rubber ball. With the red rubber ball was the gift of speed that allowed him to dissolve his low self-esteem and worries with his pride in his athletic ability. This escalated into the love of any and all sports. Those sports brought him a world of happiness and a world of opportunity. He joined the Air FOrce so he could play soccer and eventually became an athletic trainer for the NBA and NFL. Ultimately, his love of sports landed him in a leadership position in Nike where his main job was to inspire creativity and the love of the sport.
The main point of the book is that although his love of 'the red rubber ball' (i.e. sports) started as a childhood past-time, he was able to channel that passion to direct him through careers in life. This allowed him to always stay passionate about his job.
The questions he poses to the reader to find their red rubber ball are:
What would you do for free?
What activities enthrall you?
What in life do you find irresistible, a source of inspiration, a reason to get out of bed?
What dreams do you chase?
What is your primal source of joy?
Part of the challenge of the red rubber ball theory is not just identifying what that is, but also having the courage to pursue it. However, once you find it, the source of your play becomes your life's work so that no one can tell the difference.
As a leader, how can you help your employees seek out their red rubber ball in the workplace? Does it seem like that is enough, or in the end does it led to employee's leaving to puruse that red rubber ball in another company?
I think it is important as a leader to understand what motivates people and the underlying reasons behind them. If you can't connect with your employee's, turnover will happen frequently and consistently. However, is it possible to be a leader that supports everyone finding their red rubber ball while retaining employees?
I came across the book "Rules of the Red Rubber Ball" by Kevin Carroll. One of my directors is very determined to spread this book to everyone in my function because he feels so strongly about its contents.
Essentially, the book is about finding your red rubber ball, that is, something you are so passionate about that you chase it until you get it. There is a back story about a boy who was saved by the red rubber ball when he was growing up. He felt lost as his parents had abandoned him and he was moved to a modest street in a wealthy suberb with his grandparents. It was here that he discovered the playground and the red rubber ball. With the red rubber ball was the gift of speed that allowed him to dissolve his low self-esteem and worries with his pride in his athletic ability. This escalated into the love of any and all sports. Those sports brought him a world of happiness and a world of opportunity. He joined the Air FOrce so he could play soccer and eventually became an athletic trainer for the NBA and NFL. Ultimately, his love of sports landed him in a leadership position in Nike where his main job was to inspire creativity and the love of the sport.
The main point of the book is that although his love of 'the red rubber ball' (i.e. sports) started as a childhood past-time, he was able to channel that passion to direct him through careers in life. This allowed him to always stay passionate about his job.
The questions he poses to the reader to find their red rubber ball are:
What would you do for free?
What activities enthrall you?
What in life do you find irresistible, a source of inspiration, a reason to get out of bed?
What dreams do you chase?
What is your primal source of joy?
Part of the challenge of the red rubber ball theory is not just identifying what that is, but also having the courage to pursue it. However, once you find it, the source of your play becomes your life's work so that no one can tell the difference.
As a leader, how can you help your employees seek out their red rubber ball in the workplace? Does it seem like that is enough, or in the end does it led to employee's leaving to puruse that red rubber ball in another company?
I think it is important as a leader to understand what motivates people and the underlying reasons behind them. If you can't connect with your employee's, turnover will happen frequently and consistently. However, is it possible to be a leader that supports everyone finding their red rubber ball while retaining employees?
What Exactly Is Ethics?
A while ago, I had the good fortune to be able to sit down with John Dalla Costa, author of The Ethical Imperative. While I shared my song and dance on leadership, I was dying to ask John, "What the heck is ethics?" At the appropriate moment, I sprang my question. And to my surprise, John's answer was very succinct: "Ethics is others."
That's it? Twenty-five years of research and the answer is three small words.
Later, as I let John’s concentrated wisdom sink in, the profound simplicity--and complexity--of his definition hit me. Leaders face ethical dilemmas every day, and it usually boils down to people--managing constant stakeholder-related trade-offs and serving one constituency better or more than another. Every day we are to some degree ethical and to some degree unethical. We can't make failsafe decisions on a regular basis, but we can accumulate paradigms and pathways towards how we influence others.
Ken Melrose, former Toro chairman and CEO, shared one of the company's recent ethical dilemmas, which centered around a lawnmower product that had become a new commercial market standard. The product is unique because it turns on a dime but has a very low center of gravity. Consequently, it is very hard to overturn, but in the rare instance it happens, it flips only 180 degrees and can seriously injure the operator. While the mower met compliance standards, Toro decided to add roll bars behind the seat as an added precaution, not raising the price for newly manufactured units because they added safety, not performance.
Then, as they further considered the needs of "others," another tough decision popped up. Don’t existing units deserve the same ethical treatment? The initial Pollyanna answer was yes, but the strict financial answer was no. After all, auto companies didn't retrofit all used cars with seatbelts, and if Toro did install the roll bar on used machines, another constituent--shareholders--would be adversely affected. So what was the right thing to do? Was an old customer as valuable as a new one or as important as shareholders who may have invested much more of themselves into the company?
What would you have done?
Melrose's company installed the roll bars for all machines, new and old, at their own cost, reasoning that although the decision was a costly one for shareholders immediately, that they had made a value-creating decision serving both customers and investors for the long haul. For Toro in this case, seeing the longer-term consequences to all constituents--to all the "others"--was the pathway to a tough ethical leadership decision.
Here are your questions and my responses to other ethics-related questions or dilemmas you've asked. Specific names of individuals and companies have been withheld to preserve candidness.
Leader in Transition: How do I identify organizations wanting to hire a chief ethics officer?
Cashman: One of the surest ways individuals can pursue being the "other" CEO is through formal training. Massachusetts-based Bentley College has established itself as a primary educator for aspiring chief ethics officers, but other programs certainly exist.
Another good approach is via networking. Commercial attorneys specializing in white-collar crime matters are probably most apt to be in positions of referral, yet it's also wise to explore various associations, particularly those in highly regulated industries like health care, financial services or defense. Specific organizations worth investigating include the Ethics & Compliance Officers Association (ECOA), the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).
Networking can be useful not only for identifying job openings, but also in assessing how specific organizations may interpret ethics--for instance, if they view it as synonymous with compliance or instead see the issue as having broader strategic implications. Center for Ethical Business Cultures CEO Ron James points out that these job responsibilities can greatly vary, depending on whether a company merely wants to pay lip service to the issue and "stay within the lines" or whether it's also interested in imbedding a genuine culture of responsibility.
CEO, Management Turnaround Consultancy: Specifically, what can CEOs do to create and nurture an ethical culture in their companies?
The first step is to take on the task of embodying in your own life the values for which you want your organization to be known. Then, to the extent you can, surround yourself with people who connect with these same principles you seek to encourage--perhaps in different ways. Foster a sense of team around this commonality, openly sharing how you think through difficult issues and how you make the judgments that are critical to ethical behavior in your company. Engage your team in discussing the ethical dilemmas that confront your organization, thereby creating a model where tough issues are open for discussion.
You’ll also need to make sure organizational systems support the ethical environment you want to create. This step can take longer and involves looking into businesses processes and norms to determine where the most resistance to values comes from and why.
CEO, Management Consulting Firm: What is the difference between ethics and honesty?
I may be splitting hairs here, but I view honesty as being as factual and objective as possible regardless of the circumstances. Ethics, on the other hand, has to consider numerous circumstances and constituencies.
Honesty is challenging because it’s straightforward, while ethics is challenging because it’s anything but straightforward. For instance, a leader may possess facts and information that, at face value, we would like equally shared with everyone. However, while that approach may be honest, it’s often better to instead consider how it will impact various conflicting constituencies--hence the challenge of ethics.
Kevin Cashman is president of global leadership development, executive coaching and team effectiveness consultancy LeaderSource: A Korn/Ferry Company (www.leadersource.com). He has authored four books on leadership and career development, including the bestselling Leadership from The Inside Out .
Attached is the link:
http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2007/03/03/leadership-cashman-ethics-leadership-citizen-cx_kc_0305ethics.html
That's it? Twenty-five years of research and the answer is three small words.
Later, as I let John’s concentrated wisdom sink in, the profound simplicity--and complexity--of his definition hit me. Leaders face ethical dilemmas every day, and it usually boils down to people--managing constant stakeholder-related trade-offs and serving one constituency better or more than another. Every day we are to some degree ethical and to some degree unethical. We can't make failsafe decisions on a regular basis, but we can accumulate paradigms and pathways towards how we influence others.
Ken Melrose, former Toro chairman and CEO, shared one of the company's recent ethical dilemmas, which centered around a lawnmower product that had become a new commercial market standard. The product is unique because it turns on a dime but has a very low center of gravity. Consequently, it is very hard to overturn, but in the rare instance it happens, it flips only 180 degrees and can seriously injure the operator. While the mower met compliance standards, Toro decided to add roll bars behind the seat as an added precaution, not raising the price for newly manufactured units because they added safety, not performance.
Then, as they further considered the needs of "others," another tough decision popped up. Don’t existing units deserve the same ethical treatment? The initial Pollyanna answer was yes, but the strict financial answer was no. After all, auto companies didn't retrofit all used cars with seatbelts, and if Toro did install the roll bar on used machines, another constituent--shareholders--would be adversely affected. So what was the right thing to do? Was an old customer as valuable as a new one or as important as shareholders who may have invested much more of themselves into the company?
What would you have done?
Melrose's company installed the roll bars for all machines, new and old, at their own cost, reasoning that although the decision was a costly one for shareholders immediately, that they had made a value-creating decision serving both customers and investors for the long haul. For Toro in this case, seeing the longer-term consequences to all constituents--to all the "others"--was the pathway to a tough ethical leadership decision.
Here are your questions and my responses to other ethics-related questions or dilemmas you've asked. Specific names of individuals and companies have been withheld to preserve candidness.
Leader in Transition: How do I identify organizations wanting to hire a chief ethics officer?
Cashman: One of the surest ways individuals can pursue being the "other" CEO is through formal training. Massachusetts-based Bentley College has established itself as a primary educator for aspiring chief ethics officers, but other programs certainly exist.
Another good approach is via networking. Commercial attorneys specializing in white-collar crime matters are probably most apt to be in positions of referral, yet it's also wise to explore various associations, particularly those in highly regulated industries like health care, financial services or defense. Specific organizations worth investigating include the Ethics & Compliance Officers Association (ECOA), the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).
Networking can be useful not only for identifying job openings, but also in assessing how specific organizations may interpret ethics--for instance, if they view it as synonymous with compliance or instead see the issue as having broader strategic implications. Center for Ethical Business Cultures CEO Ron James points out that these job responsibilities can greatly vary, depending on whether a company merely wants to pay lip service to the issue and "stay within the lines" or whether it's also interested in imbedding a genuine culture of responsibility.
CEO, Management Turnaround Consultancy: Specifically, what can CEOs do to create and nurture an ethical culture in their companies?
The first step is to take on the task of embodying in your own life the values for which you want your organization to be known. Then, to the extent you can, surround yourself with people who connect with these same principles you seek to encourage--perhaps in different ways. Foster a sense of team around this commonality, openly sharing how you think through difficult issues and how you make the judgments that are critical to ethical behavior in your company. Engage your team in discussing the ethical dilemmas that confront your organization, thereby creating a model where tough issues are open for discussion.
You’ll also need to make sure organizational systems support the ethical environment you want to create. This step can take longer and involves looking into businesses processes and norms to determine where the most resistance to values comes from and why.
CEO, Management Consulting Firm: What is the difference between ethics and honesty?
I may be splitting hairs here, but I view honesty as being as factual and objective as possible regardless of the circumstances. Ethics, on the other hand, has to consider numerous circumstances and constituencies.
Honesty is challenging because it’s straightforward, while ethics is challenging because it’s anything but straightforward. For instance, a leader may possess facts and information that, at face value, we would like equally shared with everyone. However, while that approach may be honest, it’s often better to instead consider how it will impact various conflicting constituencies--hence the challenge of ethics.
Kevin Cashman is president of global leadership development, executive coaching and team effectiveness consultancy LeaderSource: A Korn/Ferry Company (www.leadersource.com). He has authored four books on leadership and career development, including the bestselling Leadership from The Inside Out .
Attached is the link:
http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2007/03/03/leadership-cashman-ethics-leadership-citizen-cx_kc_0305ethics.html
Monday, April 23, 2007
Tony Dungy's Views on Leadership
Tony Dungy: Overcoming Adversity On and Off the Field
By Shawn Brown The 700 Club
CBN.com – "I got put into leadership roles very early in life from fifth grade, sixth grade. I always ended up being the quarterback or the leader of the sports teams, and it’s kind of benefiting me now."
Some say that behind every good sports team is a good coach. The NFL’s Tony Dungy is a contender for greatness. He debuted as a head coach with Tampa Bay in ’96. After six seasons, he became the winningest head coach in the franchise’s history. Then in 2002, he moved to the Indianapolis Colts, leading them to the playoffs seven years in a row. It helped earn him over 100 career victories.
Many NFL fans consider Indianapolis Head Coach Tony Dungy one of the greatest to ever coach the game of football. In 2005, after a 13-game winning streak, he led his team to within two games of going to the Super Bowl. This year, he took his team all the way home with his first Super Bowl win. I got a chance to talk with Coach Dungy about what he thinks it takes to be successful.
Some say great leaders are born; other say they are made. Coach Dungy believes it's a mixture of both.
"You’re born with some things inside you that will allow you to lead but I think you have to take the bull by the horns," he tells The 700 Club. "You have to want that leadership position, and then there are things you can do to develop that. That’s very important that they make themselves good leaders. I tell my team [that] a lot of being a great leader is knowing where you’re going and who you’re following. I think that’s very important. The best leaders are following Christ. That’s the best leader you can follow. “
For six years, Dungy has been a very successful coach in the NFL. How does he lead his team to victory every time?
"My take on leadership is something my high school coach told me when I was a young sophomore quarterback. He said, 'The real good leader is the guy who gets people to follow him but they don’t know it. They think they’re going where they want to go.' You try to show people the way, encourage them. That’s the way to do it rather than driving them and saying, 'Hey I’m going to push you here.' Say, 'I’m going to show you the way, and we’re all going to get there together.'"
Coach Dungy started developing his own leadership skills back in high school.
"I took away from a lot of the coaches I’ve played for. My high school football coach really stressed the idea that the quarterback [is] the field general. You have to be in charge of the team. The guys are going to follow you, and you’ve got to know what you’re doing. When I was 14 years old in 10th grade, he put that on me and I wanted it. I said, 'I understand what you’re saying, Coach. I’m going to be that leader for you.'”
A few years later, he made his way to the NFL, first with Pittsburgh for two years as a defensive back, where he helped the Steelers obtain two Super Bowl championships. He spent his last year as a player with the 49ers.
"I’d always been an offensive player but something inside said, 'I want to go with the best team I can go with.' As it turned out, it was a great move for me because I got to learn the defensive side of the ball, and it really prepared me to be a coach.'”
As a coach, Dungy's main goal is to help his players achieve their potential.
"I want them to leave here as better people and better men than when they came. My favorite verse in the Bible is Matthew 16:26, where Christ says, 'What would it profit a man to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul?' So if they come and play for me, win a lot of games, make a ton of money, but they don’t leave as better people, I haven’t done my total job. Winning is what we get paid for but I think my job is more than that."
After three years as a player in the NFL, he went back to Pittsburgh but this time with new role.
"I went back to Pittsburgh as an assistant coach and kind of was at the bottom rung," Dungy says. "Coach Noll gave me an opportunity to really learn under his direction, which was awesome but I was at the bottom peg. Just working at my craft and trying to learn. It wasn’t until about five or six years later as I moved up and we’re doing well that I said, 'I’ve learned from one of the best guys in the world. Maybe I can do this someday.'”
A few years later he would with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But after six years he was surprisingly let go and picked up by Indianapolis.
"When I got let go at Tampa, I really felt that the Lord was trying to get me to see some type of opportunity there in Tampa outside of football that I wouldn’t have experienced if I’d continued coaching. Or He was moving me to another city in the football world," he explains.
During his first year with Indianapolis, the unexpected happened with his former team.
"We’re in the playoffs but never could quite win it all. Then my first year here, they win it all. I was very happy for the guys that were there. You realize that we set a goal, and they achieved it without you. So that’s kind of tough. The way I looked at it, the Lord had some things up here in Indianapolis and that had to be my focus at that time. So it was very, very exciting to see those guys do well and have our plans come to fruition."
Like every coach, Dungy has had to deal with highs, lows, wins, and losses. He’s even had to endure the death of a son. But through it all he’s been firm on one thing.
"If people didn’t know me and only knew my public persona, what I’d want them to know is everything that I do, I do for the Glory of Lord," Dungy says. "Because of my Christian faith, that’s who I am. I wasn’t always that way, but I’m very proud that I am. I would tell people that I’m the same person. I have ups and downs. I have negative thoughts, negative actions. I don’t win every game. I have the same issues that everybody else has. What I’ve tried to do is use my faith in my job and let my faith direct me."
Here is the link: http://www.cbn.com/entertainment/sports/700club_tonydungy100906.aspx
By Shawn Brown The 700 Club
CBN.com – "I got put into leadership roles very early in life from fifth grade, sixth grade. I always ended up being the quarterback or the leader of the sports teams, and it’s kind of benefiting me now."
Some say that behind every good sports team is a good coach. The NFL’s Tony Dungy is a contender for greatness. He debuted as a head coach with Tampa Bay in ’96. After six seasons, he became the winningest head coach in the franchise’s history. Then in 2002, he moved to the Indianapolis Colts, leading them to the playoffs seven years in a row. It helped earn him over 100 career victories.
Many NFL fans consider Indianapolis Head Coach Tony Dungy one of the greatest to ever coach the game of football. In 2005, after a 13-game winning streak, he led his team to within two games of going to the Super Bowl. This year, he took his team all the way home with his first Super Bowl win. I got a chance to talk with Coach Dungy about what he thinks it takes to be successful.
Some say great leaders are born; other say they are made. Coach Dungy believes it's a mixture of both.
"You’re born with some things inside you that will allow you to lead but I think you have to take the bull by the horns," he tells The 700 Club. "You have to want that leadership position, and then there are things you can do to develop that. That’s very important that they make themselves good leaders. I tell my team [that] a lot of being a great leader is knowing where you’re going and who you’re following. I think that’s very important. The best leaders are following Christ. That’s the best leader you can follow. “
For six years, Dungy has been a very successful coach in the NFL. How does he lead his team to victory every time?
"My take on leadership is something my high school coach told me when I was a young sophomore quarterback. He said, 'The real good leader is the guy who gets people to follow him but they don’t know it. They think they’re going where they want to go.' You try to show people the way, encourage them. That’s the way to do it rather than driving them and saying, 'Hey I’m going to push you here.' Say, 'I’m going to show you the way, and we’re all going to get there together.'"
Coach Dungy started developing his own leadership skills back in high school.
"I took away from a lot of the coaches I’ve played for. My high school football coach really stressed the idea that the quarterback [is] the field general. You have to be in charge of the team. The guys are going to follow you, and you’ve got to know what you’re doing. When I was 14 years old in 10th grade, he put that on me and I wanted it. I said, 'I understand what you’re saying, Coach. I’m going to be that leader for you.'”
A few years later, he made his way to the NFL, first with Pittsburgh for two years as a defensive back, where he helped the Steelers obtain two Super Bowl championships. He spent his last year as a player with the 49ers.
"I’d always been an offensive player but something inside said, 'I want to go with the best team I can go with.' As it turned out, it was a great move for me because I got to learn the defensive side of the ball, and it really prepared me to be a coach.'”
As a coach, Dungy's main goal is to help his players achieve their potential.
"I want them to leave here as better people and better men than when they came. My favorite verse in the Bible is Matthew 16:26, where Christ says, 'What would it profit a man to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul?' So if they come and play for me, win a lot of games, make a ton of money, but they don’t leave as better people, I haven’t done my total job. Winning is what we get paid for but I think my job is more than that."
After three years as a player in the NFL, he went back to Pittsburgh but this time with new role.
"I went back to Pittsburgh as an assistant coach and kind of was at the bottom rung," Dungy says. "Coach Noll gave me an opportunity to really learn under his direction, which was awesome but I was at the bottom peg. Just working at my craft and trying to learn. It wasn’t until about five or six years later as I moved up and we’re doing well that I said, 'I’ve learned from one of the best guys in the world. Maybe I can do this someday.'”
A few years later he would with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But after six years he was surprisingly let go and picked up by Indianapolis.
"When I got let go at Tampa, I really felt that the Lord was trying to get me to see some type of opportunity there in Tampa outside of football that I wouldn’t have experienced if I’d continued coaching. Or He was moving me to another city in the football world," he explains.
During his first year with Indianapolis, the unexpected happened with his former team.
"We’re in the playoffs but never could quite win it all. Then my first year here, they win it all. I was very happy for the guys that were there. You realize that we set a goal, and they achieved it without you. So that’s kind of tough. The way I looked at it, the Lord had some things up here in Indianapolis and that had to be my focus at that time. So it was very, very exciting to see those guys do well and have our plans come to fruition."
Like every coach, Dungy has had to deal with highs, lows, wins, and losses. He’s even had to endure the death of a son. But through it all he’s been firm on one thing.
"If people didn’t know me and only knew my public persona, what I’d want them to know is everything that I do, I do for the Glory of Lord," Dungy says. "Because of my Christian faith, that’s who I am. I wasn’t always that way, but I’m very proud that I am. I would tell people that I’m the same person. I have ups and downs. I have negative thoughts, negative actions. I don’t win every game. I have the same issues that everybody else has. What I’ve tried to do is use my faith in my job and let my faith direct me."
Here is the link: http://www.cbn.com/entertainment/sports/700club_tonydungy100906.aspx
Survey to uncover your Mgmt Style
The following link is to a survey you can take to uncover your management style. The survey suggests there are four dimensions of leadership: Great Leaders, Reptilian Leaders, Mammalian Leaders and Foundational Leaders. I am a Mammalian Leader. Mammalian leaders are warm blooded, nurturing, and people sensing. They have great communication ability and trust and much more. Enjoy!
www.blackenterprise.com/leader
www.blackenterprise.com/leader
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Women’s Forum speakers herald authenticity as path to success
Authenticity is the key to long-term success – especially in corporate America.
That was the message delivered by Carla Harris, a managing director for the global financial firm Morgan Stanley, to more than 200 women at this week’s Women’s Forum at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
And it was a theme that was threaded throughout the all-day dialogue, from the remarks of Steve Sanger, chairman and chief executive officer; and Ken Powell, president and chief operating officer; to the banter of three General Mills “hosts” lounging in a teal- and cocoa-colored living room-style stage; to the earthy wisdom of Scotland-born Caroline Sami, founder and chief executive officer of her own corporate training company, ID:ology; to the personal journeys of three General Mills women leaders.
Authenticity, defined similarly by all the speakers, means uniting who you are with who you appear to be. And while Harris and others detailed the benefits of being genuine in the workplace – such as better focus and a better on-the-job attitude – they also acknowledged that it requires effort and trust to make it happen. And that there’s a potential cost for not being authentic.
To illustrate, Harris described a Latina woman who consciously suppressed her heritage – accent, clothes and mannerisms – at work. When she was overlooked for an international-focused position, her supervisor responded, “I didn’t even know you spoke Spanish.”
Beyond the self-awareness and courage that authenticity requires, it also can be fostered by the work environment -- from the top down, beginning with the recruiting process. “Remind all your new hires, from the beginning, about the unique characteristics they possess that made you say ‘yes’ to them,” said Harris. And then follow up, she continued, suggesting the importance that mentors, sponsors and managers have in encouraging unique qualities and strengths.
Rather than limiting yourself, Harris coached the audience to use passions and an expect-to-win attitude to encourage yourself -- and others -- to bring the best self to work, every day.
Published on Thursday, April 19, 2007
That was the message delivered by Carla Harris, a managing director for the global financial firm Morgan Stanley, to more than 200 women at this week’s Women’s Forum at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
And it was a theme that was threaded throughout the all-day dialogue, from the remarks of Steve Sanger, chairman and chief executive officer; and Ken Powell, president and chief operating officer; to the banter of three General Mills “hosts” lounging in a teal- and cocoa-colored living room-style stage; to the earthy wisdom of Scotland-born Caroline Sami, founder and chief executive officer of her own corporate training company, ID:ology; to the personal journeys of three General Mills women leaders.
Authenticity, defined similarly by all the speakers, means uniting who you are with who you appear to be. And while Harris and others detailed the benefits of being genuine in the workplace – such as better focus and a better on-the-job attitude – they also acknowledged that it requires effort and trust to make it happen. And that there’s a potential cost for not being authentic.
To illustrate, Harris described a Latina woman who consciously suppressed her heritage – accent, clothes and mannerisms – at work. When she was overlooked for an international-focused position, her supervisor responded, “I didn’t even know you spoke Spanish.”
Beyond the self-awareness and courage that authenticity requires, it also can be fostered by the work environment -- from the top down, beginning with the recruiting process. “Remind all your new hires, from the beginning, about the unique characteristics they possess that made you say ‘yes’ to them,” said Harris. And then follow up, she continued, suggesting the importance that mentors, sponsors and managers have in encouraging unique qualities and strengths.
Rather than limiting yourself, Harris coached the audience to use passions and an expect-to-win attitude to encourage yourself -- and others -- to bring the best self to work, every day.
Published on Thursday, April 19, 2007
Politics and Business - - do they require they same type of leadership?
I've been scouring the web for articles about leadership in the political realm and surprisingly most of them have to do with Barack Obama vs. Hillary Clinton. The comparison being made is that one candidate offers "authentic leadership" while the other "proven leadership". All this got me to thinking about leadership in business vs politics.
In business, we tend to believe that results and charisma lead to great leadership. In politics, however, is that the case? Can you get by with being charismatic alone if you surround yourself with the right people? To be honest, isn't the president merely a figure head? To what extent do you believe that our readings to date can be applied to the political realm? How do you prepare someone for leadership in politics vs business? Finally, what are the key characteristics of a good political leader? How do they compare to that of a business or social sector leader.
Any thoughts that you have are welcomed.
Please note: In no way am I looking for a political debate, I am just curious what people think given that in politics we always talk about the right person to lead.
In business, we tend to believe that results and charisma lead to great leadership. In politics, however, is that the case? Can you get by with being charismatic alone if you surround yourself with the right people? To be honest, isn't the president merely a figure head? To what extent do you believe that our readings to date can be applied to the political realm? How do you prepare someone for leadership in politics vs business? Finally, what are the key characteristics of a good political leader? How do they compare to that of a business or social sector leader.
Any thoughts that you have are welcomed.
Please note: In no way am I looking for a political debate, I am just curious what people think given that in politics we always talk about the right person to lead.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)