RUN A “CHAMPIONSHIP” ORGANIZATION

Great leadership is undeniable no matter what level or type of organization from Steve Jobs, to Martin Luther King, to Abraham Lincoln to LeBron James. Pursuing excellence, leading with your whole heart, trusting your intuition, being authentic and resilient are five distinguishable traits for leaders to win in today’s economic climate. Let’s be clear: I love the game of basketball. I am not a Miami Heat fan, nor am I necessarily a fan of LeBron James, nor do I support how the “Decision” was announced. I am, however, a fan of pursuing excellence. I study great leaders, their authentic leadership styles and their ability to overcome failure to win in the end. LeBron James displayed his whole heart when after making the “decision” to go to the Miami Heat to win multiple championships, he fell short in his first season, reaching the 2011 NBA Finals but eventually losing. After that season, he took the criticism, looked in the mirror, humbled himself and took responsibility for his mistakes. In the 2013 NBA Finals, he played horribly in Game 5 and his team lost. Once again he adjusted his game, elevated his basketball IQ, decided to make an unorthodox decision to shoot mid-range jumpers (instead of driving in the lane) and to defend Tony Parker (one of the best point guards in the league) to win Game 6 & 7 and back-to-back NBA Championships. James’ willingness to take responsibility on both ends of the floor, to combine work ethic and IQ to turn his team into champions is an example peers and employees will follow. As a leader in today’s business world, people will follow leaders who lead with their whole heart. It’s important to see James display resiliency during this play-off run. He shot the ball poorly in Game 5 and in Game 7 he rose to the occasion finishing with 37 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Learning to be a winner has as much to do with one’s ability to take a punch and to get up quickly after being knocked down as it does with having a burning desire to win. How a leader handles failure especially today is a necessary component to teaching employees how to win despite setbacks and disappointments. Trusting your intuition and leading with authenticity requires turning weaknesses into strengths. It also requires doing whatever it takes to sustain greatness. James moved from not too long ago an inability to close out games to become a consistent “Peak Performer”. It takes more than remarkable skill to be a great winner | leader, it takes a genuine desire for one’s team to win and sustain greatness. Implicit in James’ collaborative leadership style is his willingness to let others shine and to add value to their performances, life and work. That is the most desirable trait of a leader – the willingness to not go it alone, to let another voice be heard. Contact Trudi Lacey, MEd, CPCC, CPT for workshops or speaking engagements on “BEYOND PERFORMANCE”, High Team Performance for Organizations, or email me: lifedesigns4u@gmail.com or call: 704-504-8825.