A Unique Perspective on Leadership
A quick Google search on leadership will yield thousands of different definitions. Many are good, some are not, but it's clear there isn't a universal agreement on a singular definition. Because of this, many of us pick and choose various perspectives on leadership and use them how we see fit.
One of the many definitions of leadership is by legendary football coach Tom Landry. Landry—known as The Great Innovator—was recognized as one of the most outside-the-box thinkers of his day. He is credited with creating the 4-3 defense and was unique in his approach to recruit Latin-American soccer players to handle kicking duties and Olympic sprinters to return kicks.
Landry served as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1960-1988. From 1965-1985, Landry strung together twenty consecutive winning seasons, including thirteen divisional titles, five NFC titles, and two Super Bowl victories. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 and owns the fourth-most wins all-time for an NFL head coach.
This combination of innovation and success uniquely qualifies Landry to have a definition of leadership that's worth listening to. His definition, of course, is not an all-encompassing definition of leadership, but I really like this perspective:
“Leadership is having people look at you and gain confidence seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.”
Simply put, the players are likely to be more confident if the coach is confident. Leadership is the ability to influence others, and many leaders fail at this.
Teams of all sorts tend to reflect the ethos and philosophy of the leader, whether good or bad.
Confident coaches create confident teams. Confident teachers create confident students. Confident executives create confident managers. Confident symphony conductors create confident musicians. Any example would apply here.
If you are leading others, rub off on them the right way. Be confident. Be in control. Lead.