Hey there! Here’s one leadership idea and one resource I’ve found beneficial this week:
1 idea: Ask the equipment guy
Ernie Adams is the ultimate football nerd. With his thick glasses and bushy white mustache, the husky 71-year-old looks more like a retired postal worker or former firefighter than a man who earned six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots. But don’t be mistaken: this guy is a football genius.
Adams worked alongside his high school teammate Bill Belichick for over two decades with vague titles like “football research director.” But despite his inconspicuous roles, his job has always been the same: provide his head coach with the kind of analysis and strategy that only an obsessed savant could provide. One journalist dubbed him “Belichick’s Belichick.”
When it came time to draft new players every year, Adams was the Patriot’s secret weapon. He possessed an uncanny ability to not only determine the player’s potential, but also their personal fit with the team.
Every scout has access to the same game film and statistics of college players, but Adams knew that alone was insufficient. So much of a player’s success in the NFL comes down to intangible factors like their work ethic, how they handle money, their ego, and so on. With hundreds of potential players to scout, how could he possibly research it all?
For Adams, the solution was a surprisingly simple shortcut: call each university’s equipment manager. As Ernie says, “At every school, there’ll be somebody who knows. Maybe it’s the equipment guy. If you happen to know the equipment guy, he’ll tell you, ‘Hey, this guy has been in my locker room for four years, and he’s a [jerk].’ Adams took advantage of the fact that these frontline workers saw the players when the cameras and stadium lights were off. They observed how they related to their teammates, cleaned up after themselves, and treated janitorial staff. In short, they had a glimpse into their integrity.
Integrity has often been defined as “what you do when no one’s watching.” In this case, we might say, “when only the equipment guy is watching.” Adams seems to believe that how you treat anyone is how you treat everyone.
It’s natural for us to “turn it on” for people we see as important—the clients or investors or executives we want to impress. It’s a lot harder to maintain the same standard of kindness and interest in the people we rub shoulders with every day. But if you were being secretly scouted for a huge promotion, what would the “equipment guys” in your life say? Their answer would reveal much about your integrity.
As Andy Stanley articulates in The Next Generation Leader, there’s a lot at stake here:
Your gifts will open doors. Your character will determine what you do once those doors have opened….
Your natural talent will eventually outstrip and outpace your character if you do not develop a parallel track upon which to run. To become a leader worth following, you must be intentional about developing the inner man. You must invest in the health of your soul. Nobody plans to fail, especially leaders. But to ignore the condition of your soul is the equivalent of planning to fail….
You can perhaps wait until the night before your real-estate final to sit down and prepare, but there is no cramming for a test of character. It always comes as a pop quiz.
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What would your neighbors, cashiers, cleaning staff, and interns have to say about you?
How would your kids or partner describe how you treated them when no one else was around?
What could it look like to develop a parallel track for developing your integrity?
1 resource: The Next Generation Leader
If one of your kids was starting their first job, what would you hope their boss or mentor would say to set them on the right path? The Next Generation Leader captures much of the advice I hope my child would get. Stanley's practical and grounded guidance gives early career professionals a jumpstart on five critical areas: competence, courage, clarity, coaching, and character. Because of its accessibility and scope, this book makes for a great gift for folks just beginning their professional journeys.
You can find the book on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
If you purchase a book via the link above, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you).
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