Leading by Example

One of the biggest parts about being a leader is not only being able to talk the talk, but also walk the walk. This has come most apparent to me from watching sports. When watching sports it is easy to see who the true leaders are, and what leaders get the most respect.

I was recently listening to Carmen and Jurko on ESPN 1000, and they were talking about the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lebron James. The end of the season is coming, and this will be the first year that players get to vote on who the League MVP is going to be. This is a big deal because Lebron James is so well respected for not only talking about his game, but also backing it up on the basketball court. The way that Lebron James backs up his talk is the reason that so many people respect him and follow him. This years Cleveland team is doing so well because they have such a strong leader in Lebron James, and all his teammates have bought in to what he is saying.

On the other side of things, there are the New York Knicks who are currently the worst team in the NBA. The Knicks have the star power to do great things, but lacked true leaders. This became evident early in the season, when Carmelo Anthony started blaming his teammates. Anthony is supposed to be the leader of that team but instead he just did a lot of talking, and didn't back it up with his game.

Watching sports with a different viewpoint, other than for the entertainment, has really taught me more about leadership. It has reminded me that participants will not buy into whatever I am saying unless I am fully behind it. To be fully behind it I need to be enthusiastic when I talk, and actually give 100% effort. Leading by example is so important to get people to buy into whatever I  am saying, and I believe that all leaders need to take this approach in order to be successful.

BREAK IT!

This past week I had the honor and taking part in a conference with the Executive Director of Recreation of Champaign Park District. Mr. Josef Deluce is a man who has a ton of experience, and a ton of knowledge in which he shared with my fellow classmates and I. Mr. Deluce said to us, “if it’s not broken, break it”. This quote may seem odd, but when he said it he was trying to get across the point that nothing is every perfect.

In the recreation field, programs cannot constantly stay the same because they need to stay up to date and interesting for participants. The quote I stated early reminds me that, as leaders we need to constantly be thinking of innovative ways to adapt activities so that our participants can stay in “flow”.

Moving forward, I am always going to have this quote in my head, and will remember that nothing is ever perfect. I will strive to keep thinking of new ideas and ways to improve any program that I am implementing. I believe that all leaders need to have this attitude, in order to keep succeeding in whatever they are doing.