LEAD Your Team!

GREAT MORNING everyone and THANK YOU for taking time out of your busy day to join us here again on the Window Three Blog!  It is to be hoped that you all woke up this morning ready to take on the world!  For those Indianapolis Colts fans and New Orleans Saints fans, there is no doubt in my mind that you are all FIRE right now, ready for a Super Bowl showdown!  For the most part, those two teams aren’t a huge surprise to be in the Superbowl. After all, they did showcase the two best records in the NFL.

However, it’s not the match up that I want to dissect today, it’s the attitude of the Colts.  Below is an article that was posted on this blog back in July and talks about the Leadership of Tony Dungy (Colt’s Former Coach) and Peyton Manning.  Call it foreshadowing, call it lucky, but it seems what held true THEN is a big reason for the Colts success NOW...  

July 28th, 2009 - How To Be A Leader

Yesterday on "Mike & Mike in the Morning," ESPN radio, Peyton Manning was on as a guest to answer some questions about the upcoming football season. Peyton, being the quarterback of one of the stronger teams in the league, was asked a lot of questions about how the team was responding to the recent departure of their Head Coach, Tony Dungy. You see Tony was viewed as not only a coach but a leader, and the respect he gained from his team was known throughout the football world. Therefore, many have been wondering exactly how the team will respond to the loss of such a leader.

When talking about what Dungy did for the Indianapolis Colts, Peyton, in true champion fashion said, "I think every player on our team will tell you that they will always be indebted to Tony Dungee for what he's done for our team both as a coach and off the field, helping people be better people. I know I'll certainly always be indebted to him as well and we'll all miss him."

Now, this struck me in two different ways. The first is through the idea that Tony made his team better by not only helping them improve off the field but also helping them improve as people. When Peyton Manning went to work, Tony Dungee was his "boss," and how amazing is it that he had a "boss" that not only helped him improve as a player, but also as a person. Is that what your career is like? My guess is that you are currently shaking your head "no." Why? Well, I think that's because our society has placed such an emphasis on keeping our professional and personal careers separate, and between HR and lawsuits, we do our best to not cross that line. However, here is one of the most respected professionals in our society telling us that his team was great because of what their "boss" did for them both personally and professionally.

The second way in which this article struck me was through a quote I once heard in which the difference between a manager and a leader can be described as, "Managers spend their time doing things "right," where as a Leader does the "right" thing." If that doesn't make sense to you, think about it for a while, but what it really comes down to in my mind is that a manager lacks the creativity and inspiration that is so crucial to success in a constantly changing environment. Tony Dungy was and is a leader because of his ability to step over that line and motivate his team to improve both as professionals and as people.

If you are reading this, you have obviously found the BLOG within the Window Three website. This is our kickoff. In our work lives, full of what seem like 12 hour days and a "can we survive" economic atmosphere, those organizations that will succeed are the ones that understand that stepping over that line is not an option, it's a requirement. If you want to succeed, it can only be accomplished by having the best team, and if your team is not improving personally, then they are not improving professionally. Window Three can help. Let's begin...

I don’t know what industry you are a part of.  I don’t know what your career is.  However, I hope you approach it in the same manner that Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts approach their profession.  You are a professional, and as such, you should view everyday as another opportunity to improve.  However, in doing so, just know that your success on the field is directly linked to your approach to life.  Take a tip from the Indianapolis Colts and challenge yourself in both worlds.  For those Leaders out there that want to take the same approach that Tony Dungy did and challenge your team to better themselves both personally and professionally, check out our Infused Coaching! Have a GREAT WEEK everyone!