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Favre and
Abrams - Money and Title, but No Moxie
When leaders use their own moxie to ignite it in
others, they impact people and generate results. When they don't,
buffoonery abounds.
The challenge: many people don't see themselves as
leaders and even when they do, they don't have a clue about moxie.
Let's observe a few of the clueless, and then one who
modeled moxie leadership his whole life.
You can't make this stuff up!
Brett Favre, quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, sent racy text
messages and photos of his genitals to a female reporter from his
former team. Once touted as a great husband and a model professional
football player, his integrity is now tarnished, and the NFL Commissioner
is investigating his actions.
Lee Abrams, Chief Innovation Officer of Tribune Co. regularly
sent offensive emails to employees, the most recent sporting a
subject line that read, "Sluts," with a link to a newscast
parody containing photos of inebriated, half-clothed women.
Abrams' boss, the raucous CEO Randy Michaels
was notorious for using and encouraging sexual innuendos, banter, and
profanity throughout the office, which the New York Times exposed
in a 2-page article the week prior to Abrams' email. Following
pressure from employees and the board, Abrams resigned, and a week
later Michaels followed him out the door.
The backstory
There is always a backstory. And usually several
versions of it, none of which we are privy to. Perhaps Favre thought
he was having good fun with an old friend. Perhaps Abrams and
Michaels were trying to shake things up in the conservative company
and get people to think outside the box. But people don't judge intentions.
They only judge actions.
Leaders operate from a pedestal
From the quarterback to the CIO, from the parent to
the teacher, people in positions of leadership are constantly
observed by the people who follow them. We put these people on
pedestals and then we watch them, sometimes scrutinizing and judging
their every move.
But being on a pedestal is a great
opportunity that should be revered, not one to minimize,
ridicule, or worse yet, ignore.
Who cares what Favre and Abrams did?
It's actually irrelevant whether we think Favre was
vulgar, Abrams was insulting, and Michaels was bereft of character
and ethics.
We are focusing on the wrong thing. We are focusing on
their obnoxious, offensive, and even flippant behavior when we should
be focusing on what they didn't do.
We put them on the pedestal and they didn't make a
difference for and in people.
Missed opportunities to ignite moxie
What should disappoint us about these leaders is the
missed opportunity to inspire people, to rally them to greatness, and
to serve as their role model. They failed to embrace the unique
opportunity we gave them to ignite moxie in others. Only with moxie
do people achieve excellence and impact change. Without moxie, people
resort to merely impacting their pocketbook and their ego.
In missing these opportunities, Favre, Abrams, and
Michaels each underscored their own lack of moxie.
Taking a lesson from John Wooden
The legendary basketball coach, John
Wooden recognized and embraced the daily opportunity to ignite
people not just in basketball but in life. Wooden followed
a 7-point Creed to guide his life and his coaching,
which included maxims such as: "Be true to yourself."
"Help others." and "Make each day your
masterpiece." (Rest assured, "Take a picture of your
genitals" is not listed anywhere in the Creed.)
Wooden never missed an opportunity to rally people,
guide them, enthuse them, and inspire them to greatness. Whether
he was a player on the court, a coach on the sidelines, or a member
of the community, he worked intentionally on first contributing to
people, and then on winning the game.
And win he did. Named the "Greatest Coach of All
Time," his record as coach of the UCLA Bruins (10 NCAA national
championships in a 12-year period) stands unmatched by any other
college basketball coach.
Favre, Abrams, and Michaels could learn a few things
from Wooden about standing on the pedestal to make a difference for
and in people. That's what moxie leadership looks like.
Do you know a moxie leader?
Have you ever worked with a moxie leader like John
Wooden who took every opportunity to ignite moxie in people? Share
your story on our facebook page or on our blog:
http://lifemoxie.wordpress.com/
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