What It Takes. . .to Lead a Winning Team

My son is part of the Shorecrest Marching Band. . .which yesterday performed in the St. Paddy's Day Parade in Dublin.  Let me tell you, this unit is a spectacle.   As "The Scots" they are outfitted in kilts and full tilt Irish garb.   The parade line-up starts with cheerleaders, then Irish dancers, then bagpipers (!), drum major, the band and the flag team.  It is magnificent.

In Dublin, they were playing with bands from around the world - so imagine our delight when we received word that they won Best Overall Band!

The best.

This makes me contemplate - what does it take to lead a winning team?

Let me tell you about the conductor.    Respected, liked and loved by his students (the antithesis of "It's not my job to be liked").    He earns the respect and adulation. . .and in turn, he respects and genuinely cares for his band.

He is not authoritarian or shrill.

He is genuine.

He has realistically high expectations.

He is committed to his team and their success.

He is a great communicator.

Before he allows his band to begin a performance, he assures that people have what they need and that they are aligned in purpose to what they are about to do.

Even in concert situations, he has an ease about him that allows great energy and great performances to flow.

He can bring diverse elements together as one (brass, drumline, dancers, flag team, bagpipers!!!)

Here's what else. . . in this particular school, the culture of great leadership was started in middle school with an equally adept music teacher.

And they couldn't have been effective (and winning!) leaders without having a team that was focused to the cause and enabled each other to be at their best.

Let's just think about that.

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The Donald Trump Style Book of Hyperbole

Somewhere, one has to believe, there is a "Donald Trump Speech-Maker's Style Book."    It must have reference points similar to these:

• Absolutely do not use the word "very," unless you use it a minimum of twice (preferably three times) in a row.    For instance, a wrong use of the word "very" would be, "I am a very rich man."  The correct use of the word is, "I am a very, very, very rich man."
• The suffix, est, is your very, very best friend.    Do not even think of using the following words without it:   rich, great, best or worst.
• Never talk about quantities of people unless you reference "thousands" or preferably "millions." For instance, it would be incorrect to say, "I have a few close friends."   A better sentence would be "I have thousands, thousands of very, very close friends."
• Opinion, you should pardon the pun, trumps fact.
• Generalizations are one of your very, very, very, and I do mean, very best friends.  Combining a generalization when verbally assaulting entire groups of people makes for a potent combination.
• EVERY SINGLE WORD that is uttered by you should be done so with the notion that the world, the sun, the moon, the stars and millions upon millions of very, very smart people REVOLVE AROUND YOU.
• Here is a very, extremely very magical combination when asked a difficult question.   Even though you are running for the highest office in the land, respond with "I don't know". . .and then quickly pivot to throw shade.  For instance, if there is a tough question about someone who was assaulted, respond with  "I don't know. . maybe it never happened."
• When faced with the choice of discussing critical issues or your genitalia, by all means, choose the latter;   very, very many people, yes, thousands and thousands of people, would so much rather hear a sly reference to your genitalia.

Here's the thing:   while, yes, Mr. Trump is guilty of all of the above, so are some people in the workplace.   Regardless, it is silliness and only has power if people succumb to it.


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Is It Really That Shocking?

Many have commented about what I feel to be true; there should be genuine alarm about Donald Trump's discourse.    Seemingly without thought, he puts entire ethnic groups at a disadvantage.   He seemingly encourages physical violence.  He exaggerates.   He is full of bluster and bull.  Yesterday's and today's headlines revolve about his own party's alarm and the subsequent effort to stop him.

We wonder why a large segment of the American public is taken with the man.  We worry about the anger that is passed back and forth between candidate and public.  How could this have happened?

It's actually very simple.   Donald Trump is the spawn of the obstructionism, name calling and innuendo of the past two decades of political discourse.  When politicians and yes, let's call it, FOX News. . . engaged in half truths and slander. . . part of their purpose was to generate an angry public.  Their reasoning was that an angry public would result in votes and ratings.  Now they wonder why one man is having such frightening success whipping people into a frenzy to support his nomination.

They had already laid the foundation for Trump's success.   He is reaping what they sowed.

To step back and learn, these are the questions we must ask ourselves.   Are we really honest in our communication?    Are we fact based?   Are we guilty of engaging in innuendo to sway our public?   Are we fair?   Are we selfish or are we striving for the greater good?

And even if we believe we are righteous in our cause, are we making a straightforward and fair case for our point of view?

To engage in name calling and obstruction may, yes,  cause short-term harm to those we disagree with.   Longer term, however, it comes back to bite us because, simply put, we have not lived worthy lives.  And in turn, that endangers the  America, the world and the organizations we hold dear.

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.