One of my favorite movies growing up was the 1985 movie, Weird Science. The movie was written and directed by the legendary John Hughes (his works included, among many others, such 1980's hits as "The Breakfast Club", "Sixteen Candles", and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off") and featured an all-star cast, including Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly LeBrock, Bill Paxton, and Robert Downey, Jr. Basically, the movie is a play on the 1935 classic, Bride of Frankenstein in which the two main characters, Wyatt and Gary hack into a Department of Defense computer system to create the perfect female companion (at least in their view). The "virtual girl" comes to life, teaches Wyatt and Gary important life lessons, and everyone lives happily ever after with the "virtual girl" going back into the "virtual world" at the end of the movie.
I was thinking of this movie when I came across some recent scientific articles that were mentioned in the news recently. Given all of the recent attention on "fake news", in each case I went to the original source and pulled the article to read. All three manuscripts aren't necessarily what I would call "beach reading", but I have to confess that I did look at the articles while I was sitting on the beach (vacation time is one of the best times to read things that have absolutely nothing to do with work). The first article, from the journal Science, presented the findings of a study that purportedly proves that honeybees understand the concept of zero. I am not sure why that matters, but okay, it's pretty cool. Zero, or the concept of "nothing" after all is an important concept.
The next article was one that mentioned that the business wunderkind, inventor, and dreamer, Elon Musk recently claimed that it was highly likely ("the odds are overwhelming" in fact) that we are characters living in someone else's computer simulation (kind of like in another movie, The Matrix). Okay, this one was a little weird, but the original paper by the Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom is fairly interesting, if complicated to understand. Basically, Bostrom suggests (and Elon Musk whole-heartedly agrees) that at least one of the following statements is true - (1) the human species will become extinct before we progress to a post-human state (think artificial intelligence, virtual reality, robotics, and cyborgs!); (2) any post-human civilization is unlikely to actually run a computer simulation of real-world life and humans (basically because they either don't possess the ability or they are too ethical to do so); or (3) we are already living in a simulated world. His argument requires a knowledge of formal logic, mathematics, and concepts like the Bland Indifference Principle and Bertrand's Paradox, which will require a little Internet reading if you aren't familiar with them). It's kind of kookie, but it is interesting to think about (and not that much stranger than discussions about extraterrestrial life).
The last article was a little too much for me - apparently two scientists at MIT figured out the right way to break a strand of raw spaghetti into exactly two pieces (go ahead and try it, it's next to impossible). Their study was published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and requires a knowledge of mathematics that is probably beyond most non-mathematicians. But, I will confess, it does make for some interesting reading too.
I know what you are thinking - and you are probably right. I probably have lost it - but in all of this hard-core science is something important. I have talked many times how we should try to broaden our horizons beyond our field of expertise. I think these three research papers are great examples of this. Do I really need to know that (1) bees "get" zero, (2) we are likely to be living in the Matrix, and (3) spaghetti can be broken into two equal pieces? Probably not. I don't imagine I will ever have an opportunity to use this new knowledge or even reference the three papers in any future article I may write. But here's my point. Every time that we go outside our comfort zone and learn something new, it doesn't matter whether we will use that knowledge in the future or not. We are training our brains, keeping our minds sharp - whatever you want to call it. And with sharp minds and well-trained brains, we may be able to tackle the next problem that comes our way and find unique and perfect solutions.
Train your minds. Expand your boundaries. Get outside of your comfort zone. Learn something new for just the simple pleasure of learning. I promise that you will be better for it.
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Thursday, August 16, 2018
"Past is Prologue"
There is a statue in front of the National Archives in Washington, D.C. called "Future" that bears an inscription on the front that states, "What Is Past Is Prologue."
The phrase actually comes from "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare (specifically, Act 2, Scene 1, when the character Antonio uses the phrase to infer that all the events that have happened in the past have led Sebastian, another character, and himself to the choice that lay in front of them - either commit murder or not). The phrase is now commonly used to infer that history sets the context for the present. In other words, what has happened in the past has an impact on what happens in the present and the future. There is a similar quote by the philosopher, George Santayana that is similar and perhaps just as familiar - "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
History is important. That's one reason why I particularly like a concept that the U.S. Army uses to teach leadership - it's called a "Staff Ride". The concept of a "staff ride" was originally developed by a Prussian General named Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, though it was popularized and first adopted by the U.S. Army by Major Eben Swift while he was serving as the assistant commanding officer of the General Service and Staff School in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in the early 1900's. Essentially, a staff ride is a thorough, in-depth, and comprehensive study of a historical battle. There are typically three phases to the staff ride. During the "Preliminary Study" phase, participants study the battle or campaign in great detail with guidance from the instructor. Participants review the battlefield terrain, the forces that participated in the battle, the technology that was available, and the background of the key commanders as well as the decisions that they made during the battle. Each participant also studies a particular role or position to assume during the next phase of the ride. During the "Field Study" portion, the instructor and participants actually go to the battlefield and review the events of the battle or campaign in great detail - in many cases, the participants role play the different positions or key commanders that they learned about in the "Preliminary Study" phase. In the final phase, the "Integration Phase", the instructor provides a final summary and integration of the key learnings from the battle and how these learnings can be applied in current leadership challenges of the army today.
Staff Rides are also used outside of the military. For example, the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies also uses "Staff Rides" as part of their curriculum. There is an independent group called the Academy Leadership that hosts an on-site leadership development program called "The Gettysburg Leadership Experience", which relies heavily on the events that occurred during the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Conceptually, staff rides are very similar to the Harvard Business School Case Method. Just imagine how the staff ride could be adapted to teach about leadership skills and decisionmaking in health care administration! The past is truly a treasure trove of information that the leaders of today can learn from without necessarily experiencing certain events or crises requiring difficult decisions. The past, is truly, prologue.
The phrase actually comes from "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare (specifically, Act 2, Scene 1, when the character Antonio uses the phrase to infer that all the events that have happened in the past have led Sebastian, another character, and himself to the choice that lay in front of them - either commit murder or not). The phrase is now commonly used to infer that history sets the context for the present. In other words, what has happened in the past has an impact on what happens in the present and the future. There is a similar quote by the philosopher, George Santayana that is similar and perhaps just as familiar - "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
History is important. That's one reason why I particularly like a concept that the U.S. Army uses to teach leadership - it's called a "Staff Ride". The concept of a "staff ride" was originally developed by a Prussian General named Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, though it was popularized and first adopted by the U.S. Army by Major Eben Swift while he was serving as the assistant commanding officer of the General Service and Staff School in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in the early 1900's. Essentially, a staff ride is a thorough, in-depth, and comprehensive study of a historical battle. There are typically three phases to the staff ride. During the "Preliminary Study" phase, participants study the battle or campaign in great detail with guidance from the instructor. Participants review the battlefield terrain, the forces that participated in the battle, the technology that was available, and the background of the key commanders as well as the decisions that they made during the battle. Each participant also studies a particular role or position to assume during the next phase of the ride. During the "Field Study" portion, the instructor and participants actually go to the battlefield and review the events of the battle or campaign in great detail - in many cases, the participants role play the different positions or key commanders that they learned about in the "Preliminary Study" phase. In the final phase, the "Integration Phase", the instructor provides a final summary and integration of the key learnings from the battle and how these learnings can be applied in current leadership challenges of the army today.
Staff Rides are also used outside of the military. For example, the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies also uses "Staff Rides" as part of their curriculum. There is an independent group called the Academy Leadership that hosts an on-site leadership development program called "The Gettysburg Leadership Experience", which relies heavily on the events that occurred during the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Conceptually, staff rides are very similar to the Harvard Business School Case Method. Just imagine how the staff ride could be adapted to teach about leadership skills and decisionmaking in health care administration! The past is truly a treasure trove of information that the leaders of today can learn from without necessarily experiencing certain events or crises requiring difficult decisions. The past, is truly, prologue.
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Life's a beach, or at least it should be
For about the last five days or so, I've been on a much needed vacation at the beach. It's been awesome. I have always (at least as far as I can remember) enjoyed the beach, and we've always tried to go to the beach at least once a year. As my wife just said as we were leaving to come in for the day, "This is the life."
There is something that is unbelievably relaxing, at least for our family, about going to the beach. We don't do anything. We just sit (usually beneath the umbrella) and enjoy it all - the ocean breeze, the smell of the salt air, the feel of the sand between your toes, the warmth of the sun on your shoulders, and the soothing sounds of the ocean waves. Summer at the beach often reminds me of one of my favorite albums by the Beach Boys - "Endless Summer". It's all there - "The Warmth of the Sun", "Good Vibrations", "Fun, Fun, Fun", "All Summer Long".
But you didn't want to hear about my beach vacation, did you? Well, it turns out (as it usually does), there's scientific evidence to suggest that the "the beach benefits your brain". There are a number of studies that suggest that the beach may be one of the best places to alleviate stress and re-charge your batteries. The beach, in other words, is good for your brain! Listening to the waves crash on to the shore is like being in a sensory deprivation tank. The colors at the beach (depending on where you are, the whiteness of the sand and the blueness of the ocean) conveys a sense of calmness - the color blue, is in fact, used in marketing materials for exactly that reason. The salty ocean air contains negative ions that have been shown to combat a depressed mood. Finally, the feel of the sand on your feet is like getting acupuncture and has been proven to be very relaxing.
It's no wonder that a recent study published in the journal, Health & Place suggested that people who live near the coast are generally much happier and have better general physical, mental, and spiritual health compared to those who live near the middle of the country. A follow-up study in the same journal confirmed these results, suggesting that health improved the closer one lives to the coast.
We are already planning our next beach vacation! Maybe you should too.
There is something that is unbelievably relaxing, at least for our family, about going to the beach. We don't do anything. We just sit (usually beneath the umbrella) and enjoy it all - the ocean breeze, the smell of the salt air, the feel of the sand between your toes, the warmth of the sun on your shoulders, and the soothing sounds of the ocean waves. Summer at the beach often reminds me of one of my favorite albums by the Beach Boys - "Endless Summer". It's all there - "The Warmth of the Sun", "Good Vibrations", "Fun, Fun, Fun", "All Summer Long".
But you didn't want to hear about my beach vacation, did you? Well, it turns out (as it usually does), there's scientific evidence to suggest that the "the beach benefits your brain". There are a number of studies that suggest that the beach may be one of the best places to alleviate stress and re-charge your batteries. The beach, in other words, is good for your brain! Listening to the waves crash on to the shore is like being in a sensory deprivation tank. The colors at the beach (depending on where you are, the whiteness of the sand and the blueness of the ocean) conveys a sense of calmness - the color blue, is in fact, used in marketing materials for exactly that reason. The salty ocean air contains negative ions that have been shown to combat a depressed mood. Finally, the feel of the sand on your feet is like getting acupuncture and has been proven to be very relaxing.
It's no wonder that a recent study published in the journal, Health & Place suggested that people who live near the coast are generally much happier and have better general physical, mental, and spiritual health compared to those who live near the middle of the country. A follow-up study in the same journal confirmed these results, suggesting that health improved the closer one lives to the coast.
We are already planning our next beach vacation! Maybe you should too.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
'ion king
I have to admit, I miss the good ole days when our family used to go to the movie theatre to watch the latest Disney animated movie. All of our children have grown up, so the only time that I watch Disney movies anymore is when one of my patients in the hospital is watching one on their room television. I think I have just about watched all of Moana in small parts this way.
One of my favorite movies was The Lion King, which came out in 1994 (the movie is now officially old enough that Disney is apparently planning a remake for release in theatres in 2019). Our oldest child absolutely loved the movie. The original "Lion King" (there have been at least two sequels that I am aware of, but I also know about the Broadway musical and the animated television series on the Disney Channel) came out when he was about 2 years old, so it was really the first movie that we saw with him in the theatre. He could never say the movie correctly, so to us it was always just "the ion king" movie.
I happened to come across the movie on television the other day while flipping through channels on a slow call day on a Saturday afternoon at the hospital. One of my favorite scenes was playing. Simba, now grown, runs into the shaman baboon, Rafiki. Simba has just learned from his childhood friend (and soon to be love interest), Nala, that his uncle Scar has taken over Pride Rock. He is walking around at night, when he runs into Rafiki chanting "Asante sana! Squash banana!" Rafiki then shows Simba a vision of his father (a great scene) and then talks to Simba again. The rest of the scene goes something like this:
Rafiki: Well, what are you going to do?
Simba: I'm not sure. But, going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long...
{Rafiki smacks Simba on the head with his staff}
Simba {rubbing his head}: Oww! Jeez - what was that for?
Rafiki: It doesn't matter. It's in the past {laughing}
Simba {still rubbing his head}: Yeah, but it still hurts.
Rafiki: Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it...or...learn from it.
{Rafiki swings at Simba with his staff again. This time Simba ducks.}
Rafiki: Hah! You see? So what are you going to do?
Simba goes back to Pride Rock, defeats Scar and the hyenas, takes his rightful spot as the one true King, and the rest, as they say, is history.
When you think about it, Rafiki makes a very good point. The past can be hard. But you can either learn from it (and get better), or run from it (which gets you nowhere). Which will you choose?
One of my favorite movies was The Lion King, which came out in 1994 (the movie is now officially old enough that Disney is apparently planning a remake for release in theatres in 2019). Our oldest child absolutely loved the movie. The original "Lion King" (there have been at least two sequels that I am aware of, but I also know about the Broadway musical and the animated television series on the Disney Channel) came out when he was about 2 years old, so it was really the first movie that we saw with him in the theatre. He could never say the movie correctly, so to us it was always just "the ion king" movie.
I happened to come across the movie on television the other day while flipping through channels on a slow call day on a Saturday afternoon at the hospital. One of my favorite scenes was playing. Simba, now grown, runs into the shaman baboon, Rafiki. Simba has just learned from his childhood friend (and soon to be love interest), Nala, that his uncle Scar has taken over Pride Rock. He is walking around at night, when he runs into Rafiki chanting "Asante sana! Squash banana!" Rafiki then shows Simba a vision of his father (a great scene) and then talks to Simba again. The rest of the scene goes something like this:
Rafiki: Well, what are you going to do?
Simba: I'm not sure. But, going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long...
{Rafiki smacks Simba on the head with his staff}
Simba {rubbing his head}: Oww! Jeez - what was that for?
Rafiki: It doesn't matter. It's in the past {laughing}
Simba {still rubbing his head}: Yeah, but it still hurts.
Rafiki: Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it...or...learn from it.
{Rafiki swings at Simba with his staff again. This time Simba ducks.}
Rafiki: Hah! You see? So what are you going to do?
Simba goes back to Pride Rock, defeats Scar and the hyenas, takes his rightful spot as the one true King, and the rest, as they say, is history.
When you think about it, Rafiki makes a very good point. The past can be hard. But you can either learn from it (and get better), or run from it (which gets you nowhere). Which will you choose?
Sunday, August 5, 2018
The Process
He calls it simply "the process". It all started when Nick Saban was the head coach at Michigan State University (he was there from 1995 to 1999). His 1998 team wasn't doing very well (in fact, they were 4-4) and were scheduled to play the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on November 7, 1998. Coach Saban turned to a psychiatrist with an interest in sports psychology named Lionel Rosen. Saban had been working with Dr. Rosen the entire season, and his Spartan players had nicknamed the psychiatrist (who was a little eccentric), "Lonny Graybeard." Coach Saban asked for Dr. Rosen's help with "the big game" against the Buckeyes. Dr. Rosen taught the Spartan players a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy called "process thinking" in which they were to focus all of their efforts one play at a time. Focus on the next play. Nothing else. Don't worry about the scoreboard. Don't worry about the game clock. Just worry about what you, as a player, are going to do on this play coming up right now.
Game day arrived. And things didn't start very well for the Spartans. By the third quarter, Michigan State trailed 24-9. The players recalled what Dr. Rosen had taught them. Don't worry about the scoreboard. Don't worry about the game clock. Worry about what you are going to do on this play coming up right now. They did. And they came back. Michigan State ended up beating the number one ranked team in the country, 28-24. They would go on to finish the season at 6-6. And a legend was born.
The process boils down to these simple rules (as listed by Patrick Zeis ):
1. Focus all of your energy on the present moment.
2. Remember that everything matters ("attention to detail")
3. Eliminate distractions and outside noise.
4. Relinquish your attachment to outcomes
5. Develop toughness and discipline to face adversity
6. Compete against yourself while being accountable to others
7. Refuse to get comfortable
Coach Saban describes it this way, "The process is really what you have to do day in and day out to be successful. We try to define the standard that we want everybody to sort of work toward, adhere to, and do it on a consistent basis. And the things that I talked about before, being responsible for your own self-determination, having a positive attitude, having great work ethic, having discipline to be able to execute on a consistent basis, whatever it is you're trying to do, those are the things that we try to focus on, and we don't try to focus as much on the outcomes as we do on being all that you can be."
Coach Saban's "process thinking" has been compared to the philosophy of the ancient Stoics (see in particular the book, The Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday, in which Coach Saban's "Process" is featured). Saban continues to adhere to the principles outlined by Dr. Rosen, even to this day. Whenever his team, the University of Alabama, wins the national championship (and they have done just that five times in the last nine years), Coach is back at work again the next day. "Relinquish your attachment to outcomes" and "Focus all of your energy on the present moment."
It's really quite simple when you think about it. And quite beautiful.
Game day arrived. And things didn't start very well for the Spartans. By the third quarter, Michigan State trailed 24-9. The players recalled what Dr. Rosen had taught them. Don't worry about the scoreboard. Don't worry about the game clock. Worry about what you are going to do on this play coming up right now. They did. And they came back. Michigan State ended up beating the number one ranked team in the country, 28-24. They would go on to finish the season at 6-6. And a legend was born.
The process boils down to these simple rules (as listed by Patrick Zeis ):
1. Focus all of your energy on the present moment.
2. Remember that everything matters ("attention to detail")
3. Eliminate distractions and outside noise.
4. Relinquish your attachment to outcomes
5. Develop toughness and discipline to face adversity
6. Compete against yourself while being accountable to others
7. Refuse to get comfortable
Coach Saban describes it this way, "The process is really what you have to do day in and day out to be successful. We try to define the standard that we want everybody to sort of work toward, adhere to, and do it on a consistent basis. And the things that I talked about before, being responsible for your own self-determination, having a positive attitude, having great work ethic, having discipline to be able to execute on a consistent basis, whatever it is you're trying to do, those are the things that we try to focus on, and we don't try to focus as much on the outcomes as we do on being all that you can be."
Coach Saban's "process thinking" has been compared to the philosophy of the ancient Stoics (see in particular the book, The Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday, in which Coach Saban's "Process" is featured). Saban continues to adhere to the principles outlined by Dr. Rosen, even to this day. Whenever his team, the University of Alabama, wins the national championship (and they have done just that five times in the last nine years), Coach is back at work again the next day. "Relinquish your attachment to outcomes" and "Focus all of your energy on the present moment."
It's really quite simple when you think about it. And quite beautiful.
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Roll Tide!
August is here! August is one of my favorite months of the year (my deepest apologies to teachers and students everywhere). My wife and I were married in August, so we celebrate our wedding anniversary this month. August also usually means summer vacation for our family (we usually take vacation right before the start of the school year), and it's almost always a trip to the beach for us. Baseball is kicking into high gear, as teams are pushing towards the play-offs (and this season again, the Chicago Cubs look to be in the mix). And finally, August also means that college football is officially here. I now have posted the football schedules of every college football team associated with the Wheeler family (Purdue, Indiana, Navy, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Boston College, and Alabama), with the exception of Carnegie Mellon (while the word, "Tartans" sounds like a fearsome mascot, it actually is a type of cloth fabric and they are only a Division III team anyway, so they are out; Northeastern University doesn't have a football team, so we will wait until hockey season).
The University of Alabama looks to have another great football team this year, and they are ranked first in most of the preseason football polls that I have seen so far. My daughter would love to finish off her college career at Alabama with a third National Championship! Coach Nick Saban has certainly done an amazing job while at Alabama, and he has positioned himself to go down as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time (he probably won't come close to the all-time wins record, but his overall record of 218-62-1 is impressive and his six national titles ties him with another Alabama legend, Paul "Bear" Bryant). What is just as impressive as the number of national championships is Coach Saban's faith (he is a devout Roman Catholic who attends Mass before every game), his charitable works (his foundation, Nick's Kids, helps mentally challenged children), and what he has accomplished with his student athletes. For example, did you know that the University of Alabama football program received the 2017 American Football Coaches Association Academic Achievement Award (the first in the history of the program) for being one of only 7 programs that recorded a 100% graduation rate for members of its 2010 freshman football class? The overall graduation rate for college football teams going to a Bowl game that year was 77 percent - Alabama's overall graduation rate that year was 79 percent. While there were other colleges that had higher graduation rates, I suspect that most fans wouldn't have guessed that Alabama, one of the perennial football powerhouse programs over the last several years, would have been that high.
I won't completely glorify Coach Saban - he's far from perfect. However, I hope you can appreciate how much leadership it takes to lead a successful college football program these days. Many believe that the days of the true "student-athlete" in football and basketball are long gone, and that powerhouse programs are essentially developmental leagues for the NFL and NBA. I can't necessarily argue. Here's my point though. The kind of leadership required to be a head coach of a highly successful college football program is not unlike that which is required to lead any other organization. The head football coach sets the overall mission and vision and then creates the kind of culture that will lead to continued success. In fact, during the 10 years prior to hiring Coach Saban, the Alabama football team had a win-loss record of 67-55 and had not won a national championship since 1992 (under Coach Gene Stallings). It would take only 3 years (Alabama went 7-6 and won the Independence Bowl in his first season as head coach before going undefeated in his second season, when they lost the SEC Championship Game and the Sugar Bowl) for the team to win their first national championship since 1992. Since that time, Alabama under Coach Saban has gone 127-20 (win-loss) and won five SEC Conference titles and five national championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2017). Coach Saban's players at Alabama have been named as Consensus All-Americans 29 times, and two of his players (Mark Ingram, Jr. and Derrick Henry) have won the Heisman Trophy. Seventy-seven of his players have been drafted by the NFL (26 were drafted in the first round). To say that Coach Saban has created a culture of success is a vast understatement.
Successful leaders are like Coach Saban - they create the kind of organizational culture that leads to success. Next time we will talk about how the coach creates that successful culture.
The University of Alabama looks to have another great football team this year, and they are ranked first in most of the preseason football polls that I have seen so far. My daughter would love to finish off her college career at Alabama with a third National Championship! Coach Nick Saban has certainly done an amazing job while at Alabama, and he has positioned himself to go down as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time (he probably won't come close to the all-time wins record, but his overall record of 218-62-1 is impressive and his six national titles ties him with another Alabama legend, Paul "Bear" Bryant). What is just as impressive as the number of national championships is Coach Saban's faith (he is a devout Roman Catholic who attends Mass before every game), his charitable works (his foundation, Nick's Kids, helps mentally challenged children), and what he has accomplished with his student athletes. For example, did you know that the University of Alabama football program received the 2017 American Football Coaches Association Academic Achievement Award (the first in the history of the program) for being one of only 7 programs that recorded a 100% graduation rate for members of its 2010 freshman football class? The overall graduation rate for college football teams going to a Bowl game that year was 77 percent - Alabama's overall graduation rate that year was 79 percent. While there were other colleges that had higher graduation rates, I suspect that most fans wouldn't have guessed that Alabama, one of the perennial football powerhouse programs over the last several years, would have been that high.
I won't completely glorify Coach Saban - he's far from perfect. However, I hope you can appreciate how much leadership it takes to lead a successful college football program these days. Many believe that the days of the true "student-athlete" in football and basketball are long gone, and that powerhouse programs are essentially developmental leagues for the NFL and NBA. I can't necessarily argue. Here's my point though. The kind of leadership required to be a head coach of a highly successful college football program is not unlike that which is required to lead any other organization. The head football coach sets the overall mission and vision and then creates the kind of culture that will lead to continued success. In fact, during the 10 years prior to hiring Coach Saban, the Alabama football team had a win-loss record of 67-55 and had not won a national championship since 1992 (under Coach Gene Stallings). It would take only 3 years (Alabama went 7-6 and won the Independence Bowl in his first season as head coach before going undefeated in his second season, when they lost the SEC Championship Game and the Sugar Bowl) for the team to win their first national championship since 1992. Since that time, Alabama under Coach Saban has gone 127-20 (win-loss) and won five SEC Conference titles and five national championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2017). Coach Saban's players at Alabama have been named as Consensus All-Americans 29 times, and two of his players (Mark Ingram, Jr. and Derrick Henry) have won the Heisman Trophy. Seventy-seven of his players have been drafted by the NFL (26 were drafted in the first round). To say that Coach Saban has created a culture of success is a vast understatement.
Successful leaders are like Coach Saban - they create the kind of organizational culture that leads to success. Next time we will talk about how the coach creates that successful culture.
Monday, July 30, 2018
Tour de France leadership
Yesterday, Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas won the 2018 Tour de France, the world's most prestigious professional bicycling race. For those of you who don't know much about professional bicycle road racing (or for those of you who are too young to remember American cyclist Lance Armstrong, who won an unprecedented 7 Tour de France races in a row from 1999-2005, the most ever in history, before being stripped of all 7 victories for admitting to doping), the Tour de France is a grueling, three week long, 21 stage race around the country of France that covers over 2,200 miles. The race is extremely popular in Europe, though it is often overshadowed by other professional sports in the United States. Aside from Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis (whose 2006 Tour de France victory was similarly taken away because he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs), only one American has ever won the Tour de France - Greg LeMond won the race in 1986, 1989, and 1990.
The Tour de France is unique because, while an individual is named the winner, professional road bicycle racing is very much a team sport. A cycling team generally consists of a captain (usually the individual who is the best overall rider and therefore has the best chance of winning the race), different specialists (climbing specialist, sprinters, and time trialists), and the so-called domestiques, who are essentially professional workhorses who do whatever is necessary to help the captain win the race. Domestiques are the riders that you see carrying food bags and water bottles from the team vans that drive in the back of the pack (the peloton) to all of the cyclists on the team. If someone on the team has a flat tire, the domestique stays back with the rider (and in some cases, the domestique may be asked to give up his bike to the other rider, depending on the situation) while the team mechanics quickly change the flat tire. Once the tire is changed, the rider "drafts" behind the domestique to catch back up to the peloton. The domestiques are often used in tactical situations to help the captain stay up in front of the peloton or even win the race.
What is so unique about this year's Tour is that Geraint Thomas started out his career as one of the so-called super-domestiques (the captain of all the domestiques, if you will) for riders Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome when they won the Tour in past years. Four-time Tour de France winner, Chris Froome, in fact, served as the super-domestique for eventual champion Bradley Wiggins in 2012 (Froome finished second in the overall standings that year). One of my earliest Tour de France memories, in fact, was the 1985 Tour de France, when Greg LeMond was serving as the super-domestique for five-time winner Bernard Hinault ("The Badger"). During one of the later stages of the race, Hinault, who had suffered significant injuries in a crash earlier in the race, was struggling to maintain his overall lead and had fallen far behind several riders, including LeMond. I particularly remember an exchange (which was televised) that LeMond had with one of the team managers, almost begging the manager to allow him to push hard to win the stage and wear the famed yellow jersey (the overall leader of the Tour de France gets to wear a yellow jersey) for a few days. The team manager felt that LeMond was in a position to win the overall race, but he made a controversial decision to give Hinault an opportunity to win his fifth Tour by telling LeMond to hold back! LeMond was clearly very frustrated, and following the Tour, Bernard Hinault promised that he would return in 1986 and serve as LeMond's super-domestique to help him win his first Tour. Hinault actually tried hard to win that race too, but LeMond still went on to win his first of three Tours, the first (and only) American to do so.
Domestiques do whatever it takes to help the team leader win the Tour de France. They have one mission only - help the team leader get (and stay) in a position to win. Just imagine if everyone on a team was trying their hardest to achieve one single mission! Surprisingly, and perhaps unfortunately, there are perhaps too many individuals acting like the 1986 Tour de France version of Bernard Hinault, when what is really needed is for individuals to be acting like the 1985 version of Greg LeMond. Success comes hard, but with teamwork, it can happen. We need more domestiques in our organizations! We need Tour de France leadership!
The Tour de France is unique because, while an individual is named the winner, professional road bicycle racing is very much a team sport. A cycling team generally consists of a captain (usually the individual who is the best overall rider and therefore has the best chance of winning the race), different specialists (climbing specialist, sprinters, and time trialists), and the so-called domestiques, who are essentially professional workhorses who do whatever is necessary to help the captain win the race. Domestiques are the riders that you see carrying food bags and water bottles from the team vans that drive in the back of the pack (the peloton) to all of the cyclists on the team. If someone on the team has a flat tire, the domestique stays back with the rider (and in some cases, the domestique may be asked to give up his bike to the other rider, depending on the situation) while the team mechanics quickly change the flat tire. Once the tire is changed, the rider "drafts" behind the domestique to catch back up to the peloton. The domestiques are often used in tactical situations to help the captain stay up in front of the peloton or even win the race.
What is so unique about this year's Tour is that Geraint Thomas started out his career as one of the so-called super-domestiques (the captain of all the domestiques, if you will) for riders Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome when they won the Tour in past years. Four-time Tour de France winner, Chris Froome, in fact, served as the super-domestique for eventual champion Bradley Wiggins in 2012 (Froome finished second in the overall standings that year). One of my earliest Tour de France memories, in fact, was the 1985 Tour de France, when Greg LeMond was serving as the super-domestique for five-time winner Bernard Hinault ("The Badger"). During one of the later stages of the race, Hinault, who had suffered significant injuries in a crash earlier in the race, was struggling to maintain his overall lead and had fallen far behind several riders, including LeMond. I particularly remember an exchange (which was televised) that LeMond had with one of the team managers, almost begging the manager to allow him to push hard to win the stage and wear the famed yellow jersey (the overall leader of the Tour de France gets to wear a yellow jersey) for a few days. The team manager felt that LeMond was in a position to win the overall race, but he made a controversial decision to give Hinault an opportunity to win his fifth Tour by telling LeMond to hold back! LeMond was clearly very frustrated, and following the Tour, Bernard Hinault promised that he would return in 1986 and serve as LeMond's super-domestique to help him win his first Tour. Hinault actually tried hard to win that race too, but LeMond still went on to win his first of three Tours, the first (and only) American to do so.
Domestiques do whatever it takes to help the team leader win the Tour de France. They have one mission only - help the team leader get (and stay) in a position to win. Just imagine if everyone on a team was trying their hardest to achieve one single mission! Surprisingly, and perhaps unfortunately, there are perhaps too many individuals acting like the 1986 Tour de France version of Bernard Hinault, when what is really needed is for individuals to be acting like the 1985 version of Greg LeMond. Success comes hard, but with teamwork, it can happen. We need more domestiques in our organizations! We need Tour de France leadership!
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