Andy Neary was named captain of a struggling college baseball team at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and chose to lead through hard work nobody saw rather than relying on his title. He argues that coaches with playing credentials often fail to model the behavior they demand, and challenges current leaders to do the unseen work now so their teams will actually follow them later.
Questions this video answers
April 12, 2020.
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
Chapters
So let's talk about leadership for a second. Do you lead by example or do you lead because your job title says you do? This takes me back to my days playing baseball at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. You see, my first two years there, my freshman and sophomore seasons, I sucked. I was a follower. I was following the wrong people. And by the time my sophomore season came to an end, I wanted to quit. I wanted to give it all up. But something happened between my sophomore and junior year. I was named captain. And I made the decision. In that moment, I was going to be defined by all the work I put in outside the lines when no one was watching. I was going to lead by example. I wasn't going to be a leader, rah rah type of leader. I was just going to put the work in and show people how they can have that same success.
It's interesting, when I think about the sport of baseball, I look at how many former players are designated coaches because of the performance they had on the field. When in no means do they lead by example. They are not people I would want to follow, people I would consider a mentor. And so I ask you that question right now. If you're a leader, you are being tested right now. Every leader is. So do you lead by example or are you leading because your job title says you do? You're a director, a sales manager, whatever. This is the time to gut check yourself. What work are you putting in outside the lines so you can be your best, so you can bring your best to your team on the field? Again, leadership is being tested like it's never been before. So my advice to you is put the work in right now to build the foundation of who you are, the work again when nobody is watching, so you can be the best leader you can be, so you can bring your best to your team. Because if you do that right now, in this moment, whenever we come back to this sense of normal, your leadership, the leading you do by example, is going to be followed, it's going to be trusted, and you're going to have a team that has performed like you have never seen before.
