Leadership: What Really Leads to Success

The sports world has seen many of its leaders scrutinized as of late. On September 13th , we saw one of the most respected coaches in the NFL, Bill Belichick, of the New England Patriots, as seen on the left, disciplined for filming the defensive coordinators of the opposing team in order to steal signs that would tip of the defensive formations being used. Earlier this summer, Michael Vick, the undisputed leader of the Atlanta Falcons in his time there has admitted to dog fighting charges. This does not even take into account the barrage of steroid allegations associated with some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball. This string of events that has taken place with childhood heroes and leaders of their respective teams begs us to find the true qualities of a leader.These qualities, although thought to be measurable through testing, go beyond that. A true leader holds that special quality, often called the "x-factor", that makes them, and those around them winners on and of the field.

A recent study by the University of Exeter, University of St Andrews, and Australian National University answered that question. They found that the best leaders are the ones who shape themselves to fit the group, instead of fitting the group to them, despite any action that is taken off the field. Although these finding do have merit, there are instances that refute this finding, and they come in the way of some of our generation's most successful leaders.
An article entitled "Leadership in Sports", points at Jim Fassel (to the right), a long time NFL head coach, as a poster-child for this leadership technique, but when we look at the numbers Fassel posted as a leader of his teams, we see that he was average compared to the many NFL coaches throughout the leagues existence.

In yet another related article titled, "Leadership Characteristics", by Karlene Sugarman, she states, "The quality and effectiveness of a great leader will often show itself by way of the team's effort as a whole." By this rational, Fassel, with his perfect leadership technique, as provided by the study of the University of Exeter, University of St Andrews, and Australian National University, should get more out of his players than any other coach in the league, which in turn should lead to victories on the field, the barometer of success on any athletic playing field.

Another long time NFL head coach, Bill Parcells, as seen here, implements a vast contrast in Fassel's style of coaching. Parcells' approach has always been to fit his players into his game plan as if they were pawns in a chess-match. By the studies results, he should be unsuccessful as the team's leader, but Parcells is one of the most successful, and respected coaches of our time. He has amassed a 154-116 record in his time with the NFL and has a winning playoff record. Fassel, on the other hand, has a record that barely surpasses the .500 mark and has a losing playoff record.

Phil Jackson, of the Los Angeles Lakers, is another great example of a contradiction to these recent findings. Jackson was inducted to the basketball Hall of Fame this month and, in 1997, was recognized as one of the NBA's ten greatest coaches. In his sixteen years of coaching in the NBA, he has obtained a record of 919-393, and a playoff record of 179-77, including nine NBA titles tying him for the most all time. Jackson, like Parcells, has always fit his players into his scheme and has even been known to bench, and surpass the opportunity to obtain star athletes if they don't conform to his style. According to the study, he should also be unsuccessful as a leader in the athletic realm, however, this is once again not the case.

Leaders in the athletic realm are not limited to coaches though. Many athletes look to other players for leadership. One on the field leader was Priest Holmes. Holmes, pictured on the field, now looking to come back from a catastrophic injury, was the offensive leader for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2002 until 2005, the year of his injury. From 2002-2003, no running back in the NFL had more touchdowns or rushing yards than Holmes. The Kansas City offense, anchored by Holmes, was also considered one of the best of the time, and was a playoff contender in Holmes most productive years. Thanks to Elizabeth Merrill, new light has been shed on the character of Priest Holmes, giving us a better understanding of the man trying to reestablish himself as a prolific player after his injury. She reveals that Priest Holmes, the former on the field leader, kept to himself, did not talk to teammates, practiced on his own, and even cut ties with his own family during training camp so he would not be distracted. Most of this he did throughout the season, but still showed up quite noticeably as the teams leader every Sunday. As the best player in the NFL at the time, Holmes was forced into the leader role and played it well, but provides a look at the opposite side of the spectrum when it comes to the composition of a great leader, as described by the coinciding studies results.
This study, as said earlier, is not without merit, and could be true in most situations, but there is much to be said about the other side of the coin. Some of the best leaders of our day were not "team players", but this does not make them unsuccessful as a leader. There is some "x-factor" at play, and that is what needs to be brought into focus. Every good leader has that unique quality, and its not this easy to generalize.