Vince Lombardi
When people think of great leaders, they think of those who accomplish incredible feats. A football coach may not be the first to come to mind for most, but Vince Lombardi is the very first name to come to my mind when reflecting on great leaders. He was perhaps the most inspiring coach of all time, and is honored with Super Bowl trophy is his name. Vince Lombardi epitomized everything great about the game of football, he defined what it takes to win and he offered clear illustration for how a team should be lead. The great thing about Lombardi was that the values he established and the vision he created were so strong that players could hate him, but still play their hearts out for him. Lombardi empowered his players to act, and whether they liked him or not, they played their hearts out for him. Lombardi understood the importance of influence. Maxwell shows us, “the true measure of leadership is influence; nothing more, nothing less” (Maxwell, 2007). Vince Lombardi challenged the status quo, but to do so he had to have the support of team. To accomplish this, he created a compelling vision, established shared values, and encouraged the hearts of his men. Without buy in, leaders will never be followed or believed in. When Lombardi came to the Packers, he displayed the sense that he knew what to do. Leaders must be confident, without confidence, subordinates will never buy in. This directly relates to Maxwell’s law of buy in. It states, “People buy into the leader, then the vision (Maxwell, 2007). Once people buy in, victory will be theirs. Lombardi was so convincing with his plan that after his first team meeting, Bart Starr exclaimed to his wife, "I think we 're going to begin to win" (Vince Lombardi, 2007). Lombardi mastered the art of making people believe in what he said. He was so confident and sure minded, his players had no choice but to listen to what he said, and follow his rules. Moreover, the more the players bought
References: Is Packers coach on path to greatness?, Dan Pompei. McClatchy - Tribune Business News. Washington: Feb 2, 2011. Coaching With Conviction, Denise L Behreandt. The New American. Appleton: Jun 13, 2005. Vol. 21, Iss. 12; p. 32 (7 pages) Run to Win: Vince Lombardi on Coaching & Leadership, Mark Rotella, Charlotte Abbott, Sarah F Gold