HuskerNative
New member
I live in Detroit. Don't like Michigan, the football team that hid in the Rose Bowl in '97 and still wants to claim a national championship. I'm eager for it to cool off so I can wear my new long-sleeved Appalachian State T-shirt.
But it seems relevant to pass on some items from a book of the late Schembechler's leadership advice just published:
Respect history
One of the most common mistakes new leaders make — and I just can’t for the life of me understand this one — is to ignore the history of the organization they just took over, or even to disrespect it. That, to me, is the mark of a weak leader — and one who’s probably not going to last very long. Let me be as clear as I can be about this: When you become the leader, do not start your reign by dismantling or ignoring the contributions of those who came before. The history of your organization is one of your greatest strengths, and if you’re new to the organization, it’s your job to learn it, to respect it and to teach it to the people coming up in your company.
Rebuild with the basics
If you lead long enough, sooner or later you’re going to suffer through a disappointing year. When that happens, get down to the core problem immediately — and fix that, and only that! Too often I see leaders panic, and throw away all the things that got them there in the first place. The worst thing you can do is abandon all the things you were already doing right, and make everything else a lot worse. No, you need a surgical strike. And usually, that’s simply a matter of figuring out what’s gotten out of whack, then getting that aspect of your organization back in line with the same fundamental values you built it on years ago.
But it seems relevant to pass on some items from a book of the late Schembechler's leadership advice just published:
Respect history
One of the most common mistakes new leaders make — and I just can’t for the life of me understand this one — is to ignore the history of the organization they just took over, or even to disrespect it. That, to me, is the mark of a weak leader — and one who’s probably not going to last very long. Let me be as clear as I can be about this: When you become the leader, do not start your reign by dismantling or ignoring the contributions of those who came before. The history of your organization is one of your greatest strengths, and if you’re new to the organization, it’s your job to learn it, to respect it and to teach it to the people coming up in your company.
Rebuild with the basics
If you lead long enough, sooner or later you’re going to suffer through a disappointing year. When that happens, get down to the core problem immediately — and fix that, and only that! Too often I see leaders panic, and throw away all the things that got them there in the first place. The worst thing you can do is abandon all the things you were already doing right, and make everything else a lot worse. No, you need a surgical strike. And usually, that’s simply a matter of figuring out what’s gotten out of whack, then getting that aspect of your organization back in line with the same fundamental values you built it on years ago.
