Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin offers an acronym to measure leadership - CHASE
C - Company they keep
H - Humility
A - Ambition
S - Storytelling
E - Empathy
Be a sponge. As a young Navy doc, I lunched with greybeards. Old dogs share the wealth of experience. CAPT Bill Baker reminded me, "good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment." The mantle of leadership weighs heavily. CAPT Tom Walsh shared, "It's good to be king; but it's better to be prince." Aspire to be as good as our mentors. Abraham Lincoln cautioned, "I learn from everyone, mostly what not to do."
"Humility isn't thinking less of yourself but thinking about yourself less." Nobody likes a know it all. NBA Champion assistant coach Kevin Eastman advises, "become a learn-it-all."
Everyone makes mistakes. Humility allows us to learn from our mistakes.
Ambition belongs to victors and vanquished. Ambition extends ego. Bill Russell noted, "My ego depends on the success of my team." Goodwin's "guys" shared a common vision of more justice and opportunity for all citizens. Abraham Lincoln's ambition saved him from suicide because he wanted to leave a legacy.
Mira Nair Teaches Independent Filmmaking, MasterClass
Sapiens are storytellers. Legends and lore around the campfire became families consuming media together. Stories inspire, teach, admonish, change behaviors. In Made to Stick, The Heath Brothers convey the art of storytelling with the SUCCESS acronym - simple, unexpected, credible, concrete, emotional, stories. Coaches tell stories. Michael Jordan first failed to make the high school varsity. Larry Bird shot five hundred free throws before school. Spencer Haywood sank fifteen consecutive free throws to earn a scholarship to Detroit. Greatness is earned not bestowed like family fortunes.
Legends have empathy. As a young school principal, Lyndon Johnson coached debate and sports, donating much of his salary to fund school programs. Leaders understand the emotional needs and feelings of their teams.
Summary:
Be a sponge.
"Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment."
Humility isn't thinking less of yourself.
Ambition belongs to victors and vanquished.
Sapiens are storytellers. Learn the craft of telling a story.
Legends have empathy.
Lagniappe: Coach Daniel narrates wonderful video driving BB IQ-driven choices.
Make it a "learning lockdown." Every great basketball experience is a love story, between teams and the game. Aspire to inspire.
"Racism, as they say nowadays, tradition, is passed down like recipes. The trick is, you have to know what to eat and what to leave on your plate." - Denzel Washington, in Mississippi Masala, directed by Mira Nair.
