Leaders focus on getting our organizations to the next level. That’s just what we do. We need to conquer the next Everest — the next product launch, our China expansion, or the next comma in our revenue report. But what’s more important? Achieving those goals? Or the manner in which we achieve them?
Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing!
~UCLA football coach Red Sanders (the great Vince Lombardi also used this quote after hearing it from Red).
Wait a minute. Is that right?
The NFL’s Deflategate has pushed this topic to national prominence. Do we care so much about hitting our achievements (winning) that everything else doesn’t matter? Even how we go about winning?
Deflategate aside, here’s the deal: Leaders need to see a picture that’s much larger than “achievements.” Don’t get me wrong, achievements are important. But we have people following us, looking up to us and learning from our every move. Each moment of the journey to our achievement is an opportunity to teach, to coach and to impart wisdom. Great leaders realize that building the next generation of leaders is more important than the “achievements”. To them:
The journey is the destination.
