Lessons in Greatness

Life imitates success in the business world often through how we deal with personal challenges. Rory McILroy demonstrated the grace of humility this weekend while still balancing what will also be known as one of the greatest performances in US Open Golf history. Despite breaking records in the double digits, when asked to reflect on lessons that prepared him, he spoke distinctly of what will no doubt be one of the greatest collapses in modern golf history.

Think back.. May of this year, 2011. You're 22, and in a country not of your birth. Your leading what can only be called the most signficant tournament in your short career by four strokes. The Masters, Augusta Georgia, every golfer's dream to win. As you make the turn at 10, you are still in the lead by one stroke and then it happens. A collapse so devastating, you end up in a tie for 15th. You end up shooting an 80... a score so high it is unexplainable except that you Choked. Ouch. The tournament was your's to lose.. and you lost it big. How would you handle it:

Not only did Rory talk to reporters for 10 minutes.. he was respectful, honest and pragmantic.. My favorite quote.. came later the next day or so... and was somewhat telling...

"I think it's a Sunday at a major, what it can do. This is my first experience at it, and hopefully the next time I'm in this position, I'll be able to handle it a little better. I didn't handle it particularly well today, obviously, but it was a character-building day. Put it that way. I'll come out stronger for it." - Rory McIlory - May 2011

Now.. it is several months later. You're faced with the same task. You're up 9 strokes coming into the last day of the next major tournament. Think of the pressure you would face. You choke now, and your labeled for life. Think of Greg Norman in the history of the Masters. Every golfer knows this and the presure that comes with this moment. But this time is different.. this time, not only do you handle it, but you thrive. Winning at a record margin. You have mastered the field. How would you respond when ask what made the difference this June. Would you point to the hard work you put in, to how you have honed your putting in ways you hadn't before, or maybe point out that the collapse in May was fluke. Not Rory.. no.. just honest and direct...

"Augusta was a very valuable experience for me. I knew what I needed to do today to win and at Augusta I learn a few things about myself and my game. I put a few different things into practice and it paid off." - Roy McIlory - June 2011 - US Open Champion

It is rare, to have failure and success happen so soon, so similiar and yet so visible to the world. It is even more rare to find a leader who can face his failure in a public and humble way. This Sunday we were blessed to see an example of this that reminds us that our best growth comes through failures. Our best learning and much of our success is due to a honed skill of facing our less than graceful moments. Reflection is an action!

Here's toasting a pint to Rory's great example of leadership!

NH Primary and Egonomics

Disclaimer.. I almost didn't publish this post.. but I thought it was just too good a topic for leadership development.. excuse the political examples, but they serve as an excellent source for dialog. In no way does this post seek to endorse or support anyone.. other than you in your leadership journey.


If you missed my review of the book Egonomic.. check it out! It is an excellent read related to how do we get to Level 5 Leadership. Three core principles espoused in the book were:

Humility - The Openness you create in you and others
Curiosity - How intense are you in exploring and searching for answers.. Asking questions
Veracity - How well can you handle the brutal truths?

I found myself looking at the Presidential candidates and using these three principles as a sort of measure on whether they will be successful. If we were to rank them on these three principles... how would they rank out. Based on the news coverage this past week.. here is my ranking.. subject to change.. I should note that this has nothing to do with how I might vote and is based solely on how they have acted on news shows and in debates (I ranked them on the two of the three principles on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being best; I omitted curiosity.. too hard to know) Note I have linked to some videos that I think are insightful.. if you have a better example let us know by posting a comment:

On the Republican side

McCain - Leads on Veracity (9) and humility (9)..
Paul - Veracity (10), not so humble (6),
Hukabee - Veracity (7) Not always willing to discuss things, humility (9)
Thompson - Veracity (9), humility 4
Giuliani - Veracity (6), not sure he knows humility (4),
Romney - Veracity (4) Very shifty, humility (2) flipped on woman's right.. crushing
On the Democrat side:

Obama - Veracity (9), and humility (7) I think his frankness is what is keeping him alive
Clinton - Veracity (5), but humility (7) (only because she showed real emotion this week)
Edwards - Veracty (3), and humility (5) (The haircut did him in)

Clinton was the most interesting.. I think egonomics explains why tearing up made a difference for her in NH. She struggles to be both humble/open.. seeing her be authentic made a huge difference in trust..

Course.. this is all just random thoughts.. but I wanted to show you how these three principles can impact leadership.. you may not agree with my rankings.. honestly, I kinda did them quickly and may not have them perfect.. what is true is those candidates who won or had shifts upward in votes exhibited egonomics and more specifically REAL humility.. Real Brutal Truth telling.. Might be a good formula..

One last statement.. in no way is this an endorsement of any candidate.. this blog is about leadership only. A successful President should have egonomics skills that complement a host of other competencies..