Page 86 - How to Drive the Bottom Line with People

Built to Serve

ing leaders. A crime is an entirely different story. A
crime is a malicious act in violation of the culture or

the organization’s values.
Team members who commit crimes cannot be
allowed to stay. Team members who make mistakes

remain team members because forgiveness has a legit-
imate place in organizations, just as in families.
The idea that leaders get more out of people by
screaming obscenities at them is ludicrous and unsus-
tainable. Even so, it is not uncommon. For example,

some sports coaches rationalize their unprofessional
behavior by claiming an enviable winning record, and
62
= the culture seems amused by the ideology until they

start losing games; then it becomes less amusing.
Coaches who accept the truth—that they belong to
their players—most likely will treat their players like
friends and not like property. Friendship means much
more than simply what one person can do for another.

It is an emotional investment in each other’s lives, cre-
ating a special bond, a common journey.
Larry Hays is the head baseball coach at Texas Tech

University and the former head coach at Lubbock
Christian University. In 2005, he became just the
fourth coach in NCAA history to record 1,400 wins.
A nine-time Coach of the Year, Hays was elected to