Page 181 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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Army football games. Lombardi said, “Leaders are made, not born.
They are made by hard effort, which is the price all of us must pay to
achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” Leaders need to balance “mental
toughness and love.” Toughness emerges from discipline; love
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emanates from loyalty and teamwork.
Character and will. Leadership is built upon character and will. The
CHAPTER 10 COACHING—ONE-TO-ONE LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION 159
Jesuits taught Lombardi that character and will are linked forever in a
virtuous cycle—character “superimposed on” will, and will “as charac-
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ter in action.” Lombardi concluded:
The character . . . is man’s greatest need and man’s greatest safeguard,
because character is higher than intellect. . . . [T]he new leadership is in
sacrifice, it is in self-denial, it is in love and loyalty, it is in fearlessness, it
is in humility, and it is in the perfectly disciplined will. 15
RELEVANT LEGEND
The question arises as to whether Lombardi has any relevance in today’s
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world. The answer is, of course! His strength of character and his determined
spirit are timeless, but for those of us looking at leadership communications,
in his ability to teach and to coach (and with Lombardi they blend together),
his example stands the test of time.

Leadership Communications Lessons

Teach, teach, teach. Teach people what they need to know. Lombardi
was a superb teacher not only of football but of life itself.
Coach your people. Understand what makes people tick, and find
ways to stimulate that inner desire. Lombardi knew how to moti-
vate his players because he understood them as men.
Be firm in your convictions. Set expectations. Lombardi was clear
about what he wanted his players to do. He was firm and cut little
slack.
Show some humanity. Reveal the inner you. While he was famous for
his fiery oratory and brusqueness, Lombardi was really a softie, a
man who was not afraid to cry in public and who truly would do
anything for players he loved.
Be seen as the leader. Be seen as the one in charge. On the field and
off it, there was no mistaking that Lombardi was the leader, and
his players rallied to him.