The document discusses leadership and the idea of "The Greatest Leader." It argues that the greatest leaders are often not famous but instead lead smaller organizations where they can make a meaningful difference in people's lives. These leaders value serving their followers over seeking public recognition. In contrast, many famous leaders desire attention and fame more than real impact. The greatest leaders choose to lead places where they can directly help others rather than aspire to positions of great publicity.

1. THE ACADEMY FOR SPORT LEADERSHIP
THE ACADEMY FOR SPORT LEADERSHIP
SCRIMMAGE!
THE TRUST IN CONFLICT ISSUE
THE GREATEST LEADER ISSUE THE EDULETTER FOR SPORT LEADERS
CORY DOBBS, ED.D.
You the leader
Devotion to Your Student-Athletes
LEADERSHIP Leaders aren’t born, they’re made. Leadership does not come from a job title. It
RESOURCES isn’t a matter of personality, style or charisma. And it isn’t the same thing as
iron-fisted authority used to command and control people. True leadership is
devotion to those you lead, serving in order to contribute beyond ourselves.
The most skilled coach without character is no true leader. Leadership is all
about character. Yes, you may have power, your position affords you authority,
and you’re able to influence followers. However, all effective leadership actions
must stand on trust and integrity. That is to say, character.
In this issue of Scrimmage! guest author Patrick Lencioni explores the idea of
“The Greatest Leader.” My hope is after reading his perspective you’ll take to
heart your influence on our world. Shaping student-athletes to be effective
Transforming leaders of tomorrow is no small task. I applaud you and it’s obvious from his
Student-Athletes article that best-selling author Lencioni does too.
into Dynamic
Team Leaders You may ply your craft in an out-of-the way college or a small private high
school, but you are given the opportunity to be a great leader. The world may
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not recognize all that you do, but your players do. Always remember, to those
(Bulk Discounts) you lead you may be the greatest leader.
The E-Leadership
Experience
A 12 week online The Greatest Leader
mini-curriculum to
nudge your leaders By Patrick Lencioni
along the path of
growth & I have been asked on a number of occasions, by journalists and curious clients,
development. whom I believe to be the greatest leader in America. And I usually respond with
my own question. “Are you asking for the name of a famous leader?” This
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Athletes for $19.99
usually leads to a fair amount of confusion, until I explain that the best leader in
the world is probably relatively obscure.
You see, I believe that the best leader out there is probably running a small or
The Academy
medium-sized company in a small or medium-sized town. Or maybe they‘re
Leadership Set
running an elementary school or a church. Moreover, that leader‘s obscurity is
Complete Set $50 not a function of mediocrity, but rather a disdain for unnecessary attention and
3 copies of adulation. He or she would certainly prefer to have a stable home life, motivated
Becoming a Team employees, and happy customers—in that order—over public recognition.
Leader
A skeptic might well respond, “But if this person really were the greatest leader,
1 copy of
wouldn‘t his or her company eventually grow in size and stature, and become
Transforming Student-
Athletes known for being great?” And the answer to that fine question would be, “Not
necessarily.”
1 copy of The E-
Leadership
Experience
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2. SCRIMMAGE!
The Greatest Leader Issue continued from page 1
A great company should achieve its potential and grow to the size and scale that suits
its founders‘ and owners‘ and employees‘ desires, not to mention the potential of its
market. It may very well wildly exceed customer expectations and earn a healthy profit
by doing so, but not necessarily grow for the sake of growing.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where bigger is often equated with better and where
fame and infamy are all too often considered to be one and the same. And so we
mistakenly come to believe that if we haven‘t seen a person‘s picture on the cover of
BusinessWeek or in a dot-matrixed image in The Wall Street Journal, then they can‘t
possibly be the best.
Consider for a moment those high profile leaders we do read about in the newspaper
and see on television. Most, but not all, of them share an overwhelming desire and
need for attention. You‘ll find them in all kinds of industries, but most prevalently in
politics, media, and big business. Look hard enough at them, and there is a decent
chance you‘ll discover people who have long aspired to be known as great leaders.
These are the same people who also value public recognition over real impact. And
based on my experience, you might also find that they‘ll be more highly regarded by
strangers and mere acquaintances than by the people who work and live with them
most closely.
The truth is, our greatest leaders usually don‘t aspire to positions of great fame or
public awareness. They choose instead to lead in places where they can make a
tangible, meaningful difference in the lives of the people they are called to serve. The
challenges and consequences of their decisions are no less difficult or important than
those of higher profile leaders, even if they don‘t quite qualify for a cover story in TIME
Magazine.
About Patrick Lencioni
Lencioni, named by Fortune magazine as one of the “Ten New Gurus You Should Know”, is the
bestselling author of eight books including Death by Meeting; Three Signs of a Miserable Job
and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team which continues to be a fixture on national best-seller
lists. Lencioni is a sought-after speaker, consultant, and founder of The Table Group, a firm
dedicated to improving teamwork, clarity, and effectiveness. In addition, Pat and his work have
appeared in BusinessWeek, Sports Business Journal, the Wall Street Journal and Harvard
Business Review, to name a few.
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