Anyone still wondering how much leadership at the top really matters? Just witness events in Washington DC these days. Let there be no doubt, the fish continues to rot from the head down.
Sure, some of the thinking associated with the shared, distributed, servant and complexity schools of leadership that emerged in the 1980s and ‘90s is valuable. Successful leaders certainly do know when to lead and when to follow and how to create conditions for their people to lead well. Nonetheless, little has changed in the human condition to think that men or women at the top are any less indispensable to their organizations’ success than in the past. The Los Angeles Rams are an excellent case in point.
Full credit goes to Rams' owner Stan Kroenke and GM Les Snead for naming then-30-year-old Sean McVay head coach last year, the youngest in modern NFL history. McVay took the reigns of a seemingly inept program, floundering as the Rams had been for five years under Jeff Fisher. McVay is called "the quarterback whisperer" and the Rams needed whispers if not shouts to revive QB Jarred Goff, the first pick in last year's NFL draft who had an abysmal rookie season. Honestly, the Rams-Dolphins game that Zack and I attended last year at the LA Coliseum offered as miserable an offensive performance as I have witnessed in person.
Then along came Coach McVay. The Rams' choice to hire him away from the constantly underperforming Washington Redskins, where he served as Offensive Coordinator, was reminiscent of Celtics' President Danny Ainge naming Brad Stevens coach. After all, one of the most damning criticisms of college and professional sports franchises is that they constantly retread losing coaches (and executives) into new settings - often with the same unfortunate results.
As with Stevens, McVay is in touch with his players because, well, he's part of their generation. He knows how to get into his employees' heads and hearts, in the right way. He's unselfish and controls his ego accordingly. Furthermore, he listens well. He shows respect when it's warranted. He understands that teaching is central to effective leadership and he's a very good teacher. Oh yes, he's also a brilliant strategist and, as with Stevens, nimble enough to make effective mid-course corrections in the heat of battle.
The Rams finished 4-12 last year. They are 10-4 so far this campaign and headed for the playoffs with basically the same cast as last year. The leader at the top still makes all the difference.
Photo courtesy of USA Today.