Kevin Daum - 12 Lessons in Business Leadership

Copyright 2020 by Kevin Daum and Anne Mary Ciminelli

Foreword 2020 by Jack Daly

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Brian Peterson

Cover photo credit Getty Images

ISBN: 978-1-5107-5373-0

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-5374-7

Printed in the United States of America

To all those, young and old, who strive to be awesome leaders and enjoy the fun in the amazing game of business.

Contents

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the following people:

Jack Daly, author of Hyper Sales Growth, for providing the structure, learning, and inspiration in our ongoing business and leadership success.

The business coaches and experts who contributed their knowledge, experience, and networks:

Jerry Fons, Executive Power LLC

Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and Humanisteq LLC

Verne Harnish, Scaling Up

Cheryl-Beth Kuchler, CEO Think Tank

Dan Larson, Leverage Sales Coaching

Dean Lindal, International Deal Gateway

Bridgit Lombard, Marea Partners

Daniel Marcos, Gazelles Growth Institute

Jeff Moore, Moore Impact

Jeff Redmon, Redmon Law Chartered

Eileen Wainwright, Wright Impact Group

Our friends and family, who went above and beyond the duties of friendship and even marriage, specifically:

Sandee Bowman, Ryan Caputo, Mary Bee and Joe Ciminelli, Merced Cohen, Joyce Connolly, Brian and Terri Cunningham, Hal and Nancy Daum, Peter Economy, Fr. Lou Faust, Jennifer Geiger, Justin Hersh, Erin Kuhls, Lucy Lennon, Michael Lewis, Mike McSherry, Bozena Mierzejewska, Kathleen Miskovsky, Carolyn Roark, Meagan Fitzgerald Romero, Michael Ruthenberg-Marshall, Guy Sheetrit, Jacqueline Suarez, Joy Tutela, Lorne Zalesin, and Van My Van.

Our friends at Skyhorse Publishing, especially:

Julie Ganz, Mark Gompertz, Kathleen Schmidt, and Bill Wolfsthal.

Foreword

Most sports teams are run better than most companies. Whether you are an avid sports fan or not, on reflection I believe you would agree. One of the mainstays of my career as an entrepreneur successfully building six startups into national firms, or as a professional business coach and sales trainer, is something I call Model the Masters. Find people doing things well, and emulate their behavior.

Like them or not, the New England Patriots of the 2000-2019 seasons set a standard of excellence reflected in their winning ways and multiple championships. Tom Brady, as the designated leader and quarterback of the team, set record upon record in leading them to such excellence. If we roll back the curtain behind their success, we find three key ingredients: Playbook, Practice, and Professional Coach. These foundations for success are not new in sports; I witnessed the revered John Wooden as the leader/coach of UCLA basketball and the legendary string of national championships achieved years ago. Coach Wooden worried less about the scoreboard and more about the systems and processes of his playbook.

All too often in my business practice, I find my clients initially lacking in these fundamentals. Kevin and Anne Mary have chosen wisely in modeling leadership lessons as employed by Tom Bradytruly Modeling the Master. Theres a common myth that leaders are born, not made, but I disagree. In my experience, the best leaders are the ones who commit to a process. They dial in on a vision, establish the rigor of systems and processes, practice relentlessly, and operate in a culture of discipline.

This book is loaded with practical business advice and real-world examples. I challenge the business reader to look seriously in the mirror as to how they are leading their teams. One of my companies had 2,600 salespeople, but I would regularly state that there werent 2,600 best ways to sell our products. Better to figure out the one best way, practice the best way, and increase the probability of success. All too often we get distracted from the basics and preparation by the urgencies of the day. Effective leaders stay committed to what is important and enjoy consistent success. The 12 important lessons in business leadership delivered here, when consistently followed, will distance you from the competition.

Theres nothing difficult here. It fundamentally comes down to execution. That is leadership!

Jack Daly
CEO, Coach, Speaker, and Author
www.JackDalySales.com

Introduction

While writing this book, many friends asked, Why are you writing a business book about Tom Brady? Hes an athlete. Some asked the more critical question, which is, Why are you writing about Tom Brady at all? They knew neither of us are Patriots fansor fans of Boston (or Tampa) sports in general. In fact, we both celebrated with the rest of the country when Eli Manning led the New York Giants to beat Bradys New England Patriots twice in the Super Bowl. Worse yet, Kevin was an Oakland Raiders season ticket holder during the Tuck Rule Game. And to be perfectly honest, we both much prefer baseball, despite our endless argument over whether the American League plays real baseball with designated hitters (Kevin is a National Leaguer all the way).

Ahem... back to Brady and business leadership.

Now more than ever, companies demand more productivity and leadership from their employees. Modern technology creates some efficiency and makes advanced soft skills a nice idea, but technology doesnt inherently make better leaders, and there are few good bosses with the time and constructive knowledge to guide the way for up-and-comers. Sadly, many of even the best business schools lack useful courses in leadership.

In our media interviews with more than 300 CEO members of YPO (formerly Young Presidents Organization), the number-one complaint was the lack of leadership capability among employees. This often results in slower growth for the company and a disappointing career trajectory for the employee. But whose fault is it really? Executives cant expect leadership from those with inadequate training and a lack of good role models in their own supervisors. Most employees have yet to receive help with the skills they need to succeed personally, not to mention an understanding of how to get the best out of others.

To help those employees, wouldnt it be great to analyze the strong leadership abilities of a successful public figure, and translate them into accessible, practical lessons? Better yet, share those examples through the vivid drama the sports lens provides?