Whitaker Nathan - The mentor leader: [secrets to building people and teams that win consistently]

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The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently

Copyright 2010 by Tony Dungy. All rights reserved.

Cover concept copyright by age fotostock/photolibrary. All rights reserved.

Cover and author photos taken by Stephen Vosloo, copyright by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Designed by Dean H. Renninger

Edited by Dave Lindstedt

Published in association with the literary agency of Legacy, LLC, Winter Park, Florida 32789.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible , English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dungy, Tony.

The mentor leader : secrets to building people and teams that win consistently / Tony Dungy with Nathan Whitaker.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-4143-3804-0 (hc)

1. LeadershipReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. MentoringReligious aspectsChristianity.

3. Leadership. 4. Mentoring. I. Whitaker, Nathan. II. Title.

BV4597.53.L43D86 2010

158.4dc22 2010020832

Foreword

by Jim Caldwell

On Friday, November 17, 2006, two days before a big game against the Dallas Cowboys, head coach Tony Dungy received word through our security officers that a party was going to take place and that many of our players would be in attendance. As you can imagine, once this party was publicized, it would draw a crowd of great Colts fans who wanted to be in the midst of the action, but also others who may have had different motives.

The Indianapolis Colts have not had many players who have run afoul of the lawand there are distinct reasons why. Number one, under the leadership of owner Jim Irsay, president Bill Polian, and Tony, the team had a policy of placing character in the forefront of the player-selection process. It was a common organizational practice to eliminate playerseven talented difference-makersfrom consideration in the draft if they possessed questionable character flaws. Number two, the team is committed to purposeful, effective communication. Tony began most team meetings by reminding everyone to refrain from questionable behavior. To emphasize his point, he used an overhead projector to display newspaper clippings involving other professional athletes who had been arrested or accused of illegal activity. He highlighted the circumstances surrounding the incidents and discussed ways to avoid a similar fate.

During our customary 9 a.m. team meeting that Friday, Tony warned the team about the party scheduled for that evening. He drove the point home clearly and succinctly: We do not need any distractions. We were undefeated, 90 to be exact, and we were traveling to Dallas the next day. As the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed, but not all our guys got the message.

At the party, an altercation occurred and one of our team members put himself in a position to be detained by the police. Though some of the details are still rather sketchy and remain unanswered, it involved a contentious exchange with a woman at the party.

As you can imagine, the incident did not sit well with Tony. The violation appeared to fly in the face of his warning, and he was not amused. Tony rarely displays a visible reaction to uncomfortable situations, but if you had been around him as long as I have, you would have sensed his displeasure.

On Saturday morning, before our flight to Dallas, Tony met with the young man, and he later made the team aware of the incident. He said he didnt know exactly how he was going to respond, but there would be consequences. He later handled the situation privately with the individual involved.

After the 2005 season, I had a few NFL teams contact me about their head coaching positions. Those inquiries didnt result in a job offer, but in order to prepare myself for future opportunities and the possibility of one day leading an NFL franchise, I asked Tony if he would mind if I came into his office periodically to ask him a question or two about the role of head coach. He was always so gracious, and he agreed enthusiastically to my request.

The Thursday after the Dallas game, when I went in to ask Tony a few questions about managing the team, I also asked him whether he was inclined to demonstrate a show of force in response to the incident from the previous week. His simple five-word replyIt is not about meresonated with my spirit, and it is one of the most profound lessons I learned from him.

A typical leader might have tried to maintain his posture of authority in front of the team by saber-rattling and creating a scene as a deterrentpounding on the podium and making an example of the player, in response to the infraction. But Tony took an alternate approach. As long as the player got the message and learned from his mistake, Tony was more interested in what was most important for the team and the franchise.

By the way, he never had another issue with that young man. The two of them share a unique bond today, and they continue to stay in touch.

In his book Good to Great , Jim Collins identifies the characteristics of highly effective companies and companies that fail. While conducting his research, he found that chief executive officers of the effective companies had similar traitswhich Collins calls Level 5 leadership traits. The description of the Level 5 leader sums up Tonys leadership DNA perfectly:

Level 5 leaders...

embody a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will.

display a compelling modesty, are self-effacing and understated.

attribute success to factors other than themselves.

display a workmanlike diligencemore plow horse than show horse.

set up their successors for even greater success.

I will say amen to that. Tony graciously empowered me and others to reach our full potential and take ownership of the teams success. He was an active participant in our development, and he checked his ego at the door. He was more likely to ask questions than make decrees.

Subsequent to Tonys retirement, I have often been asked, How will you fill those big shoes? My response has been, I dont have to do it alone. There is only one Tony Dungy, Joe Paterno, or Chuck Noll. The leadership style that Tony employed allowed for a sense of autonomy, development, growth, understanding, and ownership.

Furthermore, with the Colts, we have an excellent owner who knows the business inside and out. We have an elite personnel department that is experienced and knowledgeable and always two steps ahead of the curve. We have a great coaching staff of outstanding teachers. We have a group of players who listen to every word we say, and they believe in our formula for winning. We have veteran leadership that has taken ownership of the team, setting a businesslike tone with unparalleled work habits.

Because of Tonys leadership style, he allowed those around him to function in an atmosphere where autonomy was the rule and not the exception. He nurtured and cultivated both players and coaches, molding without pressing, nudging without pushing, and leading without dragging.