"Some of the most practical management and leadership lessons come to us
everyday. We may not regard them as such but they are presenting
fundamentals in both personal and organizational development.
Where can you find these lessons? In the sports pages of your daily
newspaper or on the screens of your favorite sports shows. Everyday you will
find stories about athletes who push themselves to the limits to achieve
stardom or just the opposite, athletes with plenty of raw talent but no
brains, nor sense of restraint so they end up frittering their gifts away
through drink, drugs or sheer laziness.
You will also find stories of coaches who set the right example for their
teams by setting standards for athletics and teaching to those standards.
And on the professional side you will see stories of owners who build
organizations designed to put coaches and players first so that the team
wins. And of course you will find stories of owners who care only about
polishing their egos at the expense of everyone else. Taken together these
stories provide valuable insights into character, motive, energy and
commitment."
