The Humble, Hall of Fame Leadership of Pat Gillick

Pat Gillick is a Hall of Fame baseball executive. One thing I've always admired about Pat (beyond the back-to-back championships) is his history of working with what he was given. Professional sports is a transient industry. Players, coaches, and executives move around...a lot. It's customary for a new incoming general manager to clean house and bring in "his people" to set the organization on a new course. That is, after all, why he was hired.

Pat didn't do this. Despite coming in as the new boss four different times in his career, Gillick largely chose to give the staff he inherited from the previous regime a fair chance before making any sweeping changes.

This kind of leadership doesn't get enough credit, in my opinion. It takes someone comfortable in their own skin to not feel the pressure to surround himself with a flock of loyal Yes Men. Gillick had the humility to realize that just because the staff wasn't "his" initially, didn't mean they weren't talented or qualified.

Inevitably, changes would later come; but not until Gillick had given his new lieutenants time to prove their mettle and gage their alignment with Gillick's vision for the organization.

I've tried to emulate this balance of humility, patience, and conviction in my own leadership journey. Start from a place of respect, try to understand what preceded you that may have led to what you're observing, and choose to see the potential in people. Then, after the some, trust yourself and act with conviction. You'll know whether or not they fit the culture that you're trying to create. I've found that if you have to try too hard to fit that square peg into the round hole, it's never going to fit quite right. Best not to force it.

Remember, you don't want Yes Men that are going to parrot back your worldview. Quite the opposite​. But you do need to know that everyone is aligned in the mission, irrespective of how that manifests itself.

It's why codifying your ethos, finding your Tribe, and hiring to your culture is so important. With that as your foundation, you create alignment through shared values. That alignment means less translation is required because you're all speaking the same language, albeit maybe with slightly different accents. Without all that, you're just hoping it all comes together. And hope isn't a strategy.