Leadership with John Bacon

John Bacon puts leadership into a different perspective that I have never heard before and I think it was good for me to hear. My leadership story is different from a lot of people, my dad taught me how to lead. When he coached me he would treat me like everyone else or even put me below every other player. I had to learn how to earn people’s trust and had to get them to listen to me. I have faced great adversity in my sports career, especially in my Sophomore year. I broke my foot and had to watch a whole baseball season, which gave me the challenge of leading without being on the field and everyone tells me now that I nailed it. Bacon talked about the coach of the miracle U.S. hockey team in 1980. The coach of that team got cut from the 1960 Olympic hockey team and Bacon asked him if he would have gone for that coaching job in 1980 if had made the 1960 team. Herb Brooks, the coach, followed by saying that he didn’t know if he would have because he wouldn’t have had the motivation because he would have already been a part of an Olympic team. Another key point Bacon brought up was that anyone can be a great leader. He brought up how on his teams he only ever had 1 captain that was a leading scorer for their team. Leadership doesn’t have to come from a star, just someone who knows how to lead. My next and final point comes from the fact that you want a leader on your team that people can get behind and bring everyone up. They used the example of Tom Brady and how every team should have gone after him when he was a free agent because he makes every aspect of an organization better, whether that’s the trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, or even the practice squad. A good leader can keep people’s spirits high, but a great leader can bring you championships.