As I mentioned previously, one of the reasons I admire Brett Favre his how he has always presented himself when he had made a mistake. I believe mistakes are unavoidable in life. All leaders make their share of them. However, I believe it is how these leaders overcome their mistakes, and what they learn from their mistakes, that make them great. When one is leading, and seeking change, mistakes are inevitable. I do not believe you can have one without the other and so learning to use mistakes well is an important leadership trait. Whether or not the mistake is big or small, there is always something to be learned from it and mistakes offer an immediate piece of feedback. You just have to be wise enough to use what you learn.
I believe the turning point of his life was back in 1996 when Brett admitted and had taken full responsibility for his addiction. Favre had developed the reputation of being an "Ironman". However, with such a reputation came a very high price. He did not miss a start in his first 65 games and had over six medical operations. He was playing the best football of his career, but was addicted to pain killers. Brett made a public announcement and voluntarily entered rehab. The next year he led his team to the super bowl.
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Brian,
ReplyDeleteI have always admired Brett Favre, especially for his openness and honesty about his drug addiction. A true leader and hero IS someone who can openly admit mistakes and strive to learn from them. It only makes sense that Favre would possess some of Fullan's leadership capacities, two obvious ones being "building relationships" and "coherence making." These qualities not only exemplify a great leader, but they also help create a great team.
Connie
I never followed Brett Favre's career. I knew he was a quarterback but knew little else about his personal struggles. I think it's important for people to be able to relate to their leaders. Knowing that Favre dealt with an addiction makes me respect him more as a person and as a leader. Publicly addressing a personal failure can't be easy. His weakness makes him seem more like "every man" and his ability to overcome makes him admirable.
ReplyDeleteFavre has obviously dealt with adversity on and off the field. His silent grace and ability to perform when the odds are against him set him apart from others.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteLearning from mistakes is such a great message. As leaders we must analyze failure for the inherent lesson that lies within it. Failure means that something didn’t work. It is our job as educational leaders to show our teams the data, analyze the situation and figure out what went wrong. Through this analysis blame is never the goal or outcome. Learning together as a team shares responsibility and action to improve what went wrong.
As quarterback of his team, Brett knew the power of the team. As leaders we must always remember it is not about our independent decisions or programs that we implement, it is about leading our teams to greatness for kids. Kids are the center of our leadership and must guide our team decision making.