Superstar Manager or Legendary Leader?

On an airline flight last night, the pilot got on the speaker system periodically to announce the score of the NBA final. I guess he didn’t want his California-bound passengers to feel like they were missing out on the important events happening 60,000 feet below them. At the point where the pilot announced that the Celtics were ahead of the Lakers 89-60, the male flight attendant serving drinks from the cart wedged against my left elbow let out a “Woohoo!” followed by the declaration, “I can't stand Phil Jackson!”

After prying my elbow free, I asked the flight attendant why he wasn’t a Phil Jackson fan. His response was, “He’s not anywhere near as good as he thinks he is. ANYBODY can look good when they’re coaching superstars.” That was some management wisdom from an unlikely source!

Any type of manager can excel when leading a team of Michael Jordans, Shaquille O’Neals and Kobe Bryants. But when the stats are down and the results are falling, how easy it is to mistakenly conclude that the team is to blame.

Managers who step into – or even assemble – an employee dream team can certainly revel in their success. But the managers who can take any ragtag collection of players and inspire them to personal and collective greatness – those are the legendary leaders.