Responding to John Lodwick

Responding to John Lodwick

Hello John,

Thank you for sharing your post. You talked about coaches and how they lead their teams, and I immediately remembered one of the most popular movies in 2000 ‘Remember the Titans.’ In the movie (based on a true story), Denzel Washington fights for and with his team to overcome racial barriers and create a formidable football team. In today’s sporting world, any act of racism translates to the termination of a player’s career. It took leaders of the past, such as the coach in the movie, to bring about our current sports revolution.

That aside, reading about Knight and how he founded Nike is interesting. A firm belief in his product has now ranked him as the 21st richest American in the world; he has come a long way. I also get inspired by such business leadership stories. Although I am not a product-oriented entrepreneur (I tend to lean more on service provision), I pick a lot of lessons from those who have started from zero to make it to the top. I also read that Knight is a big philanthropist. It seems when a person starts from a low level in life, they instinctively want to give back to society when they make it in life (J.K Rowling, Oprah Winfrey, etc.). King David was also philanthropic and a great leader who feared and loved God: 1 Corinthians 16:2- 3 NIV.  After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. ³ Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman.

1 Chronicles 29:2-5 NIV.  With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, ^[a] stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. ³ Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: ⁴ three thousand talents^[b] of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents^[c] of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, ⁵ for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?” David teaches us that as one prospers in leadership, one should honor the Lord by giving back, just as Knight does.

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References

The Gideons International in the British Isles. (2012). The Holy Bible: New international version. The Holy Bible: New international version. Lutterworth, England.

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Responding to John Lodwick

I need help responding to fellow student. Thank you.

John Lodwick 

Personal Transformation

I would want to have dinner with an interesting person, someone who would be enjoyable to let speak and learn about what makes them tick. Part of me would even enjoy having dinner with an unpopular or polarizing leader

simply to try and see on a personal level if their reputation is accurate. Certain politicians come to mind for that one. Realistically I would be most interested in having dinner with someone who has changed the world through genuine passion in their craft. I recently began reading the autobiography Shoe Dog by Nike founder and retired CEO Phil Knight. Nike holds a special place in my heart due to a lifetime of involvement in athletics as well as being born and raised in Oregon. Knight is a bit of a polarizing figure in that he has made countless friends as well as enemies since Nike’s official inception in 1972.

According to Shoe Dog, Knight fell into the shoe business through his business proposal for his MBA at Stanford (not unlike the business projects some of my peers have undertaken). Knight’s proposal fell flat with most of his classmates and peers, but he believed in his product and eventually fell into entrepreneurship using a little money from his father and a lot of imagination (Shoe Dog, 2018). This kind of grassroots beginnings is something that excites me and certainly makes a giant multi-national company more relatable. Knight had the quality of imagination that endeared himself to early partners and employees (Shoe Dog, 2018). He believed in the product which I believe is key for any follower to buy in. People are smart. If they sense a leader is not fully invested in the concept, there is no way people will get in line. Knight was all in. He was also innovative. At the time there was very little competition in the athletic shoes marketplace and Adidas reigned supreme (Shoe Dog, 2018). Knight started working on a new type of shoe that allowed for a more stable and relaxed fit, with rubber sole pressed from a waffle iron (Shoe Dog, 2018). This prototype became one of the first running shoes available to the general public and eventually helped make the concept of running for fun and health a realistic goal for people (Shoe Dog, 2018).

What kind of leader do people want?

This question reminds me of The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast where at the end of each episode Groeschel makes the statement, “people would rather follow someone who is always real than someone who is always right.” (Groeschel, 2019). I think he hit the nail on the head with this comment. I believe people these days crave authenticity and relatability because it helps the followers themselves feel “seen.” Gone are the days where a leader or boss could just boss his or her employees around with no repercussion or fallout. There was a time when this was common, and the employees would just accept it. No more. In my personal experience I consider how coaching has changed in the last 15-20 years. My high school coach was fairly intense and had no problem calling us out by name on front of others, raising his voice, or even throwing a ball at us if were not paying attention. We never took it personally- it was just the way it was. And I still have great respect and admiration for that coach to this day! But today’s high school coaches have many more limitations placed on them by parents, school boards and the players themselves. It requires a new level of leadership as a leader to be able to navigate environments where the follower’s voices are heard now more than ever.

This perfectly encompasses echoes the statement from the prompt that the need for a new type of leader has never been greater. Empathy is key and a trait that is often overlooked but still very present in the Bible. Roman 12:15 is simple and authentic, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (English Standard Version). I believe people want an empathetic leader who sees them and this verse demonstrates the correlation between a biblical foundation and a healthy leadership style in the business world. These two worlds can exists and thrive simultaneously- it does not have to be one or the other.

References

Groeschel, C. (2019). The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast. Retrieved from iTunes.

Holy Bible. (2019). English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles.

Riggio, R. E., Chaleff, I., & Lipman-Blumen, J. (2008). The art of followership: How great followers create great leaders and organizations.

Knight, P. H., Gilbert, L., & Gilbert, T. (2019). Shoe Dog. München: FBV.