It’s well known that a company or organization takes on the personality of the leadership group, and in turn that leadership group reflects the personality of the ‘hands-on’ individual at the top. This can be seen in sports, politics and everyday corporate life. The impact of a leaders personality will be either positive or negative. Rarely will you see a leader who has no impact at all, as that individual does not stay in place long.
One readily observable example is the Calgary Flames hockey team. After starting the season with a sloppy loss to Edmonton, by Christmas the team was struggling with a 15-18-2 record. It seemed the effort was there, but dispiriting loss followed by disappointing road trip saw the team out of the playoff race with the season slipping away. Since December 28 when a change was made at the top - GM Darryl Sutter stepped down and was replaced by interim GM Jay Feaster - the Flames have gone 22-8-6. The team is composed essentially of the same personnel, but the energy level has increased noticeably as has the confidence and poise that they’re displaying. The Flames ownership group saw that a change was needed, and made that change.
Staying on the topic of hockey, just this week we’ve seen yet another serious head injury to a hockey player. With the hit to Montreal’s Max Pacioretty by Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, the hockey world is in an uproar. This is not a comment on the play, nor an opinion of the legality of the hit. Rather, it’s a question regarding how to view the leadership personality of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Mr Bettman appears to be a very strong willed and forceful individual, yet he and his leadership group continue to ignore opportunities to send a strong message to the players and the league regarding career-ending head injuries.
In both of these hockey examples, the person at the top has needed to consider the cost of making the decision, verses the cost of standing pat.
