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Bill Walsh and The Legacy of Leader
I was saddened to read about the death of Bill Walsh, the former San Fransisco 49ers head coach who dominated the NFL in the eighties. Walsh was a football genius who masterminded the west coast offense but the greatest legacy he left behind was one of leadership.
While its true that you can tell someone is a leader because they have followers; the best leaders develop other leaders.
Many who served on his staff ended up being successful head coaches themselves. The names of those who can trace their coaching lineage reads like a who’s who in the NFL. Successful coaches like Mike Holmgren, Jon Gruden, Mike Shanahan, Andy Reid, Brian Billick, Tony Dungy, Lovie Smith, and George Seifert. Like Walsh, these men have won championships (AFC, NFC) and themselves developed leaders in the mold that Walsh did. In fact, there’s no end in sight for where Walsh’s leadership influence will end.
It makes me wonder if we as leaders are developing leaders. How many of us are too insecure and prefer to hoard our knowledge and experience? Imagine if Walsh would have done that? What would today’s NFL coaches look like? For that matter, what would the NFL look like?
I don’t know about you, but I want my leadership to have a legacy too. I want those I lead to themselves be leaders who develop leaders. If we approached leadership like this, how many teams and organizations could live beyond the life of its leader. Too many teams, organizations, businesses, and ministries collapse because of a strong leader who couldn’t develop other leaders. Once the leader is gone, so goes his/her hard work. That’s a shame.
Thanks Bill Walsh for being a true leader. Let’s hope your real legacy goes beyond the gridiron and into the hearts of leaders everywhere.
[Click image to enlarge the Bill Walsh Coaching Tree]
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