We’re going to finish this together

Jim Redmond—The heart of leadership— What I learned about being a man from my Dad

Oct 19, 2022

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Obits of note — Jim Redmond

The man who helped his son cross the finish line.

On courage, determination and unconditional support.

“You don’t have to do this,” Derek recalled his father telling him. “You don’t have to put yourself through this.” Derek insisted. He had to finish. “Well, then,” Jim Redmond said, “we’re going to finish this together.” More attendants approached. Jim waved them away as well. “I don’t speak Spanish,” he told reporters a few days later, “and I wasn’t going to be stopped by anything.”

Read the full obituary and watch the moment from the Barcelona games here.

Jim Redmond, Father Who Helped Injured Olympic Sprinter to Finish Line, Dies at 81 — “Jim Redmond, who created one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history during a 400-meter men’s race at the 1992 Games when he leaped onto the track to help his injured son, Derek, make his way across the finish line” (via NYT).

Annals of leadership

Mo Cheeks: the best assist of his career

Given the previous story, things clicked in my mind, transporting me back to a scene from 2003, which features Maurice “Mo” Cheeks, performing the best assist of his career. Brings me to tears every time I see it.

Here’s Diego Rodriguez with an insightful take on the moment:

The situation: young Natalie Gilbert is performing the Star-Spangled Banner before the start of a professional basketball game, and she stumbles. Just imagine the heartbreak of flubbing your lines in front of 20,000 strangers—at age 13. Thank goodness for the proactive kindness of Maurice “Mo” Cheeks, then the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

He continues:

Of all the adults on the floor of the arena, why was he the only one to act? Why did he help without hesitation? And the big one: why did he risk his professional reputation on national television to aid a girl he didn’t know?
Mo Cheeks helped Natalie because […] he prioritized the change needed in the world over how he might fare in the process of making it happen. He shows us that leadership demands that we act even if in doing so we jeopardize our own well-being. Because life is rarely perfect, to lead we must balance the imperfections of our present situation, abilities, and ideas against the premise of a future where we did not act. What if Cheeks hadn’t rushed to help? He certainly would have avoided embarrassment, but a young girl would have been left standing, alone. Through his leadership, Mo Cheeks not only helped another person, but lifted the spirits of everyone present—as well as all of us watching ~~a decade~~ two decades later. The emotional swell of everyone singing along with Natalie is truly inspiring.
At the heart of leadership is a deceptively simple question: "Am I willing to risk my personal reputation, status, and safety for the good of others?” Sometimes in life it can feel foolhardy to rush in to try and make a difference, but doing so is rarely a foolish act. It's an act of leadership

(via Diego’s Metacool blog. While you’re at it, catch him on IDEO Futures podcast. Alas, both on hiatus)

More takes on leadership

"A great leader’s first reaction is, hmm, say more. Tell me more. ... Because it has this super big knock-on effect. One, it causes your subordinates to all think that if you’ve got an interesting thought, I’m open to hearing it. I’m not going to just shut that down because it disagrees with me. Everybody is more inclined to think about things and think about things differently, and not be afraid of that" — Roger L. Martin @ Shane Parrish’s Knowledge Project

“A leader decides to accept responsibility for others in a way that assumes stewardship of their hopes, their dreams, and sometimes their very lives. It can be a crushing burden, but I found it an indescribable honor.” — Stan McChrystal, My share of the task

What I learned about being a man from my Dad

I’m a huge fan of Daniel Schmachtenberger, one of the most impressive thinkers around, and one of my best friends in the metaverse. A few years ago, he shared a very personal appreciation of his dad Randy. I was happy he did, read the whole thing a few times and filed it under “wisdom”. I thought it would stay in the vault but I think it complements nicely the two other pieces above. Do read the whole thing.

The list contains more than 60 life advice gems. Here are my top 10:

See the job, do the job, stay out of the misery.
Do the right thing when nobody’s watching.
Get the big picture first. Then plan the work. Then implement.
Responsibility is king. If I have the ability to respond, it’s mine to do.
Learn how to use and make tools. Treat tools as extensions of yourself, which they are.
Leave every place and situation better than you found it.
The side of right always wins. Be on the side of right and don’t worry about the odds.
The world is mostly crazy. Rethink everything for yourself from scratch.
Wholeness is the most important word. Then integrity.
Respect wisdom, not authority.