> [!summary]+ Summary > I describe my admiration for the leadership perspective of Steve Sarkisian, for those who can create culture, and the importance of facing as Sark tells it. Additionally, I tell a bit about my experience practicing transformative leadership. # Lessons on leadership from Steve Sarkisian Some folks that I can't help but admire are college football coaches. Coaches shape missions, organizations, and individuals. Their success and failure easily be seen in the displays of their teams every Saturday they play. I think a good measure of coaches is their ability to create **team cohesion** through the trust they earn via openness, honesty, sincerity, and ethical behavior. They are successful if their team coalesces around one thing. It's not winning, because winning is the outcome of something more meaningful. It goes deeper, such as the **culture** that leadership creates. <iframe width="100%" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hxdTlFs9ync?si=CSNUI1fMtjc0szSJ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> ## "Culture is organic" As Sark states, "*Culture is not a sign or a t-shirt… It manifests itself with relationships built.*" - Commitment - Discipline - Accountability - Mental and physical toughness - Love - Vulnerability - Transparency Who you are some of the time, is who you are all of the time. To be disciplined *on the field*, you must be disciplined *off the field*. **All you do, adds up to all of who you are.** And I believe this is 100% true: **"Culture beats talent."** ### Creating culture I admire anyone who is able to really create, shape, and hold a culture together. For one, I have learned the importance of shared values over my career. I have see and experienced leaders and teams focused on **joint service**, focused on **individual success**, focused on **maintaining the status quo**, and situations where at some points the culture seemed to be **different between teams in the same department**. I truly find admirable and know the feeling of cultures that focus on **taking care of each other**, **having empathy for where people came from**, and **bring everyone together for joint victory/success**. ### Facing adversity Something else I have heard Steve Sarkisian state and even his players state is how everyone will face adversity at some point. And when it comes, 90% of the time after is how you respond to it, and 10% is what happens to you. I love this. I have many stories of personal and professional adversity. I truly believe that you face it with action. ## Speaking for myself It is hard to shape/change culture. I took on the role of a transformative leader for 5 years at GWU. For the first year, I by and large learned what had been and what was going on. Then I spent about 2 years creating new systems, communicating new messages, providing nudges and encouragement, and asking for feedback. Somethings stuck and some things did not. Somethings I know in retrospect I could have done better. A few months before I left GWU, I interviewed someone from outside of the university for a management role. This person really got my attention when she said, "*I believe no director comes into a role with all of the skills necessary. There is going to be some learning.*" This statement stuck me with the sheer honesty of the words and how it was said. It is something that I find myself reflecting on as I admire people like Steve Sarkisian, reflect on (my) leadership, and think about what is down the road. When I left my role at GWU, I had a phone call with someone from a different team in my department. This person had been around me and saw my leadership, but was not my direct report. Near the end of our call, this person told me, "*I want you to know that I've always admired how you supported your team. I've looked for that kind of leadership. And you know, I'm still looking.*" It was extremely validating for me.