Leadership as a Strategy
Iconic sports organizations are proving that leadership isn’t a perk, it’s a strategy. From connecting employee strengths to mission, to investing in interns and developing internal academies, teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, the NBA Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO) department, and Speedway Motorsports are setting the standard for people-first excellence. Their leadership choices offer powerful lessons in building cultures where performance and purpose thrive.
The Green Bay Packers value people, all people. By investing in their staff who lead interns with intern leadership training they are also investing in the 50+ interns they bring in each year. Intern development is important to the Club as they recognize it is critical to provide unrivaled experiences that set them on a great trajectory in their professional life. Lesson: Investing in people, all people, pays great dividends. Nicole Ledvina Chris Cohorst
The Kansas City Chiefs believe in identifying and capitalizing on the individual strengths of their staff. They connected their corporate Mission, Vision, and Values with their employees' individual strengths resulting in even higher performance and connection toward becoming the world's team. Lesson: People achieve more when they see themselves as an integral part of the mission. Kirsten Krug Lauren Gramlich, MBA
The NBA Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO) department hires for humility. Knowing your North Star (what matters most) when interviewing potential new staff is key. Focusing on soft skills like humility vs. business degrees has been a game changer for them. Lesson: Keep the first things first by knowing what matters most and don’t waiver. Marcia Steinberg Dipali Ottaviani Nicole Womack
Speedway Motorsports is building their future through their current employees now. Rather than buying a subscription to a web based employee training system, SM is quickly and easily creating an internal leadership academy. The academy develops both business acumen and essential soft skills to prepare future leaders to engage and inspire their teammates and fans in remarkable ways. Their attention to detail in this low cost, face to face internal process is incredible. Lesson: Control your future now by going all in for the people who are already doing the work. Mike Burch Jessica Fickenscher Mike Tatoian