Social responsibility
What is your current knowledge of global leadership issues in sport?
My current knowledge of global leadership issues in sport is limited to what I have seen and head in the news. Most recently, the doping scandal associated with Russia and other countries has dominated the news when it comes to international sports. As of last night, the soccer match between Germany and the Netherlands had to be cancelled due to severe bomb threats. This action comes just days after the tragedy that occurred in Paris. There to, a soccer match was targeted as an attach site by members of Islamic State. During all of this, I have seen leaders from various different organizations and governments rise up to address these issues and to demonstrate leadership in an effort to calm all members of society who have been effected by these occurrences.
The specific examples I provided above are fundamentally different in how leadership is portrayed on a global scale. Lord Coe, International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) president, responded to a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report that accused Russia of “state sponsored doping.” This accusation has loomed large in the realm of international athletics as the world waited to see what action would be taken against any country who went to such lengths to both provide and cover up Performance Enhancing Drug (PED) use amongst international athletes. This is a perfect example of global leadership as President Coe exercised his power and made a decision after due process had taken its course. I feel that Coe made as fair of a decision as he could, given the political dynamics at play in the situation. With regard to Russia and global leadership, their response has been anything but admirable as they initially responded to the WADA report with severity and rejected the claims outlined. Russia’s leadership then familiarized themselves with the accusations from the report and then admitted that parts of the report were true. This is embarrassing because the key decision makers for a first world country failed to exercise proper leadership skills and therefore shaped the context of the situation for the population of Russia.
With the terrorist attacks in Paris and the soccer match last night, international football organizations showed tremendous leadership when they considered the facts and made a collective decision based upon the concern for the wellbeing of the players and fans in the stadium. I’ve listened to reports from BBC that describe the collective fear amongst the German soccer players and how the coach was the one who comforted them while this decision was made. Talk about global leadership, this sets a large precedent for future athletic events. The world was watching and fans travelled from all corners of the world to watch a soccer game. None of this mattered, nor should it have, when leaders made a difficult decision.
How prepared would you feel to assume a leadership role if you were assigned responsibility for a major international sport project?
I would not feel adequately prepared to assume a leadership role on an international leadership project. I would not back down from the opportunity and feel that I could do a decent job, but would stumble through the work given my limited experience. I guess a lot of this depends on wat the project is. I can’t say that I would be ready to serve in the top leadership position for an international Olympic organization. I have organized and lead projects related to international Paralympic hockey. As a former Hockey Director in Charlotte, NC, the rink served as the national training facility for the US National Men’s Sled Team. Over the course of my time at the rink, I helped to plan and execute the logistics of the teams who travelled from around the world. We welcomed Canada and Korea on a number of occasions. This seemed like routine work for me as I was well versed in the transportation methods available to accommodate Paralympic athletes as well as lodging, meals planning, and other logistical items. I have a passion for international work and hope to serve in an international leadership role someday.
What are elements of “global” leadership that you think may differ from “local” leadership?
I think that two of the key elements of “global” leadership are inclusivity and access. In “local” leadership, these items are just as important and much easier to attain as you have regular access to the population served and an experience based understanding of how life is within the locality. On a global scale, you are often times leading people from various areas of a country of from around the world. It is important that your actions and decision are inclusive to all the different cultures you are serving. Followers will not identify you as “their” leader if you do not speak for them. I can look at an executive figure and plainly see that they are a leader, but they don’t lead me. That leader leads a select grouping of followers that look to them for a specific purpose. Within a business, you most likely look to your leaders to manage your day to day tasks or work responsibilities. You would not necessarily turn to this same person for parenting advice or to help you through you ballroom dancing ambitions. All of this is to say that global leaders have a much larger pool of followers that look to them for leadership. Most of the time it is because the decisions made by “global” leaders impact nations of people. Having access to these people is another key element of “global” leadership.
A leader must have the ability to communicate with followers. People need to know who you are as a leader. It is not likely that you will be able to meet all of your constituents as a global leader. Local leaders have the luxury of living amongst the population they serve and therefore have easy access. A leader who oversees an African country must work through the reality that segments of the population have neither access to a television nor the radio/internet. How do you access these people to ensure that their needs are met? This is a major issue because leadership should not be reserved the majority. It is important that we receive the input from all areas of the population we serve. I’m not saying that we don’t make decisions without regard to majority opinion but it is important to note that every voice matters.
What are key leadership behaviors that you think would be effective in any country across the globe?
I believe that humility and openness are two key behaviors that are effective in any country across the world. A smile is a universal indication of happiness no matter where you go in the world. It is important to remember this because there is a string of similarity that connects us all. Humility grants us the ability to learn and observe the world around us from a place of curiosity and wonder. Overconfidence may be observed as rude in some areas of the world where things move at a much slower pace. I guess I could throw patience in there too because patience is a vital characteristic that can go a long way when interacting with different people. Being open to new experiences grants you the ability to dive headfirst into things that are uncomfortable. I can remember feeling incredibly cautious as a Peace Corps volunteer, but I remained open to the experiences available to me and learned so much in the process. I think that the most important behaviors are the ones that are anti-discriminatory and push us to experience all of the things that the world has to offer.
Three Key Concepts:
1.) Global Mindset for Leadership: While it may feel like our work and actions have no global significance, it is important to remember that we are all citizens of the world. We must maintain a global mindset because we’re all in this together. When we find ourselves in a leadership capacity, we must use that to better the world around us and fight back the evils that exist. Racism, hate, violence, all of us would be better off if these things didn’t exist. Enough small pebbles in the pond make the whole pond dance. We don’t have to be the largest rock to make the biggest difference. The worst thing we can do is nothing. I kind of got on a tangent :D
2.) Cultural Views of Leadership: This topic speaks to me because I feel that this is often times overlooked. Even in America, we have so many different cultures but we teach specific leadership principles that are supposed to apply in “all” situations. There is a difference in how cultures view leadership and it is important that we aware of these differences. Some tribal villages view leadership as sheet strength. If you can’t be killed, you are the leader. Not exactly something we are learning in our class but an extreme example that illustrates how cultures view leadership differently. As we talk about global leadership, this is a key concept. During my time in Africa, I can tell you that the leaders are the doers in most areas. A number of communities in the third world suffer because of inaction. If you have one person that is willing to stand up and fight for his or her beliefs then they are the ones who will lead. The sad reality is that most citizens in the third world feel so beaten down by their situation that they don’t even think they can try.
3.) Influence of globalization on sport: I choose to view this topic in a positive light. I do, however, recognize that the influence of globalization on sport has some severe negativities that need to be addressed. With the globalization of sport has come a heightened competitive attitude amongst countries to the point where athletes and fans are participating in dangerous behaviors. For athletes, doping comes to mind off the bat. The desire for success on the international level has become so glorified that athletes are doing anything thing they possibly can to gain an advantage over others in the sport. Whether it is shooting up steroids or sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber, athletes are over focused on the results and not the process. This breeds contempt because there can only be one winner in most of these sports. That means that all of the other teams and individuals lose. Losing has become equated to failure and some people can’t deal with failure. With fans, their level of hooliganism and pride sometimes dominates their attitudes and actions to the point where they act with violence. Rushing a soccer field to kill a goalkeeper after a team loses in penalty kicks, pulling out a gun and shooting a fan of the rival team, these are ridiculous occurrences.
