Howard White, Vice President of the Jordan brand at Nike, embodies the principles of a Big-Hearted Leader. In his podcast episode of This I Believe, he shares more on his driving philosophy on humanity: “I believe every single person deserves to be acknowledged, however small or simple the greeting.”
We live in an era during which polarization is becoming the norm, and it can be incredibly disheartening. From partisanship in politics to outrage over what someone hears when listening to an audio clip (remember the Yanni/Laurel debate) to longstanding sports rivalries, this concept is ingrained in our modern culture. Yet this is also a completely avoidable phenomenon. By setting intentions for ourselves, we can apply the principles of Big Hearted Leadership and overcome this impulse. We can show grace for others and still maintain a strong position of our own. And when we do, amazing things can happen. In the below video clip, Malcolm Gladwell gives a powerful example of this as he explains how crime has significantly decreased in Brownsville, New York due to the firm yet graceful methodologies employed by the housing commissioner.
As we welcome and embrace all things March Madness, it’s a great time to reflect on the importance of character. In sports, in life, and in leadership, a person’s character trumps almost any other factor at play in any given scenario. This is why I believe so strongly in being a big-hearted leader and why I feel compelled to spread not only that belief but the reasoning behind it and the inspiration I find in it with other current and aspiring leaders. Beloved UCLA basketball coach John Wooden embraced a compassionate leadership philosophy, and it showed in the players he developed as well as his teams’ impressive performance (his career coaching win-loss percentage is a remarkable .804 and he led UCLA to win a record 10 National Championships). During this NCAA tournament season, I honor and admire his legacy, his character based philosophy, and his demonstrated success in his distinguished career.
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