The Culture Rep
Essential Reading for All Developers
The 11 Principles of Leadership (We Need Leaders More Than Ever)
November 8, 2024 | Read on my website | Read time: 5 minutes
I have put the cart before the horse.
Every week, I explore development.
I define it and give it structure. I provide lessons on its merits, and I try to relate it to my own experience as a coach, husband, and father so you can make it your own within your environments.
But week in and week out, I experience the disconnect.
The disconnect between what development is and what it requires from its leaders.
Leadership is the first mover. It is the horse. Without understanding our responsibilities as leaders, we will never truly develop our people.
Or ourselves.
But it is difficult to lead. Especially today. It doesn’t matter the role or responsibility…
We live in a moment where leadership, like development, is a counter-cultural ideal.
You can understand leadership in a vacuum, but consistently living up to its ideals is a completely different endeavor altogether.
But what are leadership’s ideals?
What does it really ask of us?
Here are my 11 principles for leadership:
1. You have to stand for something
By not standing for anything, you only stand for yourself.
So many people live in a constant state of self-preservation. There is no vision to guide. It’s an endless cycle of avoidance until the problem becomes too big to avoid.
Then the only thing that guides what comes next is not what is right, but what is best for me (the more power you have, the more detrimental this exchange gets).
To lead, you must be guided by a vision much bigger than self-interest.
2. You can’t cheat the game
You must remain honorable in your pursuits.
If you are in a position of power, you can never bend or break the rules. This is black and white, with no gray. If you are a leader, you can never be above the rules.
Failure to do this creates a slippery slope that you’ll never overcome until you are found out.
To lead, you must never cheat the game.
3. You can’t cheat development
There is so much more at stake than 3 points in the standings.
Your job is not to win every game. Your job is to create the conditions for winning to become a byproduct of the process. Your job is to develop better people (culture vision), develop better players (playing vision), and put both together in a match setting (game vision).
If you aren’t doing this every week, acknowledging the small wins and pursuing the next improvements…
You are cheating development and your people.
4. You must be accountable
When you get it wrong, make it right.
One of the most powerful culture reps is when a leader admits they made a mistake. Players will appreciate that. It also models the vulnerability required for growth.
If you aren’t willing to endure the pain of self-reflection, then you are doubling down on your sins…
Turning a molehill into a mountain you will never be able to overcome.
5. You must be an example during adversity
How you carry yourself during adversity is the leadership litmus test.
What you say or preach means nothing if you can’t do it yourself when it’s needed most. This is the true test of whether you stand for something greater or only for yourself.
Character may be what you are in the dark, but leadership is what you are when the stakes are highest.
To lead, you must be an example for all to follow regardless of the circumstance.
6. You must be a guide
Leadership is lonely, but you never walk alone.
There is a whole group that depends on you to lead the way. Your players, your kids, and your community are all walking a few paces behind you. Guide them, and by your example, help them see that the path you are walking is one worth walking themselves.
But if you aren’t a guide for your people, you’ll eventually turn around and see no one there.
In that moment, you’re lost, and those you were responsible for leading likely feel the same way.
7. You must be tough (a new definition)
Toughness is simply doing the next right thing regardless of circumstance.
It is not false bravado. It is not a zero-sum game with only winners and losers. It is simply the courage to do the next right thing.
As a leader, this might be the most important value we can teach our people (and live out ourselves).
Because the other version of toughness simply takes us off our path.
8. There is no revenge
Revenge is not in the leadership playbook.
Newton’s 3rd law: “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” By standing for something, many will stand against you (especially as you become successful). Their hate is just feedback that you are on the right path–nothing more.
You represent the path they could have taken but chose not to.
The greatest “revenge” is simply taking the next step.
9. Humility and empathy must keep you grounded
Leadership is service.
The position you hold is not about you; it’s about those you serve. If humility and empathy aren’t your compass day-to-day, ego will fill that void.
And ego makes it about us.
Humility and empathy keep it about the people we are meant to serve.
10. You are the exception
To be exceptional requires you to be an exception.
And the bar for exceptional has never been lower. This means on your journey, you will feel alone because the reality is: you are alone. Like development, leadership requires that you go on the Hero’s Journey.
This means there will always be an unfamiliar abyss to stare into and a new dragon to slay.
By pursuing your potential as a leader, you are an exception within our culture.
11. You can never play the part of a victim
Emotions are inevitable.
How you choose to act is within your control. Leadership hurts because you are being vulnerable and putting yourself and your ideas on the line. Injustice and heartache can bring us to our knees and convince us that the work we do (and the things we stand for) is no longer worth it…
A victim mindset strips us of our agency, and for a leader, there is always a next step to take.
To step off our path (for any reason) is to waste the gift of leadership.
Final Words
If I’m being honest, this is a letter to myself.
Something I can hang on my wall to always remind me of what lies ahead.
Something real and tangible that can walk alongside me as I continue on my path.
And help lead people on theirs.
Because I’ve got a lot of people looking to me:
- My wife
- My 3 daughters
- My family
- My players
- My club
- My community
- Coaches
- Leaders
- A Soccer Culture
And I may not know who’s on your list.
But I do know you have many people looking to you for guidance as well.
So remember…
To develop our people, we must lead.
And to lead, we must live these 11 principles ourselves.
We need you.
We need leaders more than ever.
Injury Time
A Chance to Connect Before the Final Whistle
I struggle with Principle #11 (You can never play the part of a victim).
When things go sideways, my instinct is to slip into victim mode. I want to feel sorry for myself and build a wall that keeps everyone out.
And I want to feel justified in that feeling.
I choose disconnection and victimhood instead of taking the next step.
I eventually get back on my path, but the gap between awareness and action is longest with this principle.
This Week's Question:
Of the principles above, which is the the one you have the most trouble with?
Reply to this email with your best response and we'll keep the conversation going next week.
Have a great weekend, and good luck with your next step.
To Development,
Nate Baker
Founder of The Developer’s Way
Author of Nate Baker's Newsletter
Creator of The Daily Developer
P.S. Whenever you are ready, there is 1 more way I can help you👇:
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