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Schembechler, Bacon and Leadership
I have a leadership video I’d like to share with you.
First, some explanation. Every year at the University of Michigan the students select their favorite professors and present them with a “Golden Apple Award.” The recipients are then invited to deliver their “ideal last lecture.”
John U. Bacon was a recipient of this award for 2009. Bacon is the co-author, with the late Michigan Football coach Bo Schembechler, of the best-selling business book, Bo’s Lasting Lessons: The Legendary Coach Teaches the Fundamentals of Leadership.
The video clip I’d like to share is an excerpt from Bacon’s Ideal Last Lecture. In it, he recounts a story about Schembechler. Now, if you’re a fan of Wolverine football, then you probably need no further recommendation. But even if you’re not, I think it’s a great leadership tale, and Bacon’s telling of the story is a work of art all its own.
Now it’s obvious that many elements of Bo’s leadership style would not translate well into today’s corporate environment. For me, though, there are a number of take-aways here that can…
