The following contains excerpts from the book, The Mentor Leader (Tony Dungy).
At our music school in Odessa, Texas be believe that music is more than sound, it is relationships. In dealing with the subject of relationships, the subject of Leadership becomes important.
Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts, shares his own life experiences, as well as the life experiences of other Pro teams and leaders in this Christ-centered leadership book. In the book’s introduction, Dungy states, “Leadership consists of principles and skills that are accessible to anyone and everyone. They aren’t necessarily intuitive, but they aren’t terribly difficult, either. Mentor leadership can be taught and learned; but in order to be absorbed, it must be practiced…Mentor leadership focuses on developing the strengths of individuals…Mentor leadership works best when the ones being mentored are aware that the mentor leader has a genuine concern for their development and success…Mentor leadership is all about shaping, nurturing, empowering, and growing. It’s all about relationships, integrity, and perpetual learning. Success is measured in changed lives, strong character, and eternal values rather than in material gain, temporal achievement, or status.”
We desire to see students in our music school in Odessa, Texas develop wholistic lives, not just musical development. It is our joy to see life-skills developed in the lives of each of our students.
The Mandate of the Mentor Leader
The author distinguished two different attitudes of leadership, that which is short-sighted versus the long-view. “Shortsighted leadership focuses primarily on the bottom line. In football, it’s wins and losses and playoff berths. In business, it’s quarterly profits, shareholder equity, and sales targets…In our society, whether we’ll admit it or not, the prevailing attitude is that the ends justify the means…If you take only one thing from this book, let it be this: Relationships are ultimately what matter- our relationships with God and with other people. The key to becoming a mentor leader is learning how to put other people first…Instead of asking, how can I lead my company, my team, or my family to a higher level of success? We should be asking ourselves, how do others around me flourish as a result of my leadership? Do they flourish at all?”
He stresses the importance of ‘one on one’ mentoring, even in the home. “Judges who review pre-sentencing investigative reports will tell you that the absence of a father or a positive male figure is a key indicator in the lives of the people they sentence to time in prison…Boys and girls without a father at home are five times more likely to end up in poverty and much more likely to make decisions that will negatively affect their lives far into the future, including criminal behavior, drug use, and teen pregnancy.”
Having a long-term view of discipling, mentoring, and leadership requires selflessness. “It may take time before the results of our leadership are fully known. Our talents and our treasures may pay dividends so far down the road we may never see the outcome.”
While we value musical and artistic development of students in our music school in Odessa, Texas, our overarching goal is to see them develop in focus, long-range thinking, patience, commitment, teamwork, and a desire to bring beauty and meaning to our communities.
The Mind-set of the Mentor Leader
Regarding the mind-set of the mentor leader, Dungy states, “The single most important factor that differentiates mentor leaders form other leaders in any setting is their outward focus on others…I’m often disappointed when I read or hear about coaches who insist on their own system or on a top-down coaching style, or who feel that the only way they can effectively lead is through dictatorial or controlling methods of leadership…Take a moment to think about this question: Am I prepared to have great success and not get any credit for it?” Too many people climb the ladder, striving to reach the top, only to get there and realize that there is nothing there. And then they look around and discover they are married to a stranger, living with children they don’t know, and without the friends, hobbies, or other interests they never had a chance to nurture of develop while heeding the siren call of achievement.”
To effectively lead, a leader must have these three things: Vision, Mission and Values. Regarding Vision, “The mentor leader’s job is…to give people an inspirational hook to hang on to so they won’t be tempted to give up when times get tough.” Regarding Mission, “A mission statement- whether it’s for an organization, institution, family, team, or individual- serves to answer a fundamental question: Why do we exist? In other words, why are we doing what we’re doing? Why bother with all of this, anyway?” Regarding Values, “Values, very simply, can be thought of as the ‘rules of the road.’ They tell us and others what is important to us- as leaders, as an organization, and as individuals. They are the rudder that steers the ship. They tell us how to treat other people, both inside and outside the team or organization.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas to provide mentoring to our students, in which they ultimately become autonomous in their ability to learn. This attitude requires a servant-mindset, putting the wellbeing of the student as the foremost imperative.
“I sometimes picture mentor leadership as an inverted organizational chart. Typically, an organizational chart will have the number one person, or the board, at the top, with subordinates…in levels of reporting and supervisory responsibility below…Now, instead of the usual diagram, picture the chart with the number one leader at the bottom and the lines of responsibility and reporting spreading upward and outward. Think about each ‘subordinate’ role now as a position of lifter, equipper, and encourager to the ones above it on the chart.”
The Maturity of a Mentor Leader
A successful mentor leader must look within his own life. “Identify what drives and motivates you, the areas in which you’re naturally gifted, and the areas that are more challenging and thus will take more self-application to conquer. The ability to take an honest look at yourself and examine who you are- what makes you tick, what makes you do the things you do- is a mark of maturity for a mentor leader…Becoming what we are meant to be is a journey worth taking- for all of us. It’s a journey that will free us from the hold of the past. It’s a journey that will empower us for roles in the lives of others, as mentors, to help them become all that they were meant to be.”
Our goal as teachers at our music school in Odessa, Texas is to help the student become aware of their unique talents and abilities, to help them on their personal journey of successful development. Sometimes it takes an objective coach to aid the student’s ability to see their own uniqueness.
The Mark of a Mentor Leader
The mark of a mentor leader is Character. “As critically important as I believe a shared vision is for leadership in an organization, character is even more fundamental and essential. If people aren’t comfortable with their leaders- who they are and what they stand for- they won’t stick around long enough to hear about the vision. Vision matters, but character matters more…Character affects how we interact with the people around us. It influences the kind of people we choose to surround ourselves with. George Washington is reported to have said, ‘Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem you own reputation; for ‘tis better to be alone than in bad company.’”
In the author’s experience, he has found that “players who weren’t reliable off the field would eventually demonstrate those same shortcomings in the heat of battle. If they weren’t responsible in other settings, we wouldn’t be able to count on them at crunch time…People gravitate toward the person of highest character, not necessarily the person who is ‘in charge’ or even the person they believe to be the most competent. Rather, people will tend to build a relationship with and follow the person they view as the most trustworthy, who cares the most, and who is willing to always do the right thing.”
The author believes that, “Nothing is more deflating to morale than to have a poor outcome pinned on someone who doesn’t deserve it. It lacks integrity and it overvalues the outcome at the expense of the people, as well as the process. Most of the time, we are only judged on the outcome, whereas the only thing we can control is the process. Make your process the right one and stay true to it…Proven loyalty, believed and embraced by the people you serve and lead, will go a long way toward unifying your organization into one that can face every challenge- together.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we value the process of development more than superficial outward results which can be temporary. The deep development of core competencies and character values are what will last a lifetime.