Continuing our Running a Championship System series, Packers President Mark Murphy joined SGG to discuss leadership in the Packers organization and beyond.
A former NFL all-pro and college athletic director, Mark has led the Packers since 2007. In this SGG episode, we discussed:
1. Learning from his father’s “pearls of wisdom.”
2. The value of unstructured play for kids.
3. A college coach who influenced Mark: Fred Dunlap. (weekly goals, great communication). “He’s been a real mentor.”
4. George Allen. “I was a sponge. I learned so much about coaching and leadership.”
5. Joe Gibbs. “Just to see him and the way he operated…To see him MWBA (manage by walking around), sitting down talking with players… I feel so fortunate.”
6. Managing by walking around. “It’s not easy to walk into the boss’ office.”
7. How the “building bridges instead of burning them” lesson from his father paid off in Mark’s relationship with Paul Tagliabue. “I wouldn’t be in my position today if it weren’t for Paul.”
8. “If you’ve got a mindset where you’re thinking of others before yourself, that’s the first step.”
9. Starting each day at the office with a “things to do” list.
10. As a leader, asking yourself, “Who needs me today?”
11. “In any organization, the most important thing is communication.”
12. Regarding Coach LaFleur: “There isn’t a day that goes by where we’re not talking.”
13. Three most important regular meetings/groups: Executive committee (monthly); Senior staff (weekly); Football leadership (every other week or more).
14. Important “hidden leaders:” Administrative assistants, head coach’s chief of staff, Darryl Franklin.
15. Indicators of negative culture in an organization.
16. Avoiding micromanagement.
17. Leadership development.
18. Why aspiring leaders sometimes need to “move out in order to move up.”
19. Maintaining a learning mindset. Utilizing an executive coach and strategic planning expert.
20. Staying true to yourself. “People can see through you if you’re not sincere, if you’re acting.”
21. Learning from league colleagues.
22. Stewardship. “We have this community asset. My role is to be a steward of Lambeau field… We all feel this great sense of responsibility that this is such a unique and special organization and we want to leave it better than we found it.”
Promoting Stewardship Behavior in Organizations: A Leadership Model
"Management by Walking Around"
Stewardship
The Influence of Leaders’ Stewardship Behavior on Innovation Success: The Mediating Effect of Radical Innovation
Promoting Stewardship Behavior in Organizations: A Leadership Model (saved in MSL docs (promotingstewardshipbehavior). Morela Hernandez
Hernandez, M. (2012). Toward an understanding of the psychology of stewardship. Academy of Management Review, 37(2), 172-193.