In our last several +1s (here, here, here and here), we’ve been having fun mining some wisdom from our recent Johnson family trip to Houston to watch the Dynamo FC play Toronto FC.
Today I want to spend another moment in Shell Stadium.
The game’s over. We’re under the stands. Outside the locker room. Right at the end of the tunnel where the players (and refs!) come in from the field.
Now…
Shortly before we had that micro moment of red and yellow card awesome with the refs, Jonathan Osorio, the Canadian national soccer star and captain of TFC, came cruising up the tunnel.
I said hi and congratulated him on a great game. I told him that Emerson was one of his biggest fans. He smiled and asked him if he’d like a picture.
We said: “Let’s go!” 📷
Then he looked more closely at me (I was wearing the hat and glasses 🤓 ) and said: “Ah! I just realized who you are! I LOVE YOUR BOOK!”
To which I said: “Thanks!!”
Then we chatted for another moment before he went into the locker room to clean himself up.
But…
That’s not quite the point of Today’s +1.
Today I want to chat about some wisdom from The Captain Class by Sam Walker.
We’ve talked about a couple ideas from his great book in our +1s on Social Loafing and The Heroic Haka but I want to go a little deeper.
So…
Let’s get to work.
I got The Captain Class on the recommendation of a U.S. Navy Admiral I was blessed to meet while attending the change of command ceremony on the USS George H.W. Bush for my friend Captain Dave Pollard. (🫡 )
I read it as part of my recent binge on all things mental toughness/peak performance as part of our work with more and more elite sports teams and coaches.
It’s FANTASTIC.
Sam Walker works with sports teams, companies, and military units to help them identify and cultivate potential leaders. He’s also the founding editor of the Wall Street Journal’s daily sports coverage and their former leadership columnist.
As I visited his website (check it out at bysamwalker.com), to learn more about him and his background, I learned that he’s worked with a Super Bowl Champion (the LA Rams) and an NCAA Championship football team (the University of Michigan).
I also saw that we both had the opportunity to serve the Sailors on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team. (Awesome.)
As per the sub-title, this book presents a truly fascinating “New Theory of Leadership.”
After studying over 1,000 teams, Sam found SEVENTEEN teams that passed all of the eight tests he designed to determine the greatest sports dynasties of all time.
The teams that made the cut?
They included The New York Yankees (1949-53), the Hungary national soccer team (1950-55), the Montreal Canadiens (1955-60), the Boston Celtics (1956-69), the Brazil national soccer team (1958-62), the Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-80), the Soviet Union hockey team (1980-84), the New Zealand All Blacks (1986-90), the Cuba women’s volleyball team (1991-2000), the Australia women’s field hockey team (1996-99), the San Antonio Spurs (1997-2016), the New England Patriots (2001-18), Barcelona soccer (2008-13), the France national men’s handball team (2008-15), and the New Zealand All Blacks (2011-2015).
Now for the question…
What do ALL of those TRULY HISTORICALLY GREAT teams have in common?
An uncommon captain.
As Sam puts it: “The most critical ingredient in a team that achieves and sustains historic greatness is the character of the player who leads it.”
And…
That’s Today’s +1.
Let’s go be the Heroic captains of ALL the teams were blessed to be on.
When?
ALL DAY.
EVERY DAY.
ESPECIALLY…
TODAY.
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