Vanguard Magazine

bookshelF For more information, please contact Heather Pilot: hpilot@pilothill.ca | 519-851-9848 November 5 & 6, 2018 London Convention Centre London, Ontario Registration open bestdefenceconference.com Nominate a company for the Tech Showcase Get a fi rst-hand look at some highly innovative technologies from across Canada BEST DEFENCE CONFERENCE London, Ontario November 5 & 6, 2018 a prerequisite for being great," he writes. Perhaps, that explains why classy captain Derek Jeter's Yankees are not on the top list despite their successes, he speculates. • Leading from the back: Didier Des- champs of Italy's Juventus was once called a mere "water carrier" by a haugh- ty opponent but to the media's surprise he accepted the moniker gracefully. The best captains were similarly understated. They weren't features on MVP lists but played subordinate roles on the field — feeding the ball to others (even when, like Russell, stars). "Beyond this, most of the Tier One captains had zero interest in the trappings of fame," he adds. Tim Duncan of the Spurs agreed to be paid less than his market value so the team could have more space under the NBA salary cap to sign better players. Michael Jordan's Bulls didn't make the list, per- haps because his focus tended to be on himself – at times he would not pass the ball to teammates he disliked. • Practical communications: We assume sports leaders give fiery speeches and are great orators but then if you think of Berra you realize that may not be true. The top captains talked one-on-one, ca- joling and sympathizing — "boxing ears and wiping nose," as the author puts it. At timeouts, the Duncan would seek out one or two teammates and talk with them, his finger often wagging at them. • They used non-verbal communications: Their on-field passion could also com- municate and inspire. The Rocket, in the dressing room just before the game, would stare intently with his fiery – many felt scary – eyes at each teammate and then say, "Let's go out and win it." • They had the courage to stand apart: Each of the captains at one point stood up to management to defend the team or argue for a different strategy. That's tough enough on any team but when the Soviet Union fell apart in the 1980 Olympics, on the trip home when Valeri Vasiliev overheard the coach, Viktor Tik- honov, running down some of the top players, he grabbed him by the back of the neck and threatened to throw him out of the airplane. That could have got him a one-way ticket to Siberia, but didn't. The next year, the team voted Vasiliev captain and the winning ways that led to Tier One began. • They could regulate their emotion: They could use emotion to drive their team but also knew when to cool it. The Rocket, after the famed riots following his 1955 suspension, under coach Toe Blake's guid- ance, began to curb his emotions, his pen- alty minutes dropping, and it was in that reformed time his team make the top tier. If you're not a sports fan this book won't have the same lustre as for government executives who gobble up sports news, but the stories are still enthralling and will leave lasting, useful memories that can as- sist your workplace performance. Harvey Schachter is a writer, specializing in management and business issues. He writes three weekly columns for the Globe and Mail and The Leader's Bookshelf column for Ca- nadian Government Executive, and a regu- lar column and features for Kingston Life magazine. Harvey was editor of the 2004 book Memos to the Prime Minister: What Canada Can Be in the 21st Century. He was the ghostwriter on The Three Pillars of Public Management by Ole Ingstrup and Paul Croo- kall, and editor of Getting Clients, Keeping Clients by Dan Richards. A McGill commerce graduate, Harvey spent more than 15 years in a variety of positions at The Kingston Whig- Standard, including editor and planning and promotions manager. He won two National Newspaper Awards for his writing and a na- tional Owl Award for a marketing program he created at the newspaper. 46 APRIL/MAY 2018 www.vanguardcanada.com

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