Leadership Lessons from the New York Jets, Rex Ryan
By Shayne Gowers

There are many great things that business men and women can learn from the sporting world that can improve your leadership abilities. Whether is in your own personal life or in the business world you belong to, sports can serve as a great learning and self reflection tool. I know this goes against popular opinion as the phrases "don't take it too seriously" and "it's only a game" still firmly ring in my ear.

What really needs to be understood is that sports really are a microcosm of life. Meaning it is like a miniature model of life, or, life as it is, in a nutshell. Sometimes you can use the observations made to make a change or improvement upon your life, and other times you can become self-aware when your observations reflect yourself.

Over the course of the season in the National Football League, I've found myself inspired and in admiration of the level of strategic leadership shown by the head coach of the New York Jets. His name is Rex Ryan and he is one of many rookie coaches in the NFL this year. Rex has made excellent leadership choices this past year, all of which helped lead his team to the conference championship finals as pure underdogs this past weekend.

I'd like to reflect on 3 of the tactics that Rex applied this year, the effect it has had on his team, and what leaders can learn from him.

1) Rex cried in front of his team.

First off, I am not suggesting strong emotions are the answer to making others motivated in the business world. In the microcosm of life that is sports, this proved his level of commitment, leadership and sense of responsibility to the team. Leaders in the business world need to portray this quality as well. Popularly written about here at BizXcel, specifically by our own COO Robert Stickle, is the act of Leading by example. This means as a leader  you are not afraid to let your passion for your work show and do whatever needs to be done.

2) Rex became the main newspaper headline.

What I am getting at here is that Rex was the main person that appeared in all of the headlines, articles, blogs, TV stories regarding the Jets. Rex was outward and outlandish in his dealings with the media. Some saw this as him being arrogant, along with other terms, but what this really said to his team was that "I have your back." Rex took the limelight so that no one player from his team had to. He told the media he would be "SHOCKED" if they lost, and the more and more that Rex praised the team, the more the team bought into it. Surely now, if the team were to lose, the ball would rest in Rex's lap which I believe is the sign of a true leader.

It was all about Rex Ryan and the Jets. Not, {insert specific star player here} and the Jets. Similarly, employees in business do not want to have their backsides always against the fire. Leaders who can understand ways and benefits of taking some of the heat off their employees are much more coveted.

3) Rex went the extra mile to show appreciation.

Not long ago,I heard a story on the radio about how Rex Ryan sent the recent game-ball(the football used in the most recently won game) to the father of the NY Jets offensive coordinator. The radio personalities were discussing how smart of a move this was for Rex to make. They expressed, "just wait and see how much Rex will get out of them now", meaning that his actions are sure to spawn into fruition down the road.

Rex proved with this move that he not only appreciated what his staff could do for him now, but they would do for him in the future. He wanted to set a foundation of appreciation and admiration for his hard working staff. This tactic is something that all leadership in all facets of life should be thinking about

In closing, Leadership is everywhere, but strategic leadership is not. If we are to determine which tactics of leading a team is the most effective it is not unfeasible to look in unlikely places, such as the National Football League. Leadership itself must be analyzed to see if it has been effective. In the business world, this can be more challenging. But from the outside looking into a world where winning is king, great leadership is obvious.

For more ideas on leadership or to get your copy of the Getting To Someday Success Journal, please contact Gary Gzik at ggzik@bizxcel.com

Shayne Gowers is a multimedia developer for BizXcel Inc. A Loyalist College graduate of the Advertising program, as well as the Digital Production program, Shayne blends his skill sets together and lends support to BizXcel Inc. with effective communication and technical mindset.