A year later I received a text from him that he was named the head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They loved his positive leadership and needed a leader like him to lead their team.
Last night Sheldon's belief and leadership lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to their first playoff series victory in 20 years.
Whether it’s the Cubs, Red Sox or Maple Leafs we often hear about curses and droughts but curses are meant to be broken and droughts are meant to give way to rain.
Leadership is a transfer of belief and whether it's Dabo Swinney, Dave Roberts, Sean McVay, Alan Mulally, Jamie Kern Lima, or Sheldon Keefe, we see how a leader and team that believes together breaks the curse of past failures, tunes out pessimism and doubt, tunes in hope and optimism, and breaks through to create a new story, a fertile mindset and a fruitful harvest.
Belief is not always easy. Especially when your circumstances don’t give you a reason to believe and your critics, naysayers and negative thoughts are louder than the positive voices in your head.
But it’s during these moments that you have to keep believing in what’s possible, keep sharing your belief with your team, keep building the culture, keep implementing the principles, keep working to get better and keep being a good person.
The character and person you are during the drought is what people remember during the harvest. So don’t let your circumstances cause you to be a jerk or negative leader. Keep being a positive leader and good person.
It’s a lie that nice guys finish last because I’ve seen so many nice men and women finish first. People want to work for and root for a good person. And it’s why so many people, including me, are rooting for Sheldon Keefe to keep winning.
Kyle Lang posted on Twitter "I had the pleasure of sitting next to him that day at the leadership training and have been a fan of his since then. He talked to everyone at our table as if all of our jobs were just as big of a deal as his. Truly cared about people and not just the profession."
Come to our next positive leadership training this week in Nashville or a future one. You never know who you'll be sitting next to or the amazing results you'll create with the power of positive belief and leadership.
-Jon
