The story of NFL coach Chuck Pagano, his fight against leukemia and the lifetime of impact he’s had on people around him continues to inspire me.
Reggie Wayne, one of Pagano’s players with the Indianapolis Colts, was interviewed after a career-high game that he had dedicated to his coach. Wayne has known Pagano since 1996 when they met as player and coach at the University of Miami.
In the interview, Wayne said two things about Pagano:
“It’s family. It’s not a coach and player. I know his family. I know about the kids. I know about the dog. We’re not blood, but I look at him that way.”
“He’s the type of guy that you would do whatever you have to be on his side.”
Click here to watch the interview of Reggie Wayne and his comments about Coach Chuck Pagano. I don’t know about everything Pagano has done throughout his career, but I do see the impact and influence he has had both on people he has been close to and people who barely know him. On top of that, the teams (think organizations) have been very successful.
This clearly comes from a lifetime of investing in others instead of creating thick walls between personal life and work life. By setting this example, Pagano has successfully created environments where others have the freedom to be themselves, and are respected for that. These are happy, healthy, productive places to work.
As the expression goes, “You can’t please all the people all the time” but you can create an environment where those you lead can flourish and do their best work.
Check out my post 6 ½ Ways to Energize Your People for ideas on where to start. In the meantime, consider these questions:
- What is holding you back from blurring the lines between personal and work?
- Who in your life would you do anything for? What behaviors did that person exhibit that made you say that?