A Commitment to Excellence

By Jim O'Brien
Head Coach, Indiana Pacers

Leadership is a quality that I have thought about since the first time someone recognized it in me at an early age. It is a topic that I take very seriously, and I am always looking to improve my leadership abilities. Leadership is not an innate quality. I do not believe there are born leaders. Some people are lucky to grow up in an environment that nurtures leadership qualities at an early age.

Whether leadership comes to you naturally or not, it is something that can be improved upon on a daily basis, at any age. When I was 30 years old I became a head coach for the first time. I took over a team that had not won a single game in its conference the year before. It was a daunting task – and one that called for a confident leader. I had always considered myself a leader, but this was the first time I was confronted with a challenge that seemed almost insurmountable. Frankly, if I could not turn this program around, it was very possible that I would have to consider changing careers. This was frightening to me because I was passionate about coaching as a profession and had already invested eight years of my life in this line of work.

In my first couple of weeks on the job, I read a quote from Vince Lombardi, who to this day is considered one of the great coaches of all time and a powerful motivator and leader. Lombardi stated, "The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to his or her commitment to excellence, regardless of their field of endeavor."

I had read this statement before, but for some reason the words jumped off the page this time. I knew this type of thinking contained the ideals that I needed to be the leader that could transform others.

But I had a problem: I did not have a clear definition of excellence. If excellence was the standard, what was the standard of excellence? What did excellence look like? More importantly to me, what did excellence in leadership look like?

I went on a frenzied look for a definition of excellence that could be a part of my own personal mission statement on leadership excellence. After an exhaustive search through much literature involving the topic of excellence, I found a simple but profound statement of excellence from a chicken farmer named Frank Perdue. Perdue had built an excellent and highly profitable company. Perdue said, "Excellence is the unlimited ability to improve the quality of what you have to offer." Bingo!

Twenty-eight years later, this definition remains the foundation of my personal view on leadership. Any team or group that I have led since that time knows I believe that our success is directly proportionate to our commitment to excellence and that we all, as part of a group, have the unlimited ability to improve what we have to offer every single day.

One might ask: offer to whom? First and foremost, you have the unlimited ability to improve and nurture yourself. You have the obligation to improve yourself on a daily basis. I have never met a top notch leader who was not a good person. It is almost a contradiction to think one can be a good leader without taking the time and discipline to improve oneself on a regular basis. People will follow a leader whom they believe tries to master himself or herself.

The people you lead must also know they have the responsibility for their own personal development. As a leader, you must challenge your team members and instill in them the notion that they have unlimited capacity to serve those closest to them outside of your business.

It is vitally important that your group’s lives outside your business are ones of growth. Every member of your team has the ability on a daily basis to offer one another respect in all its forms. The leader’s respect for the people in his or her personal life, as well as those in the group, is constantly being evaluated by your group.

You as a leader must challenge your group to view every day as one that is limitless from the perspective of serving those whom your mission statement challenges you to serve. This is the key to growing your business, as there are literally hundreds of opportunities for your team to show your clients/customers they are valued.

Lastly, you must be a total authority in your area of expertise. You must have mastered your particular area and, at the same time, be personally open to others’ ideas regarding your area of expertise. After all, a master never stops learning.

Jim O'Brien, who joined the Indiana Pacers as head coach in 2007, has more than 30 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels, including serving as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. In addition to coaching, O’Brien dedicates time to the local community, supporting organizations that combat homelessness and empower persons with disabilities. The Philadelphia native earned a Bachelor's Degree in Management and Marketing from Saint Joseph's in 1974 and received his MBA from the University of Maryland in 1981. O'Brien and his wife, Sharon, have three children: Jack, Shannon and Caitlyn.