Friends, it has been a little more than a month since I last posted a Monday Morning Mojo. At the recommendation of a close friend, I decided to write monthly, to spend a little more time contemplating the world around us to bring light to stories, articles and other things that inspire.

For this month’s posting, the topics of Legends, Legacies and Leadership have been top-of-mind.

Legends

In September, I spent time contemplating the lives of notable legends who recently passed away. Dikembe Mutombo, 58, a 7-foot-2-center from the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of them, who made his mark among the best defensive players in the NBA during his time. Mutombo played for six teams during his 18-year NBA career, including the Denver Nuggets, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Houston Rockets, to name a few. Many friends I know mourned his loss, crediting him with helping to pave the way for African players in the NBA. Certainly, his influence throughout Africa for his success during this time cannot be understated. For me, however, I didn’t know Dikembe for his prowess on the basketball court, as much as his influence in the communities he cared about. I had the delight of meeting him a few times as part of the Special Olympics, the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. In his retirement, Mutombo was very actively involved in the Special Olympics movement, and he made time to help further SO’s mission of inclusion. I remember meeting and chatting with him at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, both of us accompanied by our families who also participated. He was always most approachable and gracious, and I remember this more than any defensive play he ever made.

Another legendary athlete, who was much more controversial, passed away last month, at the age of 83. Pete Rose, also known as “Charlie Hustle,” was among the most famous Cincinnati Reds baseball players ever died on September 30. Rose won the World Series three times during his baseball career, was known as one of the greatest hitters of all time, and still holds the record for most hits during his career at 4,256. Following an illustrious 23-year career, Rose went on to become a Manager of the Reds, a job he held for two years. Unfortunately, how he left the game is as famous as his more than two decades as a player, after being penalized with permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while he played for and managed the Reds. Since being banned by the MLB for life, Rose campaigned for more than three decades to be included in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, a distinction many people also believe he deserves.

I don’t have strong views for or against Rose’s induction into the Hall of Fame, however, what I do remember and I think is worth celebrating, is the true competitiveness, grit, hard work and hustle that was very much a part of his character, and I appreciated him more for this mindset than anything else. Thank you, “Charlie Hustle,” for the memories.

Legacies

Both Mutombo and Rose leave legacies behind unique to them. For Mutombo, it was the path he paved for Africans and the model citizen he served in his retirement. For Rose, it was his true grit and commitment to hard work and the harsh consequences of breaking rules.

I thought a lot about legacies last month, after being reminded of how the Nobel Peace Prize was created. For those who don’t know this story, or possibly forgot, Alfred Nobel was the person behind the creation of The Nobel Prize. He was an inventor, entrepreneur, scientist, and businessman, who left much of his fortune to the prize in his 1895 will. Nobel believed that people could improve society through science, knowledge, and humanism and that the prize would reward discoveries that benefit humanity.

What is not so well known is that Alfred Nobel was also the inventor of dynamite. He created this by mixing nitroglycerin with kieselguhr, a fine sand, to create a paste that could be shaped into rods. Dynamite and his invention of the blasting cap, a detonator that could be set off by a fuse, helped reduce the cost of construction projects at that time. What also is lesser known is that a French newspaper mistakenly published his obituary while he was still alive and branded him as the “merchant of death” for inventing dynamite. Nobel was so deeply disturbed by this it was believed to have inspired his decision to establish the Nobel Prize to ensure he would be remembered for his positive contributions to humanity.

In terms of leaving legacies, I remember a conversation I had with my former boss at Ogilvy Public Relations and now good friend, Matthew Anderson. Matthew shared with me what he believed to be a real mark of a leader. He explained, it is not the current or subsequent year by which a leader should be judged, but rather evaluating someone’s leadership capability at the end of a five-year horizon. He intimated this is the proper amount of time to determine the full impact of the people, products, systems and structures that the leader establishes and implements. Decision-making in organizations then, and now, is so burdened by short-termism, I appreciated the conversation about taking a longer-term view to judge a person’s leadership capability.

Leadership

Matthew’s advice brings me to the topic of leadership and certainly shaped my beliefs of leadership today. I was reflecting on this conversation – nearly 23 years-ago — in a discussion I had with a colleague recently. This colleague was exhausted by people in his universe, who were “coasting”, bad managers and just focused on managing up in his organization. It also reminded me of one of my favorite speeches on this topic, given by Shelly Lazarus, former CEO of Ogilvy & Mather, decades ago. Shelly spoke about “Everyday Leadership,” and it is a fantastic read for anyone interested in the topic of leadership today. That speech is here for your reading pleasure.

Everyday Leadership – Shelly Lazarus

Thinking a bit deeper about leadership, it is hard not to be consumed by what is happening in the world today. Whether it is the US election, the situation in the Middle East, or the economic, political and social challenges in China/Asia, there are many things to worry about that take real leadership to solve. When I think about such challenges, I look for inspiration from people who help me think more broadly about the world around us. Kevin Kelly, the Co-Founder of Wired Magazine and according to his title, the current Senior Maverick of Wired, is one of those people. He talks a lot about the topic of “Optimism” which is most inspiring when thinking about the challenges ahead of us. I am sharing one of his Ted Talks here (shared also in the Monday Morning Mojo dated July 2^nd, 2023) in case you want a little inspiration for the month ahead.

Thanks all for being part of this community. There are many inspiring stories about legends, legacies and leadership out there, and I would love to hear about them from you. Please don’t hesitate to share. Have a great week ahead.