Tom Brady and the Act of Signing Autographs for Teammates
By the time future Hall of Fame Quarterback Tom Brady was nearing retirement, he was famous even among his new teammates on the Tampa Bay team where he played his last three seasons. Believed to be the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) at the quarterback position, even his fellow NFL colleagues were in awe of his record and status.
In the empty locker next to his, teammates would leave various photos, shirts, and memorabilia in the hopes Brady would sign them for their friends and family. Brady never disappointed. He was happy to place his signature on whatever item was left for him and with a note to whoever his teammates directed him to write to. He often spent hours signing the mementos with one idea in mind.
Beyond being a good guy and teammate, Brady knew a secret of motivation and inspiration. Making people look special in the eyes of their friends and family inspired them and created a bond between him and each player which would last for years.
That he would go out of his way to offer his autograph to whatever was left for him to sign was a signal to the friends and families of his colleagues. It said loudly that his teammates were held in high esteem by him. In the eyes of those on the receiving end of the mementos, they didn’t just think highly of Brady. They now knew the special status of his prized teammate.
Making others look special or influential in the eyes of those they care about creates a connection between leaders and teammates that can’t be easily broken. While no one would explicitly ask to be made to look special or influential, when leaders elevate the specialness of team members or colleagues in the eyes of others, they inspire them in a way nothing else can. People will do anything they can for a leader who goes out of their way to hold them up and to position them as special to others.
When was the last time you made someone you work with look that special?
I love this behavior - "he knew a secret of motivation and inspiration. Making people look special in the eyes of their friends and family inspired them and created a bond between him and each player which would last for years."
It they're that special, then let people important to you know that in many different ways. This is a very powerful for their motivation.
There are people around you that are critical to your success behind the scenes, so go deeper into who is around you to expand the credit of your success to include them.
Expand your experience by sharing with them how they are important or involved in your life, to those who are important to them. Signing his autograph did this in spades!
Good morning,
I enjoyed learning a new acronym this morning.
If one is in a role with some variation of "leadership" in the title; it is merely good business/branding to build others up. One way (there are many) is what Mr. Brady did/does. Another thing that perplexes me is why people act so surprised when people want to make a difference (most people do). Even people with psychopathology will look out for their friends and/or business (to a degree). There's a chemical release when we do something nice. What (in my experience) truly makes an experience is sincerely giving a sh*t. The Gen-Zs have impressive b.s. meters. For those of us on the frontlines this merely means doing our job, looking out for our team, and thanking our customers (in organizations very few, if any, get to actually initiate a charitable cause). What we all can, realistically, do is pay our ten percent to charity (if we can afford it;).
Thank you for your time.