The conventional perception of a leader is someone who carries a certain status or holds a particular office: captain, coach or manager of a sports team, CEO, or other executive in a company. Those positions certainly place people in leadership roles, but anyone in any position in any organization or unit can be a leader. The Leadership Code explores that unconventional notion of personal leadership and blends it with the conventional perception by telling the journey of Paul “Whitey” Kapsalis–who grew into leadership roles in sports, business, and other areas of life–and through the observations of people he encountered on his path. He calls them exceptional everyday leaders.
The authors’ approach starts with philotimo–a Greek word that roughly translates to pride in doing the right thing, but encompasses a much broader philosophy akin to servant-leadership. Philotimo reflects a pride and motivation based in a humility that values others above oneself. It also begins with a commitment to yourself and a decision to be a leader who cares more about those around you and overall results than individual acclaim; a leader with heart. It can be as simple as leaving a place better than the way you found it or as significant as changing culture.
In this concise book, you’ll read about the different places in life where leadership presents itself: in a family, in sports, in parenthood, in business, in friendship, and in your community. In each of those instances, the authors emphasize that it doesn’t matter what place you occupy. What matters is how you occupy that place. That message is communicated by sharing Paul’s story and the stories of others, and the lessons learned in those stories.
