LOU GEHRIG: THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES’ “TEAMWORK, TONE, TENACITY” (T3) LEADERSHIP LESSONS

Lou Gehrig sadly passed away on this date 1941 at age 38.  One of the greatest players in Major League Baseball history, he was the first in the sport to have his number (4) retired. Lou died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).  ALS is now known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”  Lou personified selfless service to teammates, incomparable optimism battling terminal illness and dogged determination to perform as well as he could as long as he could.  His inspirational leadership style emphasized: 

  • TEAMWORK:  More important than his Hall of Fame statistics, Lou was Captain of six Yankees World Series championship teams in the 1920’s and 30’s.  A servant leader, Lou took great pride in being a Yankee and always put the ball club before self.  He notably helped influence and manage big egos like Babe Ruth on a world famous franchise and made the tough decision to place himself on the bench knowing his declining performance was hurting the lineup. Lou was incredibly humble.  Even after given the honor of batting cleanup behind Babe Ruth on the great Yankee teams, he ensured his fans knew, ”I’m not a headline guy. I know that as long as I was following Ruth to the plate I could have stood on my head and no one would have known the difference.”    Pride and Humility are at different ends of the virtue spectrum, but Lou combined the two better than anyone in professional sports.
  • TONE:  His modest, upbeat farewell address at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, while dying from ALS, is one of the greatest sports speeches in history.  “ … Right now, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth … I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for.”  Lou died less than two years later.  Mayor LaGuardia ordered all flags in New York City to be flown at half mast in his honor. 
  • TENACITY:  Lou earned the nickname “Iron Horse” for his durability and 2,130 consecutive games played over 14 seasons.  He took the field with injures and illness many times but always ensured the team came first.  Lou’s consecutive games record stood for 58 years until broken by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995.

The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is given annually to the MLB player who best exhibits Gehrig’s integrity and character.  June 2nd is now MLB’s ”Lou Gehrig Day,” chosen as the anniversary of the date he first entered the starting lineup for the Yankees and the date of his passing.  Whenever I’m asked during a keynote presentation about some of the best examples of “T3” leadership, I always include “The Pride of the Yankees,” Lou Gehrig. 

– Rear Admiral Paul Becker, USN (Ret) is a leadership professional.  He is a leadership professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and the CEO of The Becker T3 Group, a platform for his motivational and national security keynote speaking. A former Naval Intelligence Officer, he’s successfully led large, diverse, high-performing teams afloat and ashore in peace, crisis and combat.  In 2016, The Naval Intelligence Community established “The Rear Admiral Becker ‘Teamwork, Tone, Tenacity Award for Leadership” in his honor.

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