Remembering John Madden

On Tuesday, the football world lost an icon when former Oakland Raiders coach and legendary broadcaster John Madden passed away at 85. Few have made as significant an impact on the sport.

At just 33, Madden became the head coach of the Raiders — leading the franchise to an astonishing seven AFC title games during a 10-year span. He won a Super Bowl in 1976 and would go on to win 75.9 percent of his games, the highest win percentage of any NFL coach with a minimum of 100 appearances. When he left the sidelines, Madden transformed both the sport and the broadcasting industry with his unique communication style, in-depth knowledge and great enthusiasm for what was happening in front of him.

From the field to the booth, Madden demonstrated incredible leadership prowess — possessing an uncanny ability to simplify the complex. Through his choice of words and his voice inflection, he gave even casual viewers a practical and substantive football education. While his audience was undoubtedly learning, viewers never felt they were being taught — a crucial leadership distinction. Fans revered Madden because he made the many nuances and intricacies of football fun, entertaining and, above all, digestible.

Madden was truly the master of the second component of leadership: Management of attention. He explained concepts in detail using various methods to keep his audience engaged — and he always made fans want to come back. He was never bored, and as a result, neither were his viewers.

As leaders, we recognize our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. We are battling the rapid development of technology and the overflow of easily-accessible information.

It’s imperative that we, like Madden long before, use multiple methods to convey our messages and our plans. We can believe we’ve explained a strategy perfectly and that everyone has heard it, but if no one actually listens or processes what we said, the onus is on us.

As we read and listen to the many poignant tributes pouring in for Madden, let’s not forget his greatest strength lied in his ability to uniquely communicate his observations. We as leaders can carry on his legacy by focusing on how he successfully engaged his audience while contemplating ways we, too, can better instruct.

As a leader, Madden taught football every Sunday in his own way. We must do the same in our own respective fields.

Rest in peace, Coach.