I’m lucky to have picked up some useful knowledge in my career about effective leadership and the development of executives and boards of directors. Much of what I learned came from a couple decades of work as a consultant in which I helped literally hundreds of executive leaders and boards when their companies or organizations wanted to accomplish something ambitious. Or get themselves out of hot water.

And some of what I learned along the way came from less conventional places. That includes a particular two-year period in which I was the elected commissioner (in other words, president) of the National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL). In some really interesting ways, the lessons I learned in that very busy volunteer role turned out quite handy in my career a few years later when I accepted a C-level job. This is how.

My motivation to share

It would never have occurred to me to share this story were it not for my buddy Andy McCallin, who a few years ago was under consideration to be appointed by a governor to a district-court judge vacancy.

At the time Andy was a state assistant attorney general, so he had some fancy friends. He collected letters of recommendation from people like a former U.S. Senator and former Cabinet Secretary.

And me. He wanted a letter from me explaining how his experience as a leader in our local LGBTQ flag football league had prepared him to be a judge. He was required to supply perspectives from not only other legal experts but from his community.

#leadership #management #lgbtq #sports #leadership-development