March Madness leadership lessons

  • Published
  • By Maj. Erik Rudiger
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Command Post chief
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  As a casual basketball fan, the beginning of March means it's time for me to start paying attention to college hoops. This year the University of Kentucky is the consensus number one team heading into the tournament. The UK Wildcats are a traditional powerhouse and often find themselves near the top of the rankings but they have had some lean years as well.

In 1992, Duke beat UK in the Elite 8 in what is considered one of the greatest games ever played in any sport. The stars of that game were mostly on the Duke team and UK had one super-sophomore. However, there were four Wildcats that few have heard of outside of the Bluegrass State. When UK was caught cheating and hit with heavy National Collegiate Athletic Association sanctions a few years earlier, four lowly touted freshmen decided to stay through what they knew would be the storied program's lowest point.

As sophomores and juniors these four men went 27 and 33 but during that time they set the tone, along with their new head coach, for what the program would be in the future. Though they lost their last game on Christian Laettner's buzzer beater the UK fans dubbed the four seniors the "Unforgettables." None of them would ever go on to the National Basketball Association, however, the week after their last game all of them had their jerseys retired for their loyalty and leadership.

In the four of the six years following the "Unforgettables'" graduation Kentucky went to the Final Four winning a National Championship twice. Though the teams that followed were more talented it was the foundation of integrity, hard work and loyalty that led to the ensuing great years.

When I think about the best leaders I've been around, two of the things they all have in common is they lead by example and they never seek the credit for their unit's success.
Having their jerseys retired at UK was probably beyond the wildest dreams of the class of 1992. For most of their time in the program a post season was not even possible due to the sanctions. All the time they put into practicing and the classroom was about making their team and themselves better.

As an Air Force leader we can apply these principles at any level. No matter who you are or what you do someone is watching you perform your job every day. From what I see around me, Airmen are phenomenal examples to each other. All of us are placed in formal leadership roles at some point but our chance to lead begins the day we put on the uniform. I'm inspired daily to go the extra mile when I see the Airmen I'm privileged to lead go above and beyond routinely with no thought of receiving notoriety. Leadership by example is not rank or position dependant. You never know who you may inspire by simply living Air Force core values every day. Take the opportunity to lead those around you by example and you too will be unforgettable.