Why Implosions Effect Your Leadership
The Atlanta Fulton County stadium, originally built in 1965, costing $18 million, took just under a year to build. And it took 27 seconds to bring it down with close to 1,250 pounds of dynamite and 350 pounds of charge. The explosives sent an estimated 140 million pounds of concrete and steel plummeting to the field the Atlanta Braves and Falcons once called home. The stadium was mighty in size and reputation, seating 60,000 people and hosting 32 years of Atlanta history—it’s where Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home-run record and the Beatles played their only Atlanta concert—toppled down like dominoes, the steel falling in a vast circle one right after another. The demolition was actually an implosion; the stadium collapsed from within.
The reality is that the same thing can happen to our reputation as a leader. It can be damaged or ruined in just a few seconds, and it doesn’t matter our size or reputation. We can implode from within by making poor choices that lead to bad actions or simply using the wrong words.
Take Timothy as an example. He was an amazing worker and quickly gained a supervisor’s position. Daily he put in the extra effort, he was a problem solver, and his attention to detail was prized. His crew respected him, his boss esteemed him, and his company saw a bright future for him. That is, until he imploded. It was ugly. It was loud and damaging. He let the internal pressure inside his head build up. Then he exploded on his boss and caused major damage to that relationship. It cost him his position and the hard-won trust from his team, peers and especially with his boss. In time, a very long time, and many long action steps, he was restored, but it was a major detour in his career.
As leaders, we lead by example. We set the tone and temperature of our team through our choices, words and actions. One thoughtless action can lead to losing credibility with our team, losing influence with our co-workers and undermining everything we have worked so hard to achieve. All the good work a leader has done, all the extra attention to detail, all the training and investments in others can be damaged with a single bad decision.
The stadium was once hailed as a modern achievement to attract world class professional sporting events to Atlanta. In 1996 the Olympic games were hosted in Atlanta and several sporting venues were played in Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. I attended the last baseball game in the stadium during the Olympics when team USA played Japan. I was also there the day the stadium came down in 1997. The site now serves as a parking lot.
There is a popular motivational poster that says “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become habit. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” Leaders, watch your thoughts, words and actions. Cultivate them daily.
