MESSAGE FROM LHM SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT PRESIDENT STEVE STARKS
BE A STUDENT. BE A TEACHER. BE A LEADER.
“Be a student. Be a teacher. Be a
Leader.” In your time with the Larry H.
Miller Group of Companies, you have
likely seen or heard these words. This
invitation to learn, teach, and lead
is extended to all of the 10,000-plus
employees of the Larry H. Miller Group
of Companies—regardless of title,
tenor, or role. Our willingness to follow
these words will help ensure both our
individual growth and the long-term
viability of the organization as a whole.
When I joined the organization almost
a decade ago, I was impressed by the numerous opportunities to
learn about the history of the organization and the principles and
practices that have built it. It was also
great to see Mr. Larry H. Miller himself
model effective learning, teaching, and
leading. Mr. Miller was a student of history
and business and relished the opportunity
to teach others.
I recall one afternoon in 2008 when
Mr. Miller invited a large group of us into
his office and taught the importance of
making wise decisions in difficult economic
times while remaining optimistic and
positive. This was particularly relevant
as we were just entering the “great
recession” and Mr. Miller knew that much
of the organization had not experienced a
challenging economic environment.
In this program, the participants will learn through case
studies, guest speakers, and collaborative assignments on
topics ranging from financial management to marketing
and analytics. Like the automotive group’s MBA program,
we will refine and improve this leadership institute over
time and will extend it to include as many participants as
possible in future sessions.
In addition to these formal leadership programs, there
are endless informal opportunities to learn and grow
through our many conversations and interactions with
each other and those we do business with. In fact, the
best leaders don’t depend exclusively on formal programs
for their own development and learning. The best leaders
ask questions, share what they have learned, and explore
ways to continually improve, innovate, and grow.
THE BEST LEADERS
ASK QUESTIONS,
SHARE WHAT THEY
HAVE LEARNED, AND
EXPLORE WAYS
TO CONTINUALLY
IMPROVE, INNOVATE,
AND GROW.
To further foster learning, teaching, and
leadership, the organization has added
several formal training and development
programs. The automotive group started
the Miller Business Academy (MBA), which
has since been renamed the Institute for
General Manager Development, over a decade ago. Recently we
launched the Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment Leadership
Institute with the goal of perpetuating the mission, vision, and
values of the organization.
Guiding Principle #2: Be a student. Be a teacher.
Be a leader. Gail Miller stresses the importance of
continuously learning, teaching and leading. There is no
limit to what you can learn if you consider that the world
is your classroom. Sharing what we have learned makes
us all stronger and better equipped to move into the future as new
opportunities come our way. The next natural step to learning and
teaching is becoming a leader. Gail said, “Being a leader is about
continuous improvement; seeing not just what is, but what can be.”
Some of the best learning and
teaching lessons come from failure.
How we deal with failure and what
we learn from it will help determine
how successful we are. When we
have done our homework, been
collaborative, and pursued a course
that ultimately failed, then we should
check our assumptions, analyze
what went wrong, and learn how to
proceed based on the results.
This “post-game analysis” will
provide tremendous learning
opportunities that can result in more
refined strategies and experience. In
the organization, we often refer to
learning from our failures as “tuition,”
meaning that we paid a heavy
price, so we should learn from the
experience and become even better
and more confident because of it.
As we continue to be students, teachers, and leaders, we will preserve the entrepreneurial spirit
of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. We will also
find more fulfillment and growth in our personal lives. WS
Discussion ideas for managers, leaders, and teams:
1. What’s the best advice or lesson you learned from a
teacher, supervisor, manager, or coworker?
2. What new skill or education/training would help you
improve at work? What steps can you take to learn or
acquire those skill(s)?
3. What can your department do to become better
students, teachers, and leaders?