One day before Navy’s midshipmen took the field against Army, one of the school?s legendary players took the podium to share insights about leadership with Baltimore’s top business executives.
Navy and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach was among those speaking to a packed ballroom at a Downtown Partnership event Friday afternoon. Joining him was Baltimore Ravens President Dick Cass, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, Laura Gamble, president of Bank of America in Maryland, and Damien Davis, Major League Lacrosse player and research analyst at Brown Capital Management.
“I think the good leaders?really give a darn about someone other than themselves,” Staubach said. “Life is like an HOV lane, you?ve got goals and you want to get there as fast as you can, but you?ve got to take someone with you.”
Staubach has found success off the field as executive chairman of The Staubach Company, a real estate advisory firm with 1,500 employees in 65 offices, including Baltimore, serving more than 3,000 clients. For the fiscal year ending in June, the company reported 7,280 transactions totaling $28 billion and 200 million square feet of real estate.
Plank is no stranger to success, either. A former University of Maryland football player who developed a shirt to enhance on-field performance, Plank has grown Under Armour into a $600 million per year business.
“For me, athletics was all I knew about business,” Plank said. “There?s great trust that comes from being in sports, great trust that comes from being in business. Trust that you?re doing your job and he?s doing his, but you?re not afraid to help.”
Cass said heads of smaller organizations often lead by example while those in larger organizations sometimes lead by direction. But in any organization, he cautioned against an emphasis on internal or external competition.
“I think competition is essential but it?s there also has to be mutual respect,” he said. “Without that mutual respect and sense of common purpose, it can break down a company very quickly.”
