Luongo and Leadership

When he’s on his game, Luongo is a formidable goaltender, no doubt about it. He’s a wild predator around his crease, with stealth reflexes unparalleled around the league. But, athleticism aside, sometimes I feel that he still has some things to learn about leadership.

Luongo is good at giving credit to others especially when he knows that the majority of it rightfully belongs to him, and is quick to place the blame on others when he fears that he may be the one predominantly to blame. I take it we can all see that there is something slightly distorted and disingeneous in this – especially when it concerns the art of leadership.

Lao Tzu said something to the effect that he who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.

I think Luongo still needs to get a little mightier.

A leader, it seems to me, knows himself – he has taken the time to survey all that his nature presents in strength and weakness and moulded it into one authentic self. While I saw this authentic self in Linden, I’ve yet to see it completely in Luongo. I don’t really see someone who has managed to incorporate his own weaknesses into his judgments about his own play and the play of his team. A leader does not lead by letting others know they’ve let him down, but rather, by letting others know he’s let them down – especially when he has

Leadership is a difficult skill precisely because of the kind of honesty, courage and self-examination it demands of its practitioner.

Once Luongo gets a handle on this aspect of himself, we may have a mighty leader on our hands.