You Should Want Employee Leaders Who Are Like Cam Newton

Here’s why.

Cam Newton, quarterback of the Carolina Panthers and the NFL’s 2015 Most Valuable Player (MVP) is a polarizing personality. With his recent, consistent success, his fans have much to cheer for. He’s a media dream for reporters, social media and news networks, offering enough story angles to almost guarantee high-volume traffic to any outlet that covers him.

Yet, MANY people despise him. Though they are passionate about their stance, some can’t even explain why they don’t like him, unless you think “there’s just something about him that rubs me the wrong way” is a reason.

There is a race component to the negative feelings about Newton. And undoubtedly an envy component to it, too: he’s handsome, fashionable, 6’5, uber-talented, under 30 and a cool cat — he’s got swag!

But let’s not concentrate on any of those things. Instead, let’s focus on the skills and traits that he brings to his JOB. Newton has many of the qualities that you should look for in a leader. What’s more, he KILLS it on execution — something your company is spending valuable recruiting dollars to find.

What can we learn from Cam? Here are a few reasons why’d you want someone like Cam Newton as an employee in your company.

1. He’s enthusiastic.

Whether an event is positive or negative, Cam doesn’t hold back. He lets himself FEEL it (one example being that end zone dabbing).

Although some people view his behavior as arrogance, watch his fans and teammates at that moment. You’ll see that they mirror his emotion!

People like to follow leaders who are authentic. Taking a moment to celebrate accomplishment is an important and significant part of the process. The same is true when something is negative. A leader who says, “This sucks! I know you must be disappointed. Let’s talk about what to do next,” leaves the employee feeling validated and capable of finding a solution.

The value of enthusiasm isn’t just for individual leaders. It’s about the tone the company uses to communicate, as well. Which would you rather hear as an employee?

“It was a disappointing first quarter for us. We had some losses and the product recall will have some long term negative impact.

Now we’re looking forward to improving. We will be holding a Town Hall next week to discuss some new expectations. Prior to the meeting, please share with us: What ideas do you have to help us get back on track?”

“Our first quarter closed with a significant loss. We will have a Town Hall meeting to discuss the repercussions and new expectations for our employees.”

In the first scenario, you will get more employees engaged in the process because they will relate to the emotion and real-talk. The second example sounds like corporate-speak for “no one’s getting a raise.” Which do you think will get more employees to show up and pay attention? Review your corporate communication and see if there’s a way you can add some emotion to better reach employees.

2. He’s a leader of his peers.

Cam has a never-give-up, go-hard-or-go-home attitude. His approach makes others want to be better. Both his teammates and his competitors spend time trying to determine how to keep him out of the end zone. How to beat him. This need to better Cam results in an improvement in everyone’s performance.

Being a young man, Cam’s sensibilities are uniquely millenial. It’s no secret that millenials’ work styles are different when compared to previous generations. And Cam is no exception. To those who struggle to appreciate the millenial-style, his behavior and style may be considered unorthodox. His results are not.

This is something to consider in your company. Are you missing out on your future leaders because they don’t exhibit behavioral traits in the way that you expect?

The next time you’re in an Apple Store, take a look at their employees. You might see a black kid with a head full of dreadlocks, the bearded hipster and the mature tech nerd with whiry hair standing up in every direction.

Apple welcomes employees who match the values of Apple and they end up with a mix of employees that look and act like, guess who? Apple customers. And you won’t find more fanatic fans than the Apple fan.

It may be ok that you don’t understand a personality like his. But if your EMPLOYEES do, you’d better figure out how to engage his type within your organization — and that doesn’t mean trying to force him to follow the guidelines you learned to respect when you entered the workforce in 1985. No matter the style, if his performance and results match the values of the company and contributes positively to the bottom line, it should be welcome.

3. He DGAF.

Cam doesn’t care what people think.

Sure, this doesn’t make him easy to manage. And, it means that you’ll have to make sure that his values align with your organizations CORE values (read: not your personal values) or else it’ll create an alienating situation.

But, if you need tough news delivered; you need the salesperson who won’t give up when he’s been told no by a client; or you want the middle manager who keeps going when absolutely nothing is going the right way, you need a Cam type.

4. He delivers results.

The best employee leaders deliver results on the things that matter. He led his team to a 15–1 season and trip to the Super Bowl. And he was MVP.

5. He’s got room to grow.

Cam’s a modern man. He’s informed, educated, well-dressed. He tells great stories. He’s the type of person that you would be happy to sit in front of a client.

Yet, he has much to learn. One of the criticisms about the 2016 Super Bowl was less about his performance on field and more about how he behaved after the loss. Although he congratulated his counterpart, Peyton Manning, he was surly with the press.

You want employees who still have room to grow and are willing to do so. These are the people who can help bring your business into the future. And winning counts at work too!

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