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THE 3 Cs BEHIND GREAT LEADERSHIP
Leadership is a skill that is learned, practiced, developed and refined over time. We can all become better leaders by tapping into the unlimited power of collaboration, confidence, and creativity.
Sports history is full of stories of underdogs rising to the occasion. Remember how Greece beat heavy favorites Portugal in the UEFA EURO final in 2004? Rewind even further, and you’ll recall the ‘Miracle on Ice’ with the U.S. men’s hockey team winning gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Why do some teams manage to achieve the impossible? How do certain entrepreneurs build unicorn start-ups from scratch?
The answer lies in good leadership. We’re tempted to explain success with All Star players, but a single MVP won’t win you the game. You need a team of versatile talent and great leadership to tie it all together and steer the team to success.
A balanced leadership style takes practice on an individual level, but organizations need to learn, too. Practice creates consistency and consistency gets you results. This is the not-so-secret formula of any high-performing team – on and off the field.
Why leadership development needs guidelines
Imagine you have a field, a group of players, and a ball in front of you. Does this mean you also have a game? No. The game begins only after the sidelines are painted on the field. The paint marks the boundaries. It provides the parameters within which to play the game.
In an international setting, this means creating a shared global language that transcends countries and cultures, offering a common vocabulary for leadership development.
How leadership affects culture
As a leader, you first need to understand and appreciate your role in affecting your company culture. Leadership builds and fosters culture, and culture drives the behavior of employees.The way employees behave influences the success of the company strategy, and eventually results.
When the leadership team is not in the office, it’s culture – reinforced by individual employees – that’s running the business. In the end, then, as a leader you’re influencing the entire company culture through your leadership skills and behaviors.
Leadership is not management
Chances are, whatever your age or expertise, you’ve experienced the difference between a manager and a leader. Managing is admin work; making sure the day-to-day tasks are getting ticked off. When you’re being managed, do you feel productive? Do you feel inspired?
Motivation comes and goes, but inspiration keeps people engaged. A balanced leadership style inspires, preparing your team to tackle any challenge. This translates into productivity and results.
Only after you’ve chosen to develop your leadership skills can you inspire others. Leaders need followers, but followership alone is not enough. It’s about getting buy-in for a shared vision, creating a leadership legacy through collaborative, confident, and creative behaviors.
A good place to start is to consider how you are living and role modeling the desired leadership behaviors in your organization. To support your self-reflection and development, we interviewed three adidas leaders on their experiences.

Kasper Rorsted
CEO, adidas

Kate Woods
Senior Director, Running, adidas Western Europe

Lisann Costello
Senior Director Brand Communications, adidas
Ready to become a leader?
Leaders need to be mindful of their behaviors in all situations. Though contexts change, a clear framework provides a roadmap for leadership development.
Continue to our quick check-in below and follow the recommended path, focusing on either collaboration, confidence, or creativity, to support you on your leadership journey.
Share your leadership commitment below and become accountable for it.
CHECK-IN
IDENTIFY YOUR BIGGEST LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
The statements in this check-in capture core leadership behaviors. Every leader will weigh them differently, at different times.
To get a personalized recommendation on which leadership behavior you should focus on right now, rate the statements according to your current context.
We’ll also provide you with resources to support you on this leadership-journey.
Return later for another check-in.
Your Result
You should focus on Collaboration first.
Honing all the Cs is essential as you aspire to be a better leader. Based on your replies, however, you should pay special attention to Collaboration. Enjoy the journey, and return later for another check-in.
You should focus on Confidence first.
Honing all the Cs is essential as you aspire to be a better leader. Based on your replies, however, you should pay special attention to Confidence. Enjoy the journey, and return later for another check-in.
You should focus on Creativity first.
Honing all the Cs is essential as you aspire to be a better leader. Based on your replies, however, you should pay special attention to Creativity. Enjoy the journey, and return later for another check-in.
You should focus on Collaboration and Confidence first.
Honing all the Cs is essential as you aspire to be a better leader. Based on your replies, however, you should pay special attention to Collaboration and Confidence. Enjoy the journey, and return later for another check-in.
You should focus on Collaboration and Creativity first.
Honing all the Cs is essential as you aspire to be a better leader. Based on your replies, however, you should pay special attention to Collaboration and Creativity. Enjoy the journey, and return later for another check-in.
You should focus on Confidence and Creativity first.
Honing all the Cs is essential as you aspire to be a better leader. Based on your replies, however, you should pay special attention to Confidence and Creativity. Enjoy the journey, and return later for another check-in.
You should focus on all the Cs.
Honing all the Cs is essential as you aspire to be a better leader. Based on your balanced replies, you should pay special attention to all three: Collaboration, Confidence, and Creativity. Enjoy the journey, and return later for another check-in.
You should focus on all the Cs.
Honing all the Cs is essential as you aspire to be a better leader. Based on your balanced replies, you should pay special attention to all three: Collaboration, Confidence, and Creativity. Enjoy the journey, and return later for another check-in.
Start exploring the following section:
Great leaders master all behavioral areas and shift their focus as
the situation changes.
Find concrete action steps summarized at the end of each section.
Check-In
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These wallpapers, action steps, and statement cards will help you hold yourself accountable.