Leadership Thoughts from 'Draft Day'

I went into 'Draft Day' hoping for something akin to 'Moneyball' and was not disappointed. Kevin Costner plays the GM of Cleveland Browns who is pressed by his owner into making a costly trade for the #1 overall pick in the Draft. Everyone agrees that a particular Quarterback is far and away the best in the draft, however Costner was set on a Middle Linebacker with a devastating pass rush, and his Coach was set on a running back with deep roots in Cleveland who would take the pressure off the good quarterback already in Cleveland. On top of all this, Costner learns the day before that the girl he has been seeing secretly, who is also the analyst in charge of the salary cap for Cleveland, is pregnant. So, here's the few thoughts.

1. Leaders take responsibility. When he announces to the team that they have the #1 overall pick, Costner acknowledges that they have not scouted the QB as well as they should have. "That's my fault, that's on me. But we're going to get it done now." He settles the issue and moves to address it. Similarly, he pulls aside his cap analyst and apologizes for not having the right reaction to her pregnancy. "I'm sorry I didn't get all excited and start talking about what color we were going to paint the baby room. I didn't respond the way you needed me to and I was wrong". He doesn't try to pin the blame on her, or explain it away. He acknowledges his failures, and then moves to correct them.
2. Leaders are not door mats. While he is quick to accept blame for his own failures, he does not give everyone else a free pass. When Cleveland's current QB trashes his office, frustrated by the apparent snub of being replaced, Costner does not apologize or try to be understanding, but puts him in his place. On Draft Day, the GM's responsibility is to acquire the best players for the team, not mentor and manage current members. When Costner finds his scouts looking at pictures of the QB in the Draft with his girlfriends instead of doing research he does not apologize for the culture he has created or for not providing oversight. "I am working very hard to not loose my shit on all of your right now, and you are making it extremely difficult." Leaders carry much of the responsibility, but they should not try to carry the responsibility born by their subordinates.
3. Good leaders know when to push their subordinates and when to let them work. Cleveland's owner can be debated, but I believe he made two decisions that helped Costner succeed. First, he impressed on him the importance of making a 'splash' in the draft, and then toward the end of the film, he shuts up when Costner tells him "give me five minutes and then if you don't like what I've done you can fire me." Sometimes the boss has to be the fire that gets his people moving. Without his involvement, Costner would have drafted the MLB at the 7th pick, instead of getting two great 1st round players. The owner never anticipated what Costner would do, but he provided the impetuous for Costner to be great. 
4. Good leaders know how to gauge intangibles. A lot of people said that Costner 'went with his gut' when decided not to draft the top QB. But he didn't. He found ways to gauge the things few other people looked at. 
1. He evaluated response to failure. By watching how the QB reacted to getting sacked, he saw someone without guts, who got rattled easily when things broke down and someone who focused on not getting hit over executing the plan.
2. He evaluated honesty. By looking at how the QB responded to the 100 dollar bill test and how the answered tough questions, he saw someone more concerned with appearances than dealing with reality.
3. He evaluated people skills. By looking at how the QB worked with his team mates, Costner saw someone who had red flags among the people who knew him best. 

If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it. Leadership is, in part, a study of people, which is what 'Draft Day' ultimately comes down to; How does someone near the top of an organization work with, motivate, and evaluate members and potential members of the organization. Know your people, and you will be a good leader.