Kirby Smart is in the process of building a dynasty for the ages in Athens, Georgia after capturing the first back-to-back national titles of the College Football Playoff era.
As powerful as that is, a story Smart shared at the podium during SEC Media Day shined a light on just how much the head coach of the defending national champs is just like the rest of us.
Smart shares that he and his family took a vacation earlier this month, and upon returning to the office he was taking care of some things around his desk when he came across an old sticky note.
All of us use sticky notes to jot something down that struck a cord with us at that moment in time to reflect on and be reminded of later, and Smart is no different.
Except, on this sticky note was a reminder that "smacked him right in between the eyes" and serves as a great reminder of not just what leadership is, but perhaps more importantly, what the cost of leadership is.
"Anyone can tell you the benefits of great leaders. Anyone can tell you what it looks like. They can tell you what leadership can do for you. They can tell you how to develop leadership, and there are a ton of books written on great leaders and leadership."
"But what you won't see, and what you will never see is about the cost of leadership, or the cost associated with leadership."
"If we truly want to be honest and upfront about leadership, you can't ignore the cost of leadership. Great leaders are willing to accept those costs, and I want to share, quickly, three of those things."
"The three of those costs that were plastered right behind my desk that caught me between the eyes last week were;
#1: You will have to make hard decisions that could negatively affect people that you care about.
#2: You will be disliked, despite your best attempts to do the best for the most.
#3: You will be misunderstood, and won't always have the opportunity to defend yourself."
"Those are the three costs that come with being a great leader."
"The reason I share those, these three costs are exactly what the three players we brought from UGA represent. They don't fear those costs. They've accepted those costs and they embrace those costs and it is not hard for them to see the benefit of those costs as the leaders of our team."
Back in February of last year, Nick Saban shared how people today are more apprehensive about being a leader than perhaps any other time in human history.
Considering how social media has created a generation craving approval at a clip we've never experienced before as a society, perhaps Smart's sticky note reminder is valuable insight into why.