Difference between Selfless and Selfish Leaders

I find this picture hard to accept, as you can clearly see John Terry, in his Chelsea kits, just to the right of the cup.

Interestingly enough John Terry didn’t play in this game, he was actually injured.

After the game was over he changed into his kit to join the team in their celebration, as did many other players however, those other players didn’t put their kit on.

In my opinion as John Terry didn’t play, he should have had the good grace to leave the players who’d actually won the trophy to celebrate.

As a member of the squad he is entitled to a medal, but other squad players who won medals but didn’t play, they collected their medals in their suits and they left the players who won the game on the night to celebrate in their kit.

I think it was a selfish act, he wore the kit as though he had played in the game even though he hadn’t, which takes some of the credit away from those who’d won the trophy on the night.

This wasn’t the first time that he did this either. Last year when Chelsea won the Champions League Trophy he also changed into kit to accept his winners medal, even though he didn’t play in that game either. This time he had been suspended for foul play, after being sent of in the semi-final against Barcelona.

He had been sent of early in the game for a stupid challenge which left his team mates with a mountain to climb. His play didn’t help them get through to the final, in fact it almost cost them their place in the final.

I compare his acts with those of Roy Keane.

In 1999 in the semi-final against Juventus, Manchester trailed by 2-0, Roy Keane was booked, which meant that if by any miracle Manchester won through, then Roy Keane would not play in the final.

From the moment Roy Keane was booked, he took the game by the scruff of the neck, inspired all of those around him and put in what has often been hailed as his greatest performance ever.

Against a midfield of  Edgar Davids, Didier Deschamps and Zinedine Zidane, Keane not only dominated, but score one goal and laid the platform for two others ensuring that Manchester had a miraculous win that saw them through to the Champions League Final.

Without Roy Keane’s contribution Manchester would not have been in the Final, a final they went on to win 2-1 against Bayern Munich.

Here is the Manchester team celebrating their win, Roy Keane is nowhere in sight, even though he was instrumental in them coming back from the dead to win the trophy.

He didn’t play in the game, so he didn’t change into his kit to celebrate.

As true leaders we need to be selfless, not selfish, it’s not about us.

John Terry clearly doesn’t see it that way, even though he didn’t play, he wants his share of the credit. Which in my opinion is the definition of a selfish leader.

What are your thoughts, do you agree with me, or do you think Terry was right to change into his kit to and celebrate with the other players even though he didn’t play.

Gordon Tredgold

Leadership Principles