Brian Dawkins, the best safety ever to wear an Eagles uniform, talked about leadership during his Friday interview with Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic, which was to discuss his Football Hall of Fame semifinalist nomination.
When asked about his definition of leadership, he simply said “To Serve.”
He went on to discuss aspects of his philosophy that sounded a lot like the basics of Servant Leadership, documented by Robert Greenleaf in his 1970 essay The Servant as Leader. In the essay, Greenleaf states “the servant-leader is servant first... It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.”
Dawkins talked about being direct with his teammates and asking questions like “Is there anything going on with you?” and “Can I help?” He discussed how he “always tried to be respectful of people’s space.” He sounded like someone who spent a lot of time getting up from his locker and checking in with others.
Dawkins played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1996 to 2008, drafted in the second round after playing at Clemson University. As we all know in Philadelphia, he was the fan favorite of that team, exhibiting drive, tenacity, skills, and teamwork like none other.
In the interview, Dawkins continued with his need to always give his all while expecting more from his teammates: “I’m giving everything that I have; I’m never going to ask you to do anything that I won’t do or haven’t done.”
He was demanding of both himself and his teammates: “The greatest word in my vocabulary is accountability. The greatest thing a team can have in addition to character is accountability. I want you to get away with nothing.”
Currently working in the Eagles scouting department, Dawkins talked about the Eagles teams under Coach Andy Reid simply by saying a “Village is built over time,” and that each person needs to be accountable to himself, his teammates, and his responsibilities.
Dawkins was named All-Pro six times and made nine Pro Bowls. He was both the first player in NFL history to record a sack, an interception, forced fumble, and touchdown reception in a single game and the first player in NFL history to record at least 30 interceptions and 30 forced fumbles.
He also talked about how he develops as a person.
“I grow the most in depth from the tough experiences in my life. When I was going through tough experiences, I grew much greater than anytime I was having success in my life.” He ended his thoughts with “It’s virtually impossible to truly grow in comfort.”
There is no one right way to be a leader, but what Brian showed me in his interview is that clear communication and honest self-awareness of what you believe in will go a long way in having the people around you accept you and your leadership style.