Famous leaders who didn't win

[Note: This article was originally published in my Friday5 tip sheet. -MAC]

Leadership success is evaluated in many ways. Some feel the primary criteria should be personal values such as empathy.

Others think that a strong leader should be a winner. But perhaps winning isn't everything.

George Washington was not a particularly good General, but he helped win the Revolutionary War with a?Fabian?"strategy" -- a gambit that mostly involved not quitting.

Explorer?Ernest Shackleton?is celebrated for leading three expeditions to the Antarctic. But he's lauded not so much for what he achieved -- indeed, all of the trips failed to attain his primary goals -- but for safely leading his men through perilous circumstances.

Ty Cobb and Ted Williams were two of the top baseball players in history. Both led their sport in important batting stats. But neither was able to help their team win a World Series. They still led their teams, yes?

Maybe their respective team managers are responsible for not winning a championship.

How important is "winning" in the game of leadership?