Behind the Screen

By Ernie Johnson Jr.

I’m going to be totally honest with you. I’m not exactly sure what leadership is. I’ve seen it before, admired it and wondered if I could do that. To me it’s not unlike standing in a museum, looking at a priceless painting, admiring it and wondering that if I had a blank canvas, paints, creativity and imagination, maybe I could come up with something that has folks staring at it, finding some deep meaning in certain strokes and color combinations.

Artists and leaders share some common ground. Some are simply born that way. It comes naturally. Others have a passion for it and train tirelessly to hone, refine and perfect the craft. Still others see a need for their work, a void to fill, a space where they can make a difference and leave a legacy. It’s the art of leadership.

As I venture down this rabbit hole of defining what makes a leader, I come face to face with myriad questions. Am I a leader? Do the people I work with look to me for guidance? Are the decisions I make self-serving, or are they rooted in positively impacting those around me? Does my family look to me as a pillar of strength, a captain who stands resolutely at the helm of his ship and whose confidence remains unshaken when the placid waters of everyday life turn unexpectedly turbulent?

Am I perceived as a man who seeks to right injustice, who senses opportunities to provide mercy, encouragement or a listening ear? Or am I a man who sits back and hopes that someone else will fill that need? Can you be a leader in some respects but a follower in others? While your job title would suggest a position of leadership, are you exhibiting the traits of a leader? Are you a leader but don’t realize it?

I’ve been in the broadcasting business for 45 years, a sportscaster for the last 40. That seat, whether it’s behind the desk of a studio show or behind the microphone calling sporting events, has provided me with a unique view of leadership styles. I’ve had countless conversations with athletes, coaches, managers and front office executives—all of whom have developed their own distinct ways of getting the most out of those they are leading.

I’ve encountered just about every leadership style imaginable from those calling the shots in my workplace. Let’s be honest, if you’re anything like me, you can trace your work history and find leadership you admired and some you struggled with. You’ll find natural born leaders who have time-tested effective ways of relating to those under them, and others who were thrust into a position of having to learn on the fly.

Some are tyrannical in their approach, while others are so low key that you wonder if they’re actually in charge. To me, the most effective leaders have found their way to a middle ground, demanding and stern when they need to be, but never at the expense of encouragement, trust and empathy.

There are certain traits I consider to be vital for effective leadership, no matter the style in which they’re exhibited. Leaders are courageous, resolute, compassionate and understanding. They lead by example. They are available, not operating behind a curtain of mystery. They are unimpressed with their titles, aren’t fueled by awards and recognition. They are keenly aware that not every good idea has to come from them; they encourage and reward input from those around them.

They go about their business with what may seem like a paradoxical marriage of confidence and humility. It’s a beautiful thing—a snapshot of how C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, describes a humble man: “He will not be thinking about humility. He will not be thinking of himself at all.” Or, as Rick Warren writes in The Purpose Driven Life, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.”

Leadership skills viewed in that light are enhanced and not diminished in the least. And with humility comes a recognition that leadership is actually a way to serve those you are leading. There is a power in that which supersedes any title affixed to your name.

One of the most effective leaders I’ve ever encountered in my years at Turner Broadcasting is the long-time producer of our show, Inside the NBA. Tim Kiely is an Ivy League graduate with an uncanny knack for knowing what makes a television show work. He is fun-loving, self-deprecating, focused, demanding and excels at hiding the fact that he’s probably the smartest person in the room.

That’s rare. I’m reminded of what Dallas Willard once said: “One of the hardest things in the world is to be right and not hurt other people with it.” There are legions of television producers who have never heeded those words. They take the “producer” title as a license to let everyone know that they are in charge of every aspect of the show, including every idea on how the show will be run.

To his credit, Tim has never bought into that thinking. He has a million great ideas but is always encouraging every member of the show’s production crew to come up with a million more. The way he humbles himself says, “I don’t have all the answers—I need the rest of you to make this work.” It’s bold, and it unifies the group.

That is leadership.

The end result is that every member of our crew, from those of us you see on camera, to every person behind the scenes, doesn’t just feel like they’re a key cog in the machinery of Inside the NBA, they know it. So, when the show receives recognition for excellence, it is recognition of every member of the team, no matter the role they play. Tim Kiely has proven to me that leaders are courageous and that their effect on others is contagious.

Let me go back to a question I posed earlier. Am I a leader? Frankly, just attempting to answer that makes me uncomfortable. If I say yes, it feels arrogant. If I say no, it feels like some combination of false modesty, being disingenuous or lazy or shirking responsibility. The better question would be, “Do I want to lead?” And the answer would be absolutely.

I have listened time and again to a recording of one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last sermons titled “The Drum Major Instinct” in which he acknowledges the desire so many people have to be considered first and best—the drum majors at the front of every parade. For some, Dr. King points out, it means having the best car, the most money, the top of the line this or that. His encouragement in that sermon was for people to aim higher and focus on being first in the things that truly matter, and that came in serving others—to be as he said, “a drum major for justice, for peace, for righteousness.”

With that in mind, the question is, How can I carry out that desire to lead in areas of significance from the position I find myself in as a sportscaster? Often, in my case it comes down to recognizing opportunities when they present themselves, and most importantly to remain true to your beliefs and values and not try to safely say things that you hope viewers want to hear. Although Inside the NBA, featuring former players Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal, is a basketball show at its core, it has proven through the years to be about more than that. We have made a habit of speaking out on current events, from presidential elections and police brutality to the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and COVID.

In 2016 we discussed on our show the election of Donald Trump. I viewed that as a leadership opportunity, to verbalize how I was processing what was a shocking result at the polls, and to not shy away from my true feelings. I explained that I couldn’t bring myself to vote for either candidate—Trump or Clinton—but had cast a write-in vote, pointing out that we all have responsibilities to make our country better “by being fountains and not drains.”

I said that, from one election to the next, “I’m not sure who will be in the Oval Office, but I always know who is on the throne.” And I chose on that night to express my Christian faith: “I follow this guy named Jesus; you may have heard of Him. And among His teachings is to love others and to pray for our leaders.” I had no idea at the time that over the next 48 hours that clip would be viewed by millions upon millions of people on social media. That was not the objective; it’s simply what happened.

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police in 2020, and the protests by athletes during the national anthem, I told viewers on our broadcast that “you can love the American flag and revere the American flag, but you can’t use the American flag as a blindfold” for the problems we have in this country that need to be addressed.

The platform I’ve been given in the course of my career has also provided an avenue for hundreds of speaking engagements. Those too are times of opportunity to speak on things of substance—how my wife Cheryl and I have embraced the process of adoption, the challenges of raising special needs children, dealing with a cancer diagnosis, encouraging people to find the value in others. Those are all examples, voiced to an audience of television viewers or face to face in front of groups, where I feel the pull of the drum major instinct, and where if I am true to myself, I can speak from the heart.

Does that make me a leader?

That’s not for me to answer.