Olympic CEO Talks Leadership For Terry Leadership Series

The University of Georgia – Terry College of Business recently hosted UGA alumnus and former Atlanta Olympics CEO Billy Payne at a Mason Public Leadership lecture this November.

Payne introduced a unique approach to leadership in his lecture, stating upfront that a belief that success means rising to the top of the ladder.  Instead, Payne said: “Often I think that following, not leading, is the key to a successful life. It can produce the greatest personal satisfaction and reward.”

Payne, who served as CEO for the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, today serves as the chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the annual Masters tournament. Despite his massive success today, Payne told the UGA community that it can all be traced back to a life-changing conversation he had with his wife, when she told him that he had given up friendship for competitiveness.

“I was making a mistake of always equating winning with leadership, and by doing so, sacrificing future successes that depended on the efforts, skills and collaborations of others,” Payne said.

After that moment, Payne focused on finding a balance between taking the lead and deferring to the leadership of those he could learn something from. “I can promise you absolutely, unequivocally, that the Games were won and successfully executed not because I was the leader, but because immensely talented people chose to follow me,” he said. And it appears that this approach worked well for Payne—to this day he remains the only person to continue as president and CEO of the Olympic Games after leading the city’s winning bid.

The Mason Public Leadership Lecture is part of the Terry Leadership Speaker Series and is made possible through a grant by Keith Mason, lawyer and UGA alumnus.

regions: Atlanta

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