As a member of Northwestern’s inaugural women’s soccer recruiting class, Christina Kosmowski faced a tough start. The Wildcats won only three out of 21 games during her first year. In her sophomore year, her coach named her captain because, she says in this episode, “my coach saw that I was furious by losing so much that I was going to figure out whatever it took for us to get into a winning position.”
The coach was right about one thing: she was so upset about losing more than she ever had in her life that she worked tirelessly on her own development. “I just upped my training,” she recounted. “There’s no room for mistakes. I became more technical on the ball, and I was relentless in my training. So I returned in the fall and was ready to go.”
There was just one problem: her teammates didn’t get the memo. She was the only one who upped her game. And, in a gesture that showed how much of a true leader she was, Kosmowski didn’t get mad at them. She apologized to them for not bringing them along with her.
“It was a real point in my life where I realized I cannot go at this alone,” she said. “I did not bring my team with me. We did better my sophomore year but still weren’t where we needed to be.”
But Kosmowski’s turn from me to we leadership marked a turning point for her team, and in her junior year, the Wildcats went to the NCAA tournament. It also furnished a life lesson for Kosmowski herself, one she continued to apply as an executive in high technology, including leadership roles at Salesforce and Slack before taking on the role of CEO at LogicMonitor, which helps companies monitor, manage, and maintain IT infrastructure.
At LogicMonitor, Kosmowski continues to find ways of engaging her team regularly in the company’s top priority of improving customer satisfaction, which she believes starts with understanding her and her leadership style. Listeners seeking to engage their teams more fully will enjoy her varied and sometimes humorous approach to communicating this mission-critical knowledge, including:
"Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
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