I love The Biggest Loser. It’s an unexpected favorite–this is the first season I’ve watched, and I’m sure it was initially by accident. But maybe since my P90X journey began, I feel solidarity with these folks who are working their guts out (like me). But get ready for the plot twist: this post isn’t about exercise…or television, it’s about leadership.

Anyone who has seen the show knows that the trainers are ‘brutal’ to these pudgy contenders. Their job is to make couch potatoes shed weight like it’s dog hair in summer. They are good at their jobs. They understand that they are not workout coaches. They are people developers. Most of the show focuses on the workouts and challenges, but my favorite moments are when Jillian or Bob take someone aside to break down whatever mental or emotional walls that helped them pack on the pounds in the first place.

There are all types of personalities. Some are wonderful human beings. Compassionate, real, and sincere. Others are harder to like. Others play dirty, cut others down, and work from a selfish agenda. I don’t like these ones much, and I am not proud to say, I like to see them implode, fail, and go home. Serves ‘em right.

But, tonight, I saw something that gave me pause (and made me wish I was a better person). The ‘villain’ of this years season was self-destructing. (I grin at the thought of her elimination). But Bob didn’t quit on her. He didn’t turn her over to herself. He didn’t let her have what she deserved…he’s a people developer. He knew that she could become not just thinner, but better.

The best leaders know that they are people developers. The best people developers don’t give people over to their vices. They don’t turn away, or let go, without first entering that difficult moment of confrontation and presenting a new possibility: ‘You can be different. You can be better’. They open their hearts, and they extend their hands.

Tags: leadership

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 11:24 pm and is filed under pop culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.