Tony Stewart’s title says a lot about a lot

Billy Johnson

Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011 | 4:20 a.m.

There are ways to win championships, and there are amazing ways to win championships.

Tony Stewart’s push to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship was, in the least, astonishing. He made the post-season without having won a race. Then he won five of the last ten races. In Homestead’s finale, he won the final race after passing a total of 118 cars while coming from the back twice.

So you’re not a race fan? It doesn’t matter. Because while Stewart’s Sunday drive annihilated barriers of how exciting 43 cars turning left should be on television to a casual observer, it is cause for pause for anyone who might appreciate what leadership may look like.

Move this story from the arena of sport to the arena of business and Stewart’s feat takes on a different, impressive glow.

Stewart is just the third individual to have ever won the Sprint Cup championship as owner of the team for which he drove, one of them being Richard Petty. This notion is staggering in today’s economy and in an industry with such a limited port of entry.

Imagine Mark Cuban suiting up for the Dallas Mavericks. Fathom Kobe Bryant owning the Los Angeles Lakers and becoming the “person of ultimate authority.” Imagine either of these guys doing both sides with astute competency.

Of course one could argue that a so-called team sport is a different animal than one that involves a seemingly single performer. But any team requires its members to do what they are hired to do and know their individual roles, and all teams need leadership.

The talent is the talent. In Stewart’s case, the obvious talent is driving really fast without being caught by the blades of the blender. Now add all that comes with owning and operating a team to that radar; dozens of specialized skill sets and personalities, creating the right strategic partnerships and selecting the right people to share in the leadership objectives are just a few.

Years ago in my independent baseball days I was told by Joe Klein, the former general manager of three Major League teams, that I had a problem with my field manager. I asked how he knew.

“It’s his body language,” he said.

He asked if I would let my team’s manager lead me if I were playing. He told me to watch how the players respond as he talks to them. Notice how he holds his arms, his head. That’s all Klein needed to see. He was right.

As a Formula One fan in Stewart’s garage at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway a couple years ago, I peered under the hood of Stewart’s car and asked a crew member, “Where in the world do you find that extra tenth of a second on an oval as opposed to a road course?”

His answer was — and remains — unprintable. But the answer was a proud one, and telling as well. In three words, one sensed this affable crew member summed up how the team felt about its leader.

Obviously, no one knows what dynamics really inflict any organization. But the biggest challenges are always driven by people. Being able to understand that not everyone is as committed to a mission as another and not letting dissention get in the way are key.

But in competition results are public. Stewart completed his unforeseen championship run in a drive that is comparable to Larry Bird stealing the ball or Magic Johnson’s eyes lighting up just before he took over a game — because of the team, and for the team.

Stewart gave his employees cause to make his championship possible. In a sport where the compensation of championship-caliber talent provide no incentive or desire for them to put their own names on the teams for which they drive, Stewart took it on.

And later this month, Stewart says, he’s bringing all 160 of his employees to Las Vegas to celebrate, and it can be said they will all be happy to follow him here, too.