Fortune Magazine put together a list of today’s 50 greatest leaders and in a list consisting of people from all walks of life including, Pope Francis I (number 1), Apple CEO Tim Cook (number 33), and the Dalai Lama (number 9). Fortune Magazine tabbed our Yankee captain as number 11 on the list.
As he begins his 20th and final season in pinstripes, Jeter remains that type of role-model player that even a Red Sox fan must grudgingly respect. it’s not the five World Series rings he’s won or his team record for career hits. in a steroid-tainted, reality-TV era, Jeter, the son of two Army veterans, continues to stand out because of his old-school approach: Never offer excuses or give less than maximum effort.
It is enough of an honor that Fortune Magazine decided to name Jeter to this list, but Fortune felt Jeter was the only athlete deserving enough to make this list. Jeter has always been viewed as an above average player, but as far as his skill level goes, he has never been the undeniable best. That’s not what made him great. The thing that made Jeter great is a word that is so often associated with him: The intangibles.
Jeter was able to come into a starting role on the 1996 Yankees in his rookie season and by half way through that year, he was leading the team straight up to their first World Series title since 1978. Jeter did not relinquish that leadership role and in June of 2003, Jeter was named the 14th captain of the Yankees and has held that title for 11 years making him the longest tenured yankee captain.
It’s a great honor for Jeter to be named to Fortune’s 50 greatest leaders list, but it is also very much deserved.
