Mark Donovan, president of the Kansas City Chiefs, told community members and Kansas University School of Business students Wednesday night to be humble, aware leaders at the 46th annual J.A. Vickers Sr. and Robert F. Vickers Memorial Lecture series.

Mark Donovan, president of the Kansas City Chiefs

Business School Dean Neeli Bendapudi said the lecture, which drew about 300 people, honors the Vickers family donors and has grown to be one of the most important events the Business School sponsors. Previous Vickers speakers include Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and U.S. Sen. Robert J. Dole.

“This has become the lecture to be invited to,” Bendapudi said. “If it wasn’t for the generosity of our alumni, lectures like this would not be possible.”

Donovan has worked within the National Football League for 17 seasons, including seven with the Chiefs. He spoke about lessons he’d learned in leadership, encouraging future and current leaders to focus on “eulogy virtues” instead of “resume virtues.”

Donovan said that eulogy virtues are “kindness, bravery, honesty and valuing positive relationships.” Resume virtues, which Donovan admitted he’d had in various points in his career, are “wealth, fame and status.”

“I cannot stress enough the importance of (eulogy virtues) as a leader,” Donovan said. “I ask you to be aware of your surroundings, learn from what’s around you and to lead with eulogy values.”

Donovan said he’s seen the power of eulogy values like humility and positive-relationship building at various times throughout his career, notably with Chief’s head coach Andy Reid. Donovan attributed the Chief’s recent success to the 2013 hiring of Reid, who Donovan said leads with trust and honesty.

“One of the best people at getting people to do great things is Andy,” Donovan said. “This guy gets players to work as hard at the beginning of the year as they do at the end of the year when you don’t have a chance at the playoffs.”

Reid does this by getting the team to “trust in each other, believe in each other and to do the greater good,” Donovan said. Donovan said Reid tells players each year he will never call out and criticize individual players in the media and that they “can trust (him) that (he) will take the hits” if they are honest with him.

Donovan said that “it’s more important to our organization to have the trust of those guys in the locker room” than to put the players in the media.

Further, Donovan said he’s learned that even the smallest actions of leadership are powerful. Donovan told a story of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and his fan experience team’s tour of Arrowhead stadium when Goodell stopped mid-tour to pick up a piece of trash on the ground and throw it away. Donovan later asked Goodell about it and learned a valuable lesson.

“Roger told me, ‘If I stop and pick up that trash, what does it teach my team? Part of leading by example is being aware,'” Donovan said. “That was the first time I learned that those little things you do as a leader have a great impact.”

Now, Donovan said he learns all of the names of his employees, makes eye contact and greets fans, helping to create a friendly environment for fans and workers at Arrowhead.

Additionally, Donovan said that if it were not for strong leadership valuing respect and humility, the NFL as a whole may not have been able to overcome recent controversies that stole headlines. Despite those controversies, Donovan said, the NFL’s success grew in the 2014-2015 season, with revenue increasing by $1 billion.

“Where we’ve been this year and where we could go with our brand was leadership,” Donovan said. “I ask you to lead by being aware of your surroundings, learn from what’s going on around you and lead with eulogy values.”