During my sixteen years of playing football, it was said many times that “big time players make big time plays in big time games.” In football there is a huge difference between those who ‘play football’ versus those who are ‘football players’.
The same is true in business. Anyone who says that sports and business are different… never wore a jock strap.
There are a lot of people who ‘play football’.
They practice with the team. They suit up for games. They talk trash to opponents from the sidelines and encourage teammates who are in the game. Many are what we called “Practice All-Americans” –- practice superstars.
However, if you put them in the game, they become very cautious, indecisive, and completely lose their swagger. Their approach is to ‘not do anything that would cause the team to lose the game.’
Football players are, in short, ‘game changers’… leaders!
They are the players who grind it out every play. Take their share of lumps each and every game. Play hurt. They’re the ones who “step up” and make the plays that make the difference in the outcome of the game.
They are visionaries, mentally tough, consistent, perform well while under stress, ‘respond’ versus ‘react’ to adversity, responsible, decisive, are not motivated by fear, can be trusted to do what’s best for the team, lead by example, and challenge those around them to excel at the fundamentals and ‘raise their game up’.
Their mental approach in games is always to ‘play to win.’
Which player best characterizes you?
In today’s challenging economic environment, it’s easy to cut corners because — goals are high, your employer wants you to do more with less, competitors keep gunning for your best clients, and clients are demanding that value be given up front… not added later.
What’s been your response? Are you sharpening the knife or the saw?
If you’ve run to the sidelines just so you can CYA (Cover Your Buttocks), blame, point fingers, or draw lines in the sand… I’d suggest paying a visit to the Wizard. (Just ask for A LOT of what the Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man requested.)
With an ever increasing trend towards the expedient… families, business, society, and government are all starving for true leaders… those who have the courage to step up and make those tough, but wise decisions that will make the difference in the long-term positive outcome of our families, companies, nation, and personal lives.
Seth Godin issued a call to the next generation leader in his book Tribes. In it he says that “we need you to lead us.”
In football terms, it’s time for the “big time players to step up and make big time plays in this big time game!”
