Heads Up

 
My football team lost yesterday...again.  As my wife and kids can attest, I get into football.  My daughter often reminds me that the players can’t hear me when I rant at the television.

Replaying the game in my mind, I made an interesting observation.  My frustration with the game was not so much the broken coverages, the dropped passes, the lack of offense, etc.  What really got me was the way the quarterback (and others) hung their head when things were not going well. 

Now I know it is easy to play “armchair quarterback”, but even I know that when the head goes down, defeat is at the doorstep.  Energy and hope ebb away.  What the other players need is for the leaders to have their heads up, fighting until the end, not giving up.

As these thoughts rolled around in my head, another thought came to mind.  Maybe why I was so frustrated with the “head down action”, is that I was seeing myself in the mirror.  I don’t face blitzing linebackers or dropped passes.  My challenges are unbalanced budgets, unmet expectations, tough decisions, sick kids, unexpected bills....the list goes on. 

At those times, whether I am leading an organization, a family, or a company, my response to the pressure or near defeat, will impact those I lead.  If the head goes down, so does the spirit of the team.  If the head is up and focused on the challenges, the team just might believe there is a chance...hope returns.

Where’s your head today?

Comments

[Ami Dean]

Needed this today Tim. :)