7 Things Leaders Should Know When They Have Been Put On The Bench

If you have ever been unappreciated, demoted, marginalized, talked down to, insulted, or put on the bench, this post is for you!

The natural default mode for leaders is to lead.  This is because leaders have a vision.  It burns in their heart because this vision is a picture of a preferred future.  All other visions are simply not as good.

So how should leaders handle it when they can not lead?  What should you do if you are regulated to the second chair or even lower on the bench than that?  How can you avoid becoming bitter or cynical?

Before I give those thoughts, let me remind all leaders to never confuse position with influence.  Just because you do not have a title does not mean you lack significant influence.  It doesn’t mean you do not have the capacity to do incredible things.  It does not mean that God is still not working in your life.

Now on to the key learnings:

One of my favorite leadership articles was a November 24, 2006 Sporting News feature on back-up quarterbacks.  ESPN’s Trent Dilfer, the best football analyst on television, was backing up the San Francisco 49ers Alex Smith at the time.  Here is what all leaders can learn from the brilliant Dilfer on how he handled not being the starter:

1. Many Leaders In Backup Roles Were Once In Higly-Effective, Highly-Visible Positions - Dilfer was the starting quarterback on great teams in Baltimore and Tampa Bay.
2. Loyalty And Support Are Vital – Dilfer says, “Lots of backups are posers, guys who say they are rooting for the starter but behind the guy’s back, they are saying to anyone who can hear them that they can do a better job.”
3. Diffuse Gossip – Dilfer continues, “A starter struggles and a teammate tells the backup, ‘We have to do a better job against the blitz and the starter is not cutting it.’ The backup has a choice; he can say, ‘Yes, I would do it better,’ or he can be a man and say, ‘Everyone has to pick it up and help out the No. 1 guy.”’
4. Use Your Influence To Improve Chemistry – Dilfer understood the incredible capacity for good that a backup leader has.  They can support the current leader which improves overall team chemistry.
5. Build A Relationship With Your Leader – The relationship between Dilfer and former Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselback was very productive.  Hasselback credits Dilfer and his counsel with saving his career.
6. Do Not Force Yourself On The Leader – When Dilfer arrived in San Francisco, he stated, “I am not going to force myself on Alex.”
7. Smart Leaders Take Advantage Of The Leaders On Their Team – When Smith began to lean on Dilfer, his performance dramatically improved from his rookie year to his sophomore one.

Leaders, do you find this post convicting?  Is there behavior that needs changing?

If you are in a senior leadership position, do you need to share this post to someone?  More importantly, do you have a talented person on your team that if you leaned on them, it would improve your performance?

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