10 Realities Leaders Who Miss Expectations Must Deal With

Have you ever missed expectations as a leader?  Sure you have.  The question is not whether a leader periodically misses expectations but rather are they continually missing expectations and why?

Today, Louisville Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater conducted an individual workout in front of dozens of NFL coaches and scouts in preparation for the upcoming NFL Draft.

ESPN’s marvelous team of Todd McShay and Ron Jaworski felt he had a poor workout and significantly missed expectations.  NFL teams interested in Bridgewater may now have more questions than answers.

The following are 10 Realities Leaders Who Miss Expectations Must Deal With I gleaned from McShay and Jaworski:

1. People Notice Leaders Who Miss Expectations – There were six NFL coaches in attendance.
2. Leaders Who Miss Expectations Often Fail At The Fundamentals – Jaworski said, “When you studied the tape he struggled with accuracy.  He struggled with velocity on the deep throws and sideline throws.”
3. It Is Worse For Leaders Who Miss Expectations When They Have Everything They Need To Be Successful – McShay added, “The quarterback (always) outperforms what you see on tape.  There’s no defense.  There’s no pass rush.  You’re in shorts and a t-shirt and it’s a scripted workout you’ve been working on for 30-40 days with your wide receivers.”
4. Leaders Who Miss Expectations Often Focus On The Wrong Things – McShay went on, “It’s in his head. (Maybe) he’s working on some of the footwork things that I’m not sure he should be working on.  He should be working on weight transfer.”
5. Leaders Who Miss Expectations Have Other Leaders Waiting To Replace Them – One of the cold realities of leadership is there are always others who think they can do a better job than you can.  The individual conducting the interview noted. “There’s not a lot of separation between the top quarterbacks in the draft.”
6. Leaders Who Miss Expectations Must Now Overcompensate – Jaworski said, “He’s got to put a WOW on his resume and he didn’t do it in shorts and a t-shirt.”
7. People Are Disappointed When Leaders Miss Expectations – McShay said, “The teams that are drafting at the top…they wanted to be wowed and they leave Louisville not being wowed.”
8. Leaders Who Miss Expectations Often Still Have Time To Meet Expectations – McShay reminded us, “There’s still private workouts to be done.  There’s still portions of the process left.”
9. Leaders Who Miss Expectations Sometimes Lack The Skills Needed To Succeed At Their Current Position – As McShay pointed out, “At 208 lbs, not 214, there’s still that lingering question is he durable enough to stand the punishment of the NFL.”
10. Leaders Who Miss Expectations Lose Trust – McShay concluded, “The pro day brought up some questions that weren’t there before.”  And because trust has been lost, some teams will pass on Bridgewater.

The last point is a warning to leaders.  If you consistently miss expectations, organizations will pass on you as well.

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