All leadership is temporary. Sadly, few leaders ever get to leave their positions of influence on their own terms. Oftentimes, they are removed prior to their desired time of transition. Perhaps you can relate.
Today is known as Black Monday in the National Football League. It is the first day after the season’s conclusion and many coaches and general managers are fired by their teams. Also, players many times know they have played their last downs for their current teams.
Such appears to be the case for tight end Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles. Ertz has played for the team each of his eight seasons in the league. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and caught the winning score in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII victory over the New England Patriots. Ertz is a great player but it appears his time as an Eagle is done.
After the team’s loss to the Washington Football Team, Ertz sat on the bench alone for several moments contemplating all the events currently taking place. A picture is provided below.
After all the Eagles left the field
Zach Ertz stayed for a while by himself on the bench
Could have been Zach’s last game at the Linc with Eagles pic.twitter.com/uk0COrDMNW
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) January 4, 2021
Afterwards, Ertz had the following emotional press conference:
https://youtu.be/4nnClkx9egU
After listening to Ertz’s emotional comments, the following are 7 realities on leadership often ending badly:
- All Leadership Is Temporary – As mentioned earlier, all leadership assignments eventually come to an end. So steward it well while you have it.
- It Hurts Deeply When Your Leadership Assignment Ends Prematurely In Your Eyes – As the picture shows above, Ertz just stared into the distance after the game’s conclusion. He literally left it all on the field.
- Great Leaders Are Fully-Invested Emotionally In Their Cities And Organizations – Ertz said, “This city is the best city to play for. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”
- Leaders’ Families Are Affected When Leadership Ends Badly – Leadership cannot be compartmentalized from your family. He added, “The city means a lot to me. It means a lot to my family.”
- Even Though It May Not End Well, Leaders Are Still Thankful For The Experience – God never wastes experience. Ertz continued, “I’m thankful. I’m thankful for all you guys. For the years.”
- There Are Few Things For Leaders More Personal Than Business – “It’s not personal, it’s business” is just a ridiculous statement. Ertz concluded, “Early in my career I took a lot of things personally. Over the years I started to put myself in your shoes.”
- Though One Assignment Ends, Great Leaders Will Lead Again – As mentioned earlier, Ertz is a great player. He will be in high-demand. Something tells me he will be catching passes from Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, or Aaron Rodgers next year. The rich will get richer.
Have you been in this position before? If so, what can you learn from Ertz’s comments?
During the 2019 college football season, fans were given a gift when legendary coach Urban Meyer joined Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff preview show as a studio analyst. As a three-time national championship head coach, Coach Meyer’s ability to deliver complex leadership principles with brevity and concise terminology created a compelling experience for educated and “smart” fans. Throughout the season, I captured Coach Meyer’s best leadership quotes from this weekly show. I wanted to make them available to you in this new complimentary resource Urban Meyer 2019 Fox Sports Big Noon Kickoff Ebook.