“Make dust or eat dust.” – Unknown.
“If you’re not first, you’re last.” – Ricky Bobby
Jeff Martin is the great lead pastor of Redeemer Community Church in Johnson City TN. Today he and I were talking and he relayed to me the following story from when he was a youth pastor in San Antonio.
Jeff had developed a great relationship with the local high school basketball coach. However, this was not just any coach. This coach led one of Texas’s annual powerhouse programs which regularly competed and won state championships.
Jeff and this coach were sitting together one day watching the middle school boys play. Watching the game with this coach was unlike watching it with anyone else Jeff had previously. The coach already knew each of the kids’ names and tendencies as many would be playing for him one day.
The team played up-tempo and full-court pressed the entire game building up an insurmountable lead. Expecting the coach to be excited about the future, Jeff asked what his thoughts were. His answer was quite surprising.
He disgustedly said, “This is fool’s gold.” Surprised, Jeff asked why. The coach went on to explain that playing fast was teaching him nothing about these players.
The coach wished that the team would simply played some form of standard defense. Playing a standard defense would teach the players to identify different opposing offenses and setup better. He said, “The scoreboard is fool’s gold if you’re not setting up for the future. Don’t always run a full court press. Slow down for the long haul.”
As Jeff, who is about to turn 36-years-old, was telling me this story, he said, “Brian, what got you to 36 (years old) won’t get you to 46.”
As I listened to Jeff’s story, I gleaned 5 Warnings About Going Too Fast As A Leader:
- Do not confuse movement with progress. Going fast as a leader creates a lot of activity but may not produce long-term results.
- Beware of Fool’s Gold. Wise people can recognize a fraud. Short-term results produced by speed may be a false indicator of true talent. And wise people notice.
- Speed often competes with wisdom and intelligence. As the coach said, going too fast may prevent you from developing the ability to accurately process the environment you are in or situation you are facing. You need time for contemplation.
- Speed may cause confusion. You do not have time to line-up and catch your bearings.
- Speed is often unsustainable. It may cause flame-out or burn-out making you incapable for the long haul.
You may be all about speed as a leader. If so, just make sure you have what it takes for the long haul. What gets you to 36 won’t get you to 46.
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.