What difference does a quality leader really make? I mean, we all know John Maxwell says that everything rises and falls with leadership. We fundamentally agree with this on an intuitive level but can we actually prove it with data?
I have good news for you, we can.
In his wonderful book The 17 Indisputable Laws Of Teamwork: Embrace Them And Empower Your Team, John teaches The Law of The Edge which states the difference between two equally-talented teams is leadership. Nowhere could you find a better example of this than with the National Football League’s 2021 Baltimore Ravens.
Last season, the Ravens played in 11 games decided in overtime or by three points or less. This was the most games played in a single season by a team with scores this close in the last 10 years. These are games that could have gone either way or been decided by a single play, bounce of the ball, or coaching decision.
Here is where is gets real interesting from a leadership perspective.
In Baltimore’s first eleven games, the team was 5-1 in games decided in overtime or by three points or less. However, the Ravens then lost their last six games, five of which were close games by a combined total of eight points. Here are the scores:
- Steelers 20 – Ravens 19 on December 5th
- Browns 24 – Ravens 22 on December 12th
- Packers 31 – Ravens 30 on December 19th
- Rams 20 – Ravens 19 on January 2nd
- Steelers 16 – Ravens 13 on January 9th in OT
So what happened? Why were the Ravens so good in close games early in the season but so unsuccessful later in the year?
As The Law Of The Edge teaches, the answer was leadership. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, the team’s superstar on-field leader, was injured in game thirteen and missed the remainder of the season. His impact (and leadership) was revealed most in the close games when the teams were evenly matched. With Jackson, the team won close games. Without him, they lost those type of games.
To say with Ravens could have won each game shown above with Jackson at quarterback would not be a stretch. This is the difference leadership makes. Leadership is the difference between success and failure, winning and losing, or making the playoffs or missing them completely.
If your organization is continually losing out to your competitors in technological advancements, sales presentations, athletic contests, the search for talent, or any other competitive endeavor, the solution to your problem is most likely leadership. If you want to get better as an organization, department, or business unit, get a better leader.
If you don’t believe me, ask the Baltimore Ravens.
Thanks to the wonderful website the33rdTeam.com for their research on this article. You can read the original article by clicking HERE.
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