There comes a time in every leader’s life when he or she must make a courageous decision. The stakes are high, and a leader’s mettle is tested. The decision made could bring great glory to the leader and success to their team or, conversely, great pain and disappointment. Courageous decisions are defining moments for a leader. Such an event happened during a 2020 Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns play-off game.
The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs were without superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes who was injured earlier in the game. With only one minute, twenty-five seconds remaining in the game and clinging to a five-point lead, head coach Andy Reid was faced with a critical decision. On fourth down and one, should he try to draw the Browns offside and punt, leaving the game in the hands of his defense—or should he try to put the game away with a first down? Conventional wisdom said to punt.
To the surprise of many, back-up quarterback Chad Henne threw a pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a first down. CBS broadcaster Tony Romo understood the magnitude of Coach Reid’s decision. He loudly proclaimed, “Only Andy Reid gets in the shotgun on fourth-and-one and throws the ball!”
Afterward, a victorious Reid held the following news conference. If you closely listen to his thoughts, you can deconstruct the anatomy of a courageous decision. The following are the quotes are from Coach Reid’s new conference, which build the framework for the anatomy above:
- Rely on your experience when making courageous decisions—“I’m glad he (back-up quarterback Chad Henne) had an opportunity to play a week or two ago . . . I think that helped him when he jumped in this time being comfortable with the speed of everything.”
- Prepare or repair. Courageous decisions should be made in advance. “We go through those on Saturday nights, situations to win the game. 4th and 1 . . . what do you want?”
- Making courageous decisions is a collaborative process: “My coaches were on board.”
- Stay positive when making courageous decisions—“Nobody got down. Nobody was hanging their head or moping in the game . . . Those guys kept battling.”
- Courageous decisions are only made by courageous leaders: “Somewhere you got to reach deep during the tough times and pull that out.”
- Don’t flinch when making courageous decisions: “If the coaches are flinching, it’s not going to happen. The locker room is not going to flinch.”
- Confidence exceeds doubt when making courageous decisions: “It builds confidence in the coaches. There was no doubt. There was no doubt we were going to go for it and go for that play.”
- Leaders should boldly communicate courageous decisions: “Hey, there’s no tomorrow. Let’s go. Let’s roll.”
- Courageous decisions require extra effort from everyone on your team—“Everybody just pick your game up an inch, and let’s go.”
- Courageous decisions require unity and alignment—“Have a play ready to go everyone likes. There’s no flinching.”
- There is often no time to evaluate courageous decisions.—“There’s no time to say anything other than ‘Let’s go.’ You’re trying to win the game. There’s no time. You’ve rehearsed that before. There’s not time to talk about it.”
- You only make courageous decisions when respecting those who carry out the decisions. “That’s the part that I think is a tribute to Chad. The way he handles himself. You don’t earn that respect from the coaches and players without handling yourself the right way every day . . . No one had any doubt.”
Just to recap, the following provides the framework and decision-grid for courageous decisions based upon Coach Reid’s comments:
- Rely on your experience;
- Prepare;
- Collaborate with your leaders;
- Be positive;
- Be courageous yourself;
- Don’t flinch;
- Be confident;
- Boldly communicate the decision;
- Ask for more from your team;
- Be unified;
- Only then you can take action; and
- But only take action with people you respect.
***The previous post is a slightly-edited excerpt from my book 2021 The Year In Leadership: The Stories Of Faith, Athletics, Business, and Life Which Inspired Us All. To get dozens and dozens more leadership lessons and stories, click HERE or on the image below to order your copy or copies for your entire team today!!!