I was recently speaking with a former pro football player who told an interesting story from his playing days. He said while in college, a hot-shot new quarterback ran into huddle during the team’s first game. The coaches then signaled the play in from the sidelines. All ten offensive players waited on quarterback to call the play but were surprised to watch him just stare wide-eyed at everyone. This player noticed the play clock was running down but the quarterback was not saying anything. The hot-shot athlete was frozen by the moment. Someone needed to do something.
The player I was speaking with knew the plays like the back of his hand. Therefore, he called the play instead. The team immediately lined up and ran the play successfully. For the rest of the game, he called every single play rather than the quarterback.
There are four important lessons any leader can take from this story.
Know The Fundamentals Of Your Profession
One of the possible reasons the quarterback froze was he did not know the team’s plays as well as he should have. A lack of institutional knowledge will cause you to freeze and under-perform as a leader as well.
Some Moments Are Too Big For The Leader
There are times when you see a leader freeze during moments of stress. This may be because of a hard conversation, tense meeting, sales pitch with a high-profile prospect, or public address. But there are times the moment is too big for the leader.
Someone Will Always Fill A Leadership Vacuum
If you as the leader do not lead when the moment requires it, someone or some group of people will step in and fill that void. That is what leaders do.
Smart Leaders Build A Great Team Around Them
Leaders are not perfect. In fact, even the best leaders have areas in which they are sub-standard. By having a skilled and competent team around you, they can fill in the gaps and support you in your areas of weakness.
What is one thing you learned from this story which will make you a better leader?
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