A Historic Comeback
In the second quarter of their NFL play-off game against Los Angeles Chargers, the Jacksonville Jaguars trailed by a score of 27-0. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence had already thrown four interceptions and it appeared their season would soon be coming to a disappointing conclusion. Lawrence called it, “Definitely the worst half of my football life,”
But it was at this moment Lawrence fulfilled his promise as the first pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. From this point forward, Lawrence went 23-of-29 for 253 yards and four touchdowns. The Jaguars would go on to complete the third greatest comeback in NFL history by winning 31-30 on a last second field goal.
9 Leadership Lessons from an Improbable Comeback Victory
Afterwards, the narrative centered on Lawrence’s resilience to have such an incredible performance after such a poor start. As I read this article by The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, I gleaned 9 Leadership Lessons from Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguar’s Improbable Comeback Victory:
Trust And Belief In Your Leadership Make Handling Challenging Circumstances Easier
Lawrence said, “I threw four picks in the first half, and those guys beside me on offense and on the other side of the ball never lost faith in me. That’s one thing that makes it easier when you know you’ve got guys believing in you no matter what the circumstances are.” The quarterback went on to add, “It epitomizes our season. We’re never out of it. When you believe and everybody believes, it’s cool what you can accomplish. Tonight was one of those games.”
Trust In Leadership Is Built By Accumulating A Series Of Small Wins
Oftentimes, your greatest weapon as a leader is your memory. It you have done something once before, you can do it again. Lawrence continued, “Based on what we’ve done the past month, no one flinched. We all knew we just had to make one play and we’re right back in it. We made one play. … Things happen really fast.”
Leaders Who Are Deeply Invested In The Organization’s Success Are Easy To Follow
There will be an upcoming article breaking the following comments down into greater detail. Jaguars receiver Zay Jones said, “It’s a testament to what he does every day. He’s always here (at the facility). He’ll play ping-pong then go back to watch film. He’s always in the building. It’s easy to follow somebody like that who is so invested into this team and into winning.”
Leaders Who Remain Calm Under Pressure Are Also Easy To Follow
In addition to being deeply invested in organizational success, remaining calm under pressure makes a leader easy to follow. Remaining calm improves decision-making and gives the team a sense of security. Jones continued, “And how calm he is at every moment. The dude is calm in every single moment, no matter if it’s a big moment, a successful moment or a failure. If you have somebody who is the same every time, you believe in him and he’s easy to follow.”
Success Is Determined By What You Do You In Secret When No One Else Is Watching
The confidence and belief the Jaguars have in Lawrence was built long before their play-off game against the Chargers. It was actually developed many months prior during the anonymity of training camp practices. Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen mentioned, “We know what type of player Trevor is. He showed us in training camp what type of quarterback he was going to be. So the confidence that we have in him has already been set. We already know what he is capable of, so let’s do our part as a defense and get the ball back to a guy who can take the top off any defense.”
Leaders Who Overcome Adversity Are Just …. Different
Many quarterbacks who would throw four interceptions in a half would likely have sulked and completely lost confidence in their abilities and chance for success. Not so with Lawrence. He remained resilient and mentally tough. Jaguars receiver Marvin Jones observed, “Once he finds his rhythm, I wouldn’t rather have anybody else. I’ve never seen a quarterback come back from throwing four picks, but he’s different.”
Adversity Doesn’t Create Character, It Reveals It
Wide receiver Christian Kirk noted, “When he’s at his best, he’s going to take us as far as we want to go. When adversity strikes, it shows what type of guys we have. Trevor never blinks.”
Leadership Determines Your Organization’s Direction
Good, bad, or indifferent, if you want to know what direction your organization is going in, simply look at the quality of your leadership. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson proclaimed, “I love the fact that he’s leading our football team. It’s a set in the direction that we want this organization to go, that we want him to go, that we want the team to go. We’ve just got to continue to build on that.”
The Key Ingredients To A Great Team Are Belief And Confidence
Lawrence summarized everyone’s thoughts by concluding, “It’s all about belief and confidence. That’s what we’ve got right now. That’s the key ingredient to being a great team.”
What is one leadership lesson you learned from Lawrence’s performance which you can implement today to become a better leader?
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