On today’s edition of the The Herd With Colin Cowherd, quarterback coach Jordan Palmer discussed the readiness of new quarterbacks coming into the NFL. He said, “Every single guy we talk about today and fast-forward all the years we’ve been talking about the draft picks, is a developmental guy… These guys are transitioning from ‘amateur’ to professional football. It’s a new sport. There’s different rules, there’s different things on the line. You’re asked to do things different. Your week is different… New coverages, new team, new city, new responsibilities. There’s a lot of newness that comes. They’re all in a developmental stage. Nobody’s a finished product.”
Be realistic. Nobody’s a finished product. That is the point of today’s article.
I was once speaking with a highly successful pastor who has many church planters come to meet with him and pick his brain. He told me, “I can always tell the ones that are going to make it. The ones who come in here, don’t take any notes, and tell me everything they’re doing, never make it. The ones who come in here, ask a lot of questions, take a lot of notes, and ask what we’re doing, almost always make it.”
Be humble and a continual learner. Nobody’s a finished product.
3 Tell-Tale Signs If A Young Leader Will Make It Or Not
These two stories remind me of my last couple of weeks. I have been involved in training a couple of new employees for our team. I always enjoy investing in the next generation of our organization and I think these two are going to “make it.” The following are three tell-tale reasons why:
Natural Talent
Both are highly-intelligent, winsome, good thinkers, and have previous experience. They’re talented so they at least have a chance to succeed. But talent is never enough.
For more on the importance of talent, read 7 Questions Leaders Are Currently Asking About Peak Performance.
Attitude
As John Maxwell says, “Your attitude will determine your altitude.”
As a 22-year veteran of my industry, these young leaders show me a lot of respect. Everyone wants to be respected so I like that for the obvious reasons why. But more importantly, it shows they have a tremendous amount of humility.
They come with impressive resumes but similar to the successful church planters, they are always taking notes and have the posture of a learner. Their attitude is positioning them for great success. Because of this, the following is happening:
Continual Improvement
You don’t expect a two-week employee to be a finished product but you are looking for steady growth and improvement. You’re wanting an upward trajectory in their performance. And this is happening.
Their questions are getting better. They are getting more and more information thrown at them. Their product knowledge is improving. When you give them coaching in one session, you see it implemented in the next.
They are continually improving.
Conclusion
As I look at young leaders, if a person has natural ability, a great attitude, and he or she accepts coaching and continually improves, they have a great chance to “make it.” I know the ones I am currently training do.
But all of us, even seasoned leaders, be diligent in our growth and development because nobody’s a finished product.
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