{"id":31334,"date":"2022-02-15T19:18:09","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T00:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/?p=31334"},"modified":"2022-02-15T21:33:40","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T02:33:40","slug":"my-top-6-leadership-lessons-from-super-bowl-lvi-between-the-los-angeles-rams-and-cincinnati-bengals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/2022\/02\/15\/my-top-6-leadership-lessons-from-super-bowl-lvi-between-the-los-angeles-rams-and-cincinnati-bengals\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 6 Leadership Lessons from Super Bowl LVI Between The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Can two seconds change the legacies of countless leaders?<\/p>\n<p>This past Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI. \u00a0The game attracted 112.3 million viewers, a 14% increase over last year.<\/p>\n<p>What they witnessed was a game filled with multiple leadership lessons. \u00a0The following are my Top 6 Leadership Lessons from Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals:<\/p>\n<h2>If You Want To Get Better As An Organization, Get A Better Leader<\/h2>\n<p>One year ago, the Los Angeles Rams acquired quarterback Matthew Stafford via trade. \u00a0Two years ago, the Cincinnati Bengals drafted their franchise quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/2019\/12\/14\/19-leadership-quotes-and-lessons-from-joe-burrows-heisman-trophy-presentation\/\">Joe Burrow<\/a>. \u00a0Now each is in the Super Bowl. \u00a0The difference between these teams today and what they were previously is their leaders, Stafford and Burrow.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a department in your organization which is underperforming, the answer is likely getting a better leader. \u00a0Upgrading the leadership position certainly worked for the Rams and Bengals.<\/p>\n<h2>How Often Do Great Leaders Come Available?<\/h2>\n<p>As Rams head coach pointed out in <a href=\"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/2022\/02\/13\/45-leadership-quotes-and-lessons-from-los-angeles-rams-head-coach-sean-mcvay\/\">this interview<\/a>, they rarely become available. \u00a0There is a difference between sensing opportunity and seizing it. \u00a0That’s why when future Hall of Famers Stafford, cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and defensive end Von Miller became available, the Rams both sensed and seized the opportunity.<\/p>\n<h2>You Can’t Overpay For Great Leaders<\/h2>\n<p>Great leaders pay for themselves. \u00a0Notice this:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Rams traded their 2020 and 2021 1st round picks along with their 2021 4th round pick for Jalen Ramsey.<\/li>\n<li>The Rams traded their 2022 and 2023 1st round picks, a 2021 3rd round pick, and quarterback Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford.<\/li>\n<li>The Rams traded their 2022 2nd and 3rd round picks for Von Miller.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The NFL Draft is a three-day event. \u00a0The first round is on a Thursday, rounds two and three on Friday, and rounds four through six on Saturday. \u00a0With the exception of some potential compensatory picks, the Rams will have nothing to do for the first two days of the Draft.<\/p>\n<p>But would you trade that and four 1st round picks for a Super Bowl championship? \u00a0Absolutely!!! \u00a0Any day of the week and twice on Sunday!!! \u00a0Whatever price the Rams paid for their three star players was worth it. \u00a0So would whatever price you would pay for the right leader.<\/p>\n<h2>What Separates Good Players From Great Players Is The Ability To Execute Under Pressure<\/h2>\n<p>Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. \u00a0Nowhere was this more apparent than in the Super Bowl’s final two minutes. \u00a0Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp literally put the franchise on their shoulders and drove the team down the field for the winning touchdown. \u00a0Their best play was this remarkable no-look pass. \u00a0Eli Apple never stood a chance.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This angle of Matthew Stafford's no-look pass. \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vwWRUsMekn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/vwWRUsMekn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RamsNFL\/status\/1493342097142779909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">February 14, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Then in the Bengals’ final drive, the Rams’ best player, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, made two plays which secured the team’s victory.<\/p>\n<p>The Rams’ three best players made big-time plays in the biggest game of the year.<\/p>\n<p>When your organization faces high pressure situations, it is your top leaders who have the responsibility to lead your team through challenging times. \u00a0It’s why they are in leadership positions in the first place.<\/p>\n<h2>Hard Work + Efficiency > Volume<\/h2>\n<p>The game’s unsung heroes were Duke Tobin, the Bengals Director of Football Operations, and Steve Radicevic, the team’s Director of Pro Scouting. \u00a0They put together a championship-worthy defense. \u00a0Seven of the team’s 11 defensive starters were signed in the last two years as free agents.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the team drafted the best offensive players in the last two NFL Drafts – Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. \u00a0The team also drafted wide receiver Tee Higgins in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL Draft. \u00a0Higgins caught two touchdown passes in the game. \u00a0Also, the Bengals drafted kicker Evan McPherson in the 5th round of this past Draft. \u00a0McPherson became the best kicker in this year’s playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>What makes this so impressive is the small size of the Bengals scouting staff. \u00a0The team, which has been accused of being cheap, only has 8 staffers. \u00a0No other NFL team has less than 15. \u00a0In fact, 17 teams have more than 20. \u00a0The Cleveland Browns have 30 and the Baltimore Ravens lead the league with 35.<\/p>\n<p>What the Bengals scouting staff has done is simply astonishing. \u00a0Now they just need to get to work on the offensive line.<\/p>\n<h2>The Difference Between Success And Failure Is Tissue Paper Thin<\/h2>\n<p>A day after the game, the following picture was released. \u00a0On the Bengals final play of the game, Ja’Marr Chase had Jalen Ramsey on the ground and was WIDE OPEN for what could have been a game-winning TD.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">On the final play of the game for the Bengals, Ja'Marr Chase had Jalen Ramsey on the ground and was WIDE OPEN for what could have been a game-winning TD. <\/p>\n<p>If only Burrow had more time.. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IdiViB4CXc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/IdiViB4CXc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>— Footballism (@FootbaIIism) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FootbaIIism\/status\/1493431721299169280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">February 15, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>If Joe Burrow would have just had two more seconds… \u00a0If the Bengals’ offensive line would have just held their block on Aaron Donald for two more seconds… \u00a0If Donald would have slipped coming out of his stance…<\/p>\n<p>If any of this would have happened, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase would have gone down in NFL lore for one of the most miraculous last-second victories in NFL history. \u00a0Matthew Stafford may not make the Hall of Fame when his career is over. \u00a0Jalen Ramsey would have been the goat rather than a hero because he was actually outplayed by the much-aligned Eli Apple during the game. \u00a0And rather than being the boy genius, Sean McVay might well be considered as the coach who can’t win the Big One.<\/p>\n<p>It is amazing what a difference two seconds can make in a leader’s legacy.<\/p>\n<p>Those are my leadership lessons. \u00a0What did you take from the game?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/hRLNBr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-30982 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?resize=232%2C300&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"232\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?resize=232%2C300&ssl=1 232w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?resize=790%2C1024&ssl=1 790w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?resize=768%2C995&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?resize=1185%2C1536&ssl=1 1185w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/w_bril06c8.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/hRLNBr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><strong>The Top 75 Leadership Quotes From 2021 Part 2<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is my latest ebook. \u00a0For many entering a post-pandemic environment, leadership looks completely different than the pre-pandemic world. \u00a0People are more broken now. They are more uncertain. Fear and anxiousness are unwelcome constant companions. Cultures are more unhealthy. Relationships are more dysfunctional.\u00a0 Hope seems to be in short supply.\u00a0 Every day seems to bring a new hacking, natural disaster, or unexpected calamity.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, the fundamentals of leadership are more important than ever. The quotes in this book deal with the basics of leadership. \u00a0If you want to be the best leader you can possibly be, click <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/hRLNBr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">HERE<\/a>\u00a0or on the image provided to download this <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/hRLNBr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">FREE resource<\/a>. \u00a0The lessons learned from last year, if applied, will sustain you for years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can two seconds change the legacies of countless leaders? This past Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI. \u00a0The game attracted 112.3 million viewers, a 14% increase over last year. What they witnessed was a game filled with multiple leadership lessons. \u00a0The following are my Top 6 Leadership […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","iawp_total_views":8,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[604,938],"class_list":["post-31334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-leadership","tag-coaches","tag-los-angeles-rams"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Screen-Shot-2022-02-15-at-7.16.05-PM.png?fit=498%2C446&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31334"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31344,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31334\/revisions\/31344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briandoddonleadership.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}