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Learning A Lesson from the 2011 Indianapolis Colts

The Colts didn’t just lose last night. They got smoked. They took an embarassing 62-7 loss.

It’s been a rough season for any Colts fan. It all started with Peyton Manning’s neck injury, which sidelined the first string quarterback and obvious team leader.

In the midst of Manning’s issues, the Colts made the decision to pick up Kerry Collins as a backup quarterback. It all seemed to make perfect sense.

And then, Collins suffered a concussion.

What?! This doesn’t happen. You are now down to your third quarterback. He actually almost helped to lead the Colts to a victory against the Steelers (it was a nailbiter til the end, at which the Steelers took the upper hand). But as one of my former teachers used to say, “close only matters in horseshoes and hand grenades” (No pun intended that the Colts logo is a horseshoe).

Sadly, the team has failed to win a single game since Manning has been down. They literally have the worst team in the league at the moment (0-7).

All of this has Colts fans in an uproar. But as a church leader, this has raised a couple thoughts as it relates to leading a team.

1. True, it takes a team to win. The Colts have the ability to win games. But they’re not. You can’t escape this next truth: Any winning team is a winning team because they have strong leadership at the top.

2. When someone influential leaves your team, what happens? Do you wait for the right person to come along? Do you put a “third-stringer” in the position to appease people? Or do you go out and get a game-changer?

3. I’ve never known a team to win every game, but I’ve seen many teams settle with losing too many games. Is your mindset pushing you to win or settling for a loss?

4. There are unavoidable speed bumps heading your way. Your Peyton Manning might be sidelined. Is your team ready for that? Can your team thrive without the all-star? And remember: a team that can thrive without it’s leader doesn’t show you that the leader is expendible. It shows you that the leader has done his/her job well.

5. Any team that hits a losing streak has a reason to try hard, but it’s hard to find the motivation to push when you’re winless. How do you coach your team through the hard times?

6. It would be easy for the Colts to push Peyton to jump back in before he’s ready. When a team member needs to take a break, does your system allow them the time to FULLY recoop? Or do we put people in harm’s way by putting them back on the field too early? In light of your team’s future (as well as the future of each of your team members), temporary setbacks are worth it. Putting your all-star in the grave isn’t.

7. Every church leader has pressure. Personally, I would crumble under the pressure of coaching an NFL team. You have to worry about team morale, ticket sales, the postseason, and not to mention, the entire Colts organization. Any leader that doesn’t have a sense of balance will make decisions that don’t have the team’s best interest at heart. Personal balance brings better processing. And good processing leads to solutions.

   

 

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