It’s been a week since my life-long college football favorite, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, won the BCS national championship game. Given a “head start” through a couple of uncharacteristic early ‘Bama mistakes, Texas made a strong run at the Crimson Tide in the latter part of the second half, only to fall short of a team that clearly was better than a Colt-less Longhorn squad. The highlights of the game are seen in the video below.
Would the game have been different if McCoy had been healthy and able to play the entire game? Certainly. Would it have changed the outcome of the game? It’s impossible to know. For that reason, I don’t buy into the speculation that surrounds what might have been. Football, like life, is about what “is;” it requires you face the circumstances at hand head on, come what may.
With that in mind as I’ve reflected on the game over the past week, I’ve come away with some thoughts that–regardless of which team you were rooting for in the game–reflect the role of leadership in life.
Leadership matters, for everyone concerns. When Colt McCoy went down to an injury early in the game, the Texas team spent the remainder of the first half in stunned disbelief. And without their leader, who remained in the locker room, they clearly didn’t know what to do. Neither did they have another leader step up to assume that leadership mantle. The result was an insurmountable 24-6 deficit at halftime, largely the result (in my opinion) of an absence of leadership. Simply McCoy’s resulting presence on the sideline in the second half seemed to evoke confidence, courage and belief that they as a team could still make a difference.
Teams need to be prepared for the absence of the leader. In the book The Elephant in the Boardroom, the authors Carolyn Weese and Russell Crabtree, suggest that the one obvious truth that no pastor/leader and board wants to admit is that, unless Jesus returns, sooner or later that leader will be replaced by another. The thesis of his argument is that, given this reality, all churches (and teams) need to be prepared for that eventuality. The Texas Longhorns weren’t prepared for that reality to happen sooner than they expected, and as a result, it cost them dearly. It might have been a “difference-maker.”
AP Photo/Jae Hong
Character is the most important quality in a leader. If you saw the interview of Colt McCoy after the game, or have heard any previous interview he has done, than no doubt you’ve come away impressed by the quality and character of this young man. He is strong, principled, confident but humble, and has an incredibly “large” perspective on life. It is easy to see why his team, their fans and so many others feel so passionately about him–he leads from the inside out, from who he is, not simply what he does. It makes all the difference, not only in the quality of his work, but through his example, in the followers he leads.
All leaders have to face adversity. McCoy, and others including Ingram in this game–all leaders face difficulty. This hardship takes various forms; sometimes it’s physical pain, other times, emotional distress. Often it’s an visible and vocal opponent; at other times, there are shadowy and almost unnoticeable obstacles. But leaders endure, they persevere. They never give up, they never stop leading. Whether in the game or on the sidelines, they understand the importance of their role and by example they inspire others to overcome.
Distraction can be fatal. Now I don’t know the following to be true in the game, but it’s quite possible that for a while much of the Texas team worried more about the injury to Colt than they were concerned about the game. In life, distractions that take our eyes off “the prize” can be fatal. This is not to say that Colt the person isn’t more important that the game, even a championship game. He most obviously is. But when any team, or person, allows distraction to invade their vision, then focus is impossible and the results will suffer. Discipline, a necessary quality in leadership, is critical to success.
There’s nothing better than on-the-job training. If you watched the game then you know that true freshman Garrett Gilbert, McCoy’s quarterback-replacement, grew in confidence and ability as the game wore on. You could “see” it! It was impressive how much he learned in the course of the game and how he maximized that learning on the field. With McCoy, his mentor, urging him on from the sidelines, he improved and showed marvelous flashes of brilliance under the brightest lights in the college football world. While he wasn’t a winner on the field that night, he and his team are subsequent winners because of that priceless experience. Nothing can replace it! Leaders don’t lead in the classroom or the locker room; they lead on the field.
In the final analysis, Jesus Christ is the most important thing of all. Yes, there was a game last week. A big game. My team won. I’m happy about that. I’ve waited 17 years since the last time we won the national championship. But better by far than all that, it is a joy to watch leaders stand up, like Colt McCoy did that night–like many times before–and use their leadership and their lives to point people unashamedly to Jesus Christ. That’s class. That’s strength. That’s character. Most importantly, that the best of what leadership had to offer anyone else. Check out what Colt has to say about his life, his leadership and his Lord at this link.
So congrats to the Alabama Crimson Tide for a great game and a history-making season. But congrats also to Colt McCoy and the Texas Longhorns, who’ve reminded us about leadership and what really, ultimately matters in life.
Moving at the Speed of God 