Tebow as a Leader

I have to admit right up front that I'm not a football fanatic.  I don't even really watch football.  But a friend of mine (thanks Cindy!) was recently telling me about Tim Tebow so being the researcher I am, I went out and researched everything I could find on Tim Tebow.  I pretty much viewed every video and read every article possible.  Isn't the internet a great thing?  Now, I understand my perspective is somewhat limited as I haven't personally met Tim Tebow but I have to tell you, this guy is a fascinating case on leadership which is what this blog is about.  And he actually makes me want to watch football.  So, let's analyze Tim Tebow as a leader.

From everything I can find on Tim Tebow, he consistently demonstrates the following leadership qualities.

• Courage
• Passion
• Perseverance
• Character
• Humility
• Teamwork
• Desire to win
• Continuous Improvement
• Authenticity

I'm not saying he's perfect.  He's 24 years old so he obviously still has a great deal to learn.  That being said however, if more leaders had even a little bit more of the courage Tim Tebow so readily displays, they would be much better leaders.  

This blog would be extremely long if I talked about each of the items listed above so for the sake of brevity, I'm going to pick Courage, Perseverance, and Teamwork.

Courage

First and foremost, anyone that is willing to get on a football field with a group of the strongest and most powerful men in the world has to have a great deal of courage.  Tim Tebow's courage goes beyond the norm.  As the quarterback he is tasked with making decisions and executing on those decisions in real time, in front of millions of viewers.  

I'm not sure how many corporate executives have the stomach to make such tough decisions.  

Regardless of your religious affiliation or beliefs you can't deny that Tim Tebow's public display of personal faith requires great courage.  Can you imagine the amount of criticism he received from his peers on a public high school team, then college, and now the NFL.  He continues to be criticized for "tebowing" yet he never waivers in his demonstration of his beliefs.  

Compare that to the corporate leader afraid to speak up during a meeting because others may not agree with his/her position.

Perseverance

Regardless of the struggle, Tim Tebow seems to have been overcoming obstacles from the moment he was born.  Doctors advised his mother to abort him due to medical complications.  She was in a coma for a period of time while pregnant.  In high school he broke his leg (fibula) during a game and continued to play the entire second half.  Nobody knew his leg was broken until after the game. Oh, and rushed for a 29 yard touchdown with that broken leg.  

And we complain about working long hours and being stalled on our initiatives or unable to convince others to buy in to our vision.

Teamwork

 "They make me look better than I am."  - Tim Tebow

He is quick to give the team credit for all victories and fully comprehends that without the team, he is nothing.  The quarterback automatically receives the glory for wins yet in interview upon interview, Tim first credits Jesus and then the team.  That is not only a demonstration of teamwork, it is a demonstration of character, courage, and humility but I'll save all that for a future post.

Let's learn a lesson from Tim Tebow and apply it to a corporate setting or even our personal lives. 

Maybe this week we can all implement a little courage in our day and make the tough decisions we've been putting off or stand up for a strong belief.

Let's demonstrate perseverance in the face of obstacles - whether they be customer obstacles, product obstacles, peer obstacles,family obstacles, or personal learning obstacles.  We need to quit being so quick to give up and more willing to stick it out and work a little harder.

And let's make sure to give credit to the team for all they do to make us look good. 

I know reading about Tim Tebow made me want to be a better person.  If a 24 year old can demonstrate these qualities, surely I can too.  If nothing else, that statement alone demonstrates his power as a leader.  

Mari