Encourage in public, admonish in private. Take the heat as leader, and no matter who criticizes your colleagues, don’t throw them under the bus.
That attitude can be summarized in the term servant leadership. It is definitely leadership, but it is definitely service, too.
Servant leadership is one of the most effective leadership principles I have seen in some of the best leaders I know. It is the underlying factor described in the classic business book Good to Great. But it is not made for TV. It is not “if it bleeds, it leads.” It is not me-first leadership.
Servant leadership is frontline leadership, even if it is not me-first. For the people you admonish need to respect and even love you enough to stand beside you on the frontlines of battle.
As I have said, if a man commits his life to Christ, there are things that God begins to do in that man that radically alter his priorities. Making Christ known–incarnating His love and truth, if you want to be specific–becomes the top priority.
And it does not matter if one is an NFL quarterback. When you submit your life to Christ, all such human distinctions and honors take their rightful place, under His supremacy.
Jason Campbell has professed what appears to be faith in Christ. And so for those fans, analysts, and others watching him, if you don’t know the Biblical commitment of God to a man who submits to Christ, you will not understand that man. So, I am endeavoring here, as a man who has placed his faith in Christ as Lord of my life and Lord of all life, to give a window into the breakthrough leadership of Jason Campbell. Seeing through this lens may give you a better idea of what is going on in and through Jason.
So when I see Jason Reid’s post “Campbell Takes the Long View,” I am encouraged that Campbell’s leadership breakthrough is poised to take place:
TV cameras did not show Campbell admonishing teammates often, “but it’s not about doing it for TV. It’s about everyone doing what we have to do to be successful as a team. People say I’m not vocal because they don’t see my saying something and they don’t know what I do [in the privacy of the locker room].“That’s fine. I’m not doing it just so people think I’m doing something. Whatever I do, I’m doing because that’s what I feel is needed from me as the quarterback of this team. We just didn’t play the way we’re capable of playing, and I said what I needed to say about myself and some other things.”
Campbell declined to provide specifics about what disappointed him most against the Giants, but he stressed “we all have to look at what we did out there and be honest with ourselves. If guys look at it and say they played great, then they’re just not being honest. We can all do better – players, coaches, everyone. I’m talking about myself, too. But we’ve got to be honest at take responsibility. If we do that, we’ll be fine.”
So when will the breakthrough take place on the field? Won’t venture to predict that, other than to say “in due season” or “in the fullness of time” for those keeping track at home.
Technorati Tags: Jason Campbell
