Hey! Be Us! Leadership on the Sideline

I was having a conversation with my dear friend and mentor, Nibal Henderson today and recounting an amazing Inside the NFL video I had seen. It sparked a wonderful conversation about leadership and team culture.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1353804573253775360 (Check it out. It's worth the watch.)

Anyone who watched the AFC Championship game between the Chiefs and the Bills this past Sunday will remember the moment when Chiefs wide receiver Mercole Hardman fumbled a punt return on the 3-yard line, which lead immediately to a Bills touchdown. Being the rabid football fan (and passionate Chiefs fan) that I am, I mirrored what most of Kansas City did at that moment: I jumped to my feet and bellowed at the television. “Oh for crying-out-loud, Mercole! The first rule of football is PROTECT THE DANG BALL!” (I make no apologies for the fanatical way I watch a game...)

That could easily have been what the coaches and other players would be expected to do as Hardman returned to the sideline. We’ve seen it play out time and again on sidelines, collegiate and professional, across the country. Certainly, no one felt worse about that error than Hardman did, as he threw his coat over his head to hide. But what happened next is a wonderful example of Significant Leadership. Coaches, coordinators, and two of the most prominent players on the team (Mahomes and Kelce) stepped in to lift him up. One of the Nine Principles of Significant Leadership is to craft a vision for the future. Patrick Mahomes did that immediately, as he encouraged Hardman, “Hey, look at me. Look at me. We’re good. You be you. You’re gonna make a play. Your GONNA make a play this game.” Then Mahomes continued to bolster his team as he walked the bench and said, “Hey, be us! We’ve been here. Be us!”

Nibal shared the very insightful observation that this simple statement, “Be us,” indicates that there IS an “us.” There is a team culture, vision, and purpose that drives everything they do. Reminding the team of this when they are down is a hallmark of Significant Leadership.

It would also have been expected to sit Hardman out for while and “count on” someone else, but that's not what happened. Crafting a vision for the future also requires that you give your team the opportunity to make that vision happen. So, on the very next possession, Hardman was given a handoff, and “the jet” ran for a 51-yard gain. And on the following possession, they put Hardman in a position to score the touchdown.

Much of what has brought The Chiefs to play in back-to-back Super Bowls is the Significant Leadership that happens OFF the field, rather than on the field.

“Be us!”