Who Will Be The BEST?

You have probably seen commercials, posts on social media, been invited to a party, or a family member has told you that Super Bowl LIX is this weekend. The two teams that will be playing are the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.? Neither team has lost more than three games all season.? You can say that this achievement of going to the Super Bowl or not losing three games is because of effort, focus, and some luck.? I would not disagree; however I also want to reference another key.? The Coaches!? There are 14 coaches on the Chiefs and 15 on the Eagles.? Both totals include the Head Coach.? What is the secret to winning?? I am a firm believer in the ability of coaches to Bring Out The Best in their players and Team.? Let’s look at what that means:

B-Believe????????????????????????????

Believes in you!? If I asked you the question, “Who believes in you,” who comes to mind.? It can be a family member, friend, mentor, pastor, or even a coach in your life.? Why did they come to mind?? Because when someone believes in you, it builds your self-confidence to achieve success in your life.? I am not just talking about positive thinking; I am talking about the confidence that comes when you know they think you can do something.? That extra belief from someone else may be just enough to get you over the top to be the BEST you can be.? That belief from your “Coach” is a huge factor in team success.? If you look at top caliber teams (sports or in your professional life) you will see a common thread.? A great leader (coach) who believes in his team and allows them to thrive.? That doesn't mean that the coach won’t pull back the reins or sit you on the bench to get your attention, it means that they believe you can achieve greatness, and they are there to help guide you and direct you.? Who believes in you?? Who do you believe in?? Tell them today!

E-Empowers?????????????????????

Empowers you.? Both sides of the team today allow the starting quarterback to call an audible.? An audible is when the quarter back changes the play at the line of scrimmage. There was a play called in to the QB from the Offensive Coordinator (who may be the Head Coach), and depending on what scheme the defense is lined up in, the QB knows the play won’t work and changes it.? Great coaches and teams empower their players to make adjustments and change decisions that were called in.? When was the last time you felt empowered to speak up and either recommend an audible, or made an audible in your role?? How did it feel?? Was it a successful call, or did you get sacked?? Why did you feel confident making a change?? When you feel empowered, you are more likely to be creative and use your skills and abilities for the betterment of the team.? Who empowers you in your personal and professional life?? When was the last time you told them “Thank you?”? I’m empowering you today to reach out to them in some way and show your appreciation.?

S-Strategic?????????????????????????

Strategic mindsets.? Great coaches are strategic, and they share their strategy to help others understand and grow.? Both head coaches in Super Bowl LIX are strategic in their planning, offensive, and defensive schemes.? They know what players to put in for different situations to set the team up for the BEST chance of success. Part of being strategic is understanding who on their team is BEST for certain situations.? Have you ever seen a running back come in only for short yardage or goal line plays?? The coaches know that player is more than likely not going to break open for a 75 yard touchdown because they lack the speed, however they know how strong they are and that they can power through the shorter yardage situations to help the team score.? When a player (or the football) crosses the goal line, the touchdown is credited to who is carrying the ball, however the team is given the points.? The lineman who set his block and created the hole for the running back will not get a touchdown in his stat sheet, but he played a part in the touchdown.? Where are you on your team?? What is your role or position?? Do you like where you are playing?? Do you feel you are at your best doing what you do?? If you don’t like where you are at, ask your coach so he/she can help guide you to being at your BEST!?

T-Trust??????????????????????????????????

Trust one another.? Teams that play their BEST trust one another.? They know that they can trust that their teammates will be in the right position to make the play. This is on both sides of the ball, or on defense and on offense.? Sure, there will be gaps, and plays will be blown, however teams that get to the Super Bowl will be able to talk to each other and trust that the other player will make adjustments to keep it from happening again.? Nobody expects anyone to be perfect, however, to achieve success at the highest level, you have to trust your team and your team has to be able to trust you.? Do you trust your team?? Do you think your team trusts you to play your role and do it to the best of your ability?? If you make a mistake, do you look for an opportunity to learn from it and keep it from happening again?? Trust is a powerful bond and make sure you trust your team and that they trust you.

You probably have a favorite team or a favorite coach who you want to see win this weekend.? You might not even care who is on a State Farm commercial or not.? You may not even care who is playing or who wins because your team is not playing.? Regardless, you have to respect all the effort, planning, training, scheming, focus, and sacrifice that has been put in by the players and all the coaches for both teams.? Who will win?? I don’t know.? Each team is there because they were the BEST that they could be at the right time to win games to get them to where they are this weekend.? We can learn from the coaches on both teams.? They believe in their players and empower them to make changes or adjustments.? They are strategic in the planning of their approaches and which players they will choose for the situations they will face.? All the coaches and players trust each other and trust in all their training and preparation for the big game. Only one team will hold up the trophy, so have fun, and watch to see which coach helps their team be the BEST that they can be.

B – Believes in you.

E - Empowers you

S – Strategic mindset

T- Trust one another

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Stay safe and stay well!