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Labor Day weekend is a bittersweet time. As the sun sinks below the horizon earlier and earlier with each passing week, cooler temperatures and shorter days signal the pending end of summer. But as the seasons change, the leaves turn,��

Today, I’m excited to share a conversation with two courageous leaders �� Dan Smith and John Gilfillan �� who are each rising to the challenge of using their leadership gifts and talents to start new organizations �� church plants. Starting a new venture��

I recently had a chance to speak to a group of over 150 senior scholar athletes from several high schools around Southwest Michigan who had earned over a 3.25 career GPA. I shared with them the 3 things I wish I��

An impactful leader in my life used to go camping with his dad growing up. His dad would always say: “Leave the campground cleaner than it was before.�� While he meant it literally, he was also conveying a deeper message �� leave your legacy by paying it forward for someone else. In Jesus�� words: “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.�� (Luke 12:48)

I’ve often asked myself: Why have I been given the life experiences I have? And while I still don’t fully know that answer, I believe a big reason is to use them to serve others. It is in this spirit that was formed �� to deliver elite sports performance training while paying forward the valuable leadership and character lessons athletics can teach. It is our desire that every student-athlete would use the platform of their sport to be a positive difference maker both on the field and in their schools and community.

So what are we trying to instill in our athletes? Here are 10 things athletics taught me about leadership that I hope to invest in each athlete we touch at NLP:

1. It’s not about me

I will never forget sitting in rookie meetings with the Indianapolis Colts and listening to  outline that football is a brotherhood, not a family. “If we are a train going down the tracks and one of you falls off,�� he began, “in a family, the entire train would screech to a halt, we would all jump off, pick you up, dust you off, and slowly start the train again. But this is not a family, it is a brotherhood. And the train is screaming down the tracks toward our first game in 21 days. So if you fall off the train it is your job to catch back up, because we have no time to slow down for you.��

It was a powerful reminder that there is no indispensable person. No one is above the team and we all have an important role and responsibility to fulfill.

2. True confidence comes from preparation

Waiting my turn to play was the most difficult part of my athletic career. But rather than wasting the time spent waiting, I had to learn to prepare for the job I wanted. I had no idea when the opportunity would come, but when it did I had to be ready, or it would pass me by. And readiness only comes through preparation.

3. Being on a team means working with people you wouldn’t choose to work with

Being an athlete made me blind to race, creed, and socioeconomic status. It helped me put my differences aside and work towards a common goal with teammates whose personalities and upbringings were completely different than mine. It taught me to connect with others across cultural barriers. To this day I am ever grateful for the diverse set of friendships I have because of the locker room.

4. You can work hard and get worse

So much of athletic success hinges on skill development and muscle memory. Repetition matters. Repetition forms habits. But I learned early on that just putting in hours and “work�� means nothing if it isn’t good work. If you’re going to do it, do it right. Focused, purposeful, correct repetition �� sweating the details to get better �� is what produces real improvement.

5. How you handle adversity is everything

I underwent 2 major knee surgeries and a foot surgery during my collegiate career �� and as difficult as it was, I wouldn’t change a thing. The crucible of injury strengthened both my character and my capacity to lead �� and it also helped me earn the respect of my teammates, making them more confident in my leadership.

6. Take responsibility for your actions

I quickly had to understand that with success comes too much credit, and with shortcoming comes too much blame. From managing my time between class and practice, to facing the media after throwing interceptions in a loss, I learned that my choices were just that �� mine �� and that I had to be willing to be accountable and take ownership for any decision I made.

7. You can do more than you think you can

In 2007 I suffered a broken foot in training camp and was faced with a decision. Play or sit? To this day I am grateful I chose to play, but every single day that year was a mental and physical grind filled with pain. I know the only way I made it through was in , but the experience taught me that I am capable of far more than I ever realized.

8. Embrace change

Every single week, as football players, we hit the reset button. New opponent, new plan, and new adjustments. Over the years, I saw teammates come and teammates go. I even played for 3 position coaches in 5 years. How did this translate to life after the game? I got married. I got cut by multiple NFL teams. I moved multiple times. I bought my first home. Our first son was born. In 3 years in corporate America I had 7 managers. Life is dynamic and ever-changing, and I attribute the ability to keep an even keel despite change to my faith and also to my experiences as an athlete.

9. A little bit of pressure is good

Every single year a new, talented player at my position showed up on campus. The constant competition and healthy fear of losing your job taught me a valuable lesson �� if you relax, you will get passed. Never let up. Never settle.

10. We all have a platform

A platform is simply a position of influence that can be used to make a positive difference. While platforms change throughout a lifetime, we all have positions of influence, and it is our responsibility to use them for good.

I’d love to hear some of the lessons athletics have taught you��shout them out in the comments or tweet them and tag me . How has being an athlete impacted your leadership journey?

To learn more about our mission of building leaders through athletics, check out this article on Next Level Performance in .

#LeadWell

About a week ago I had the honor and privilege of interviewing  in front of over 2,000 people at the “” event at in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bethany’s has inspired millions around the world, as she overcame losing her left arm in a 2003 shark attack to go on to become one of the most successful athletes ever in the sport of surfing.

In spending time with Bethany, her husband Adam, and her son Tobias before, during, and after the event, one thing is clear �� Bethany is a great leader and role model we can all learn from. Every opportunity is a chance to learn something new, and I believe Bethany’s story, her demeanor, and her character all present leadership qualities we can learn from and emulate.

Specifically, here are 4 leadership lessons we can learn from Bethany Hamilton:

1. She’s herself

As I got to know Bethany it became very clear she is real and genuine. What you see is what you get. She knows who she is and she lives it �� from taking the stage in a casual, cotton dress, to simply telling her story �� raw and unfiltered �� Bethany is comfortable in her own skin. Authentic leaders know who they are and who they aren’t, and they aren’t afraid to be themselves.

2. She’s humble

Bethany had a natural way, on and off the stage, of moving the focus to others. Everyone was there to hear from her, but she was quick to recognize the contributions of her parents, her husband, her siblings, her youth pastor, and many more key mentors who shaped the woman she is today. Great leaders know there is no self-made man or woman, and they exhibit humble gratitude for those who invested in their life.

3. She’s helpful

There were several young amputees at the event who, like Bethany, experienced the painful, difficult loss of a limb. You would’ve thought Bethany had known each of them for years! She took a genuine interest in each of them, spent personal time talking 1-on-1 with each of them, and gave them some memorabilia to take as a keepsake. And she takes this work even further through her non-profit, . Leaders understand a key principle: If you want to be valuable, add value to others.

4. She’s happy

Bethany seems content and happy with her lot in life. She’s a new mom, she’s working on a big film project called , and she’s on a speaking tour…but it seems that if it all went away, she’d still be secure in her faith and in her family. She’s working hard and she’s hungry for more…but not so much that it consumes her with blind ambition. Great leaders have a capacity about them to enjoy the journey as they pursue their goals.

Bethany, thank you for the key qualities of leadership you embody! May all we go and live likewise!

#LeadWell

“Men, we have quite a responsibility to Michael,�� Coach Murray said. He paused to let the words sink in, extending his right fist forward slightly toward the center of the locker room for emphasis.

“He’s listening every time we play.��

Meet Michael Kuras. Michael is 24 years old and lives in Southwest Michigan. An avid football and hockey fan, Michael never misses watching or listening to a game of his three favorite teams—the Detroit Red Wings, the Kalamazoo Wings, and the Western Michigan University Broncos. Even if they play on the same night.

“He’ll follow all three,�� Michael’s mom Debbie told me. “He’ll have the Red Wings on TV, the K-Wings on one radio, and the Broncos on another radio. All at the same time.��

These days, in his early 20’s, Michael should be enjoying the fun, the challenge, and the adventure of the “prime years�� of his young life—complete with plenty of hockey and football games. But Michael has been dealt a different hand. He is in the midst of a challenge and adventure that is anything but fun.

Michael is battling cancer.

I first learned of Michael’s story when a friend of mine connected me with Michael’s uncle. Determined to make a memory for Michael and provide him with some hope during the throes of chemotherapy, Michael’s uncle asked him, “What would you like Michael?��

The answer?

Without blinking Michael asked to meet two pretty important people from his favorite college team: �����Ի� , the head hockey and football coaches at .

A couple phone calls and a few days later and I found myself moved to tears as I watched the Bronco Hockey and Football teams embrace Michael as they would a teammate. Hockey players fist bumped Michael as they exited the ice after pre-game practice. Each took turns signing a white jersey with black ‘Broncos�� letters and gold trim for Michael, sharing their name, their hometown, and their well-wishes for his health and recovery. Football players gathered around Michael as he was asked to break the team down after practice. Each player signed an oar for Michael’s room, symbolic of Coach Fleck’s program rally cry ��.��

As I watched Michael walk into the tunnel and up the exit ramp of , a tired smile on his face from his memorable morning, I reflected on what had just unfolded in the preceding hours. We had all just witnessed the power of a platform.

plat · form (noun)

a position of influence that can be used to make a positive difference

In our sports-frenzied society, arguably no one has a more powerful platform than athletes and coaches. But platforms aren’t just for sports figures, celebrities, politicians, and CEO’s. We all have a platform of power.

If you are a parent��

If you have a sibling��

If you are a friend to someone��

If you have a social media account��

If you are an employee or student��

If you have something you can give away��

If you can send a text message��

If you take time to smile at someone else��

If you will write a handwritten note��

If you are able to pray��

If you have any human interaction in a given day��

…you have a platform.

Having a platform means we have power. We are owners of an opportunity. We have something to be desired. We have the chance to change a life.

But what we have means nothing. What we do with what we have means everything.

So how do we ensure we use the platforms of power in our lives to the best of our abilities? The best answer I’ve found is hidden in the life story of a man named Naaman, found in 2 Kings 5, around the year 860 B.C.

Naaman was the commander of the army of Aram (present-day Syria) and he had it going on. He was successful, influential, and admired. He is as “a great man��, “highly regarded��, and “a valiant soldier.�� He had a platform full of power.

But he also had a problem. He had leprosy—an infectious, painful, skin disease. However, thanks to the of his wife’s household servant, Naaman goes to Israel to see the prophet Elisha. There, in miraculous fashion, Naaman is in the waters of the Jordan River. But his healing goes deeper than the external—Naaman is healed internally as well. And it is here, in the new Naaman, we see a model example of how to best use the platforms of power in our lives.

REALIZE the power of your platform

Naaman came to realize the source and the span of his power. He understood that the source of power in his life was, in fact, God. (“Now I know there is no God in all the world except in Israel.�� ) He saw he had not come to prominence by his own doing, but rather God had allowed him to have power and a platform. Naaman also came to see the span of his power—the many people affected by his life and decisions—and he reacts with humble gratitude. (“So please accept a gift from your servant.�� )

If we’re honest, most of us downplay and discount how much power we have. When we step back and realize how powerful we can be—how many platforms we have to affect the lives of others, even through the simple things of daily life like a smile, a kind word, a pat on the back, a handwritten note, or an uplifting text message—we begin to see the span of our influence is actually quite large. We begin to see the source of our power is outside ourselves—the ultimate grantor of power is God.  reminds us “there is no authority except that which God has established.��

RETURN with a new perspective

Have you ever listened to an inspiring sermon or read convicting book and left thinking ‘I have to quit my job, sell everything, and go on a new life path!��? After realizing the source and span of his power, that’s what the new Naaman did, right?

Wrong.

Naaman returned to being the commander of the army of Aram. But he did so with dirt and determination. He for as much dirt as 2 mules can carry (we’ll see why shortly) and says he will never worship anyone or anything but the . In other words, once he realized the power of his platform, he carried it with him and he made up his mind he would use it differently than he ever had before.

Once we realize the power of our platforms, a new life path is probably not the answer (although it could be!), but a new perspective is. It’s about realizing the impact of our actions and then returning to our platforms—our homes, our families, our jobs, our schools, our communities—with the determination to use our platform for the service and benefit of those around us.

RESPOND with a changed life

After he realized his power and returned to his commander post with a new perspective, Naaman did something that might seem odd. He asked for for bowing down to the Syrian cult/pagan religion God Rimmon with his boss, the king. On the surface this seems like hypocrisy, but if we study further, we see Naaman is responding with a changed life.

Commentators hypothesize when Naaman entered the temple with the king, he spread a little of the aforementioned Israeli dirt on the floor before he knelt, symbolically showing he was not bowing to Rimmon, but rather, to the True God. He didn’t depart his post of the army, he didn’t disrespect his leader—he decided to live differently. From right where he was.

After realizing our power and returning to our platform with perspective, it’s time to respond. To live our beliefs. To be a good steward of our power by radically giving it away, expecting nothing in return. To return to our homes, schools, workplaces, and communities and live in a way that is attractive and inspiring.

That unforgettable Saturday morning, the Bronco hockey and football programs had a platform of power because Michael wanted to meet them. But it didn’t really matter what they had. It mattered what they did. And what they did was make a memory of hope for Michael and his family. They gave their power away and used their platform as athletes and coaches to make a positive difference.

In our leadership journeys, may we follow their example, and the example of Naaman. May we realize our power, return to our platform with perspective, and respond with a changed life—ready and willing to give our power away, for the Glory of God and the benefit of others.

Tis the season…for football coach firings.

Unless you have been exposed to the wild and crazy business of coaching, it’s easy to graze over the roller coaster ride many coaches and their families experience this time of year. At the collegiate or professional level, most coaches invest a minimum baseline of 80 hours a week () into the game and profession they are so passionate about. Job security is  as progress and success are defined by one thing—winning—and just a few bad bounces, often outside of the coach’s control, can lead to being fired. And being fired means the uncertainty of scrambling for a new position in a job market where a limited number of vacancies exist, while helping family navigate time apart, moving, and a new scene with new friends.

This holiday season I’ve reflected on this wild ride more than ever as I’ve watched it affect many of my friends in the coaching profession, as well as many men I played for during my career. One of those men is , who made a meaningful investment in my life during his time at Western Michigan University. Coach “Shafe�� is a quality man who coaches for the right reason—to take teenage boys and use a physically and mentally demanding game to build them into men ready for life. His Syracuse program finished 4-8 this year, losing to #8 LSU by only 10 points, losing a 3OT heartbreaker at Virginia, losing on a last second field goal to Pitt, and dropping a game to the #1 team in the country, Clemson, also by just 10 points. A different bounce of the ball in any 2 of those games and Coach “Shafe�� is preparing for a bowl game right now. But despite his meaningful mission, “Shafe�� was dismissed from his position and coached his final game at Syracuse just a couple weeks ago. True to form, he left with gratitude and class, as evidenced by an emotional and inspiring .

At a personal level, I can relate to this rejection as I experienced the  of playing professional football over and over and over again. I had no plan B. In my mind, I was going to spend at least a few years in the NFL doing what I loved. The road had been long and challenging, filled with , but unless I was physically unable, nothing was going to stop me from achieving my goal. Or so I thought. I had to learn the hard way—despite my best efforts, there was a different and better plan for my life and career path.

But you don’t have to be an athlete or coach to experience these type of painful transitions. All human beings experience these life changes in some form. Whether it is job loss, retiring, a medical diagnosis, being denied entry to school, getting cut from the team, experiencing foreclosure and financial uncertainty, or something else unmentioned, we will all face these type of circumstances at some point during our lifetimes.

The harsh reality is this: on our temporary planet and in our fleeting lives, there is NOTHING this side of heaven we can do or have forever. Absolutely nothing.

So what do we do when something we love ends?

I’d like to submit to you 4 key things we can learn from one of the great, but unheralded, leaders of all time—a man named Nehemiah. A man who, in amazing fashion (444/445 BC �� no modern technology!), led the rebuilding of a fortress wall around the city of Jerusalem in just 52 days, despite opposition from enemy nations on all sides.

Grieve the loss

When Nehemiah was away from home, working in Persia for king Artaxerxes, he learns that his homeland is in distress and its walls are rubble. Nehemiah’s reaction? “I sat down and wept,�� his account says. ()

When life’s difficult transitions or losses come, we need to give ourselves permission to grieve. It’s normal, needed, and even , to share emotion, and to struggle with our change in plans or circumstance.

Grade your skills

Chapter 1 of Nehemiah’s begins with the receipt of bad news in the month of Kislev (November/December), but we don’t see Nehemiah taking any outwardly visible action until the month of Nisan (March/April). So what was he doing for these 3-4 months? Praying and planning. We see Nehemiah seeking God’s direction, and as the story unfolds, we see an incredibly well thought out plan unfolding under Nehemiah’s leadership.

So often when difficult transitions come, we want to escape as fast as possible and get on to the next thing, stuffing our feelings and rushing to be busy again. However, it’s important to pray and plan, grading ourselves with some key questions:

What unique gifts, talents, and skills do I have?
What do I love to do?
Why am I doing what I’m doing?

Slowing down to pray, plan, and grade our God-given abilities is an often missed step in navigating life’s transition challenges.

Grow in a new area

Nehemiah was an important official in the King of Persia’s cabinet, as evidenced by his ability to speak to the king and make requests. () But to the best of our knowledge he had never been in charge of a construction project and he had never been a governor.

When life’s challenging changes come our way, once we’ve graded our skills and abilities, it’s important to be willing to grow in a new area of interest. We can always improve, always stretch, and always learn something innovative or different. Having an open mind to do so may very well lead us through the transition we are facing.

Go do something new

After Nehemiah grieved the destroyed wall, graded his abilities and circumstances through prayer and planning, and was willing to grow in a new area of his leadership…it was time to GO. And off he went, ready to take on a new challenge, because he had grieved, graded, and grew.

In life’s difficult transitions, going on to something new is scary. It’s unfamiliar, it’s different, and it may not be what we originally set out to do. But it might also be better. We just don’t know yet. But going on to something new becomes much easier if we do the work up front of grieving the loss, grading ourselves through prayer and planning, and being willing to grow in a new area.

Change and challenge are both constant and inevitable. But when they do come, if we will take time to grieve, grade, grow, and then go forward toward what God has planned for us, we stand the best chance of leading the life we were meant to live.

Meet Nick Johnson. He’s probably the best leader you’ve never heard of.

Coach Johnson is the head football coach at , a liberal arts institution in Richmond, Indiana. Earlham is home to just over 1,000 students, and its Quaker athletic programs compete in the NCAA Division III Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC). The Earlham football program’s results on the field can be summarized in a single word:

Abysmal.

Since 1889 has won just 36% of its games (360-605-23) and a dreary 24% of its conference contests (48-152). In the last five seasons, Earlham has gone 0-10, 1-8, 2-8, 0-10, and 0-10. This past year, the first under Coach Johnson’s guidance, the Quaker defense gave up roughly 58 points per game en route to the program’s second straight winless season.

But before you completely write off Earlham Quaker football, you must study the story behind the stat line. Just 12 short days ago, the unthinkable happened:

Coach Johnson was named the .

In a statement announcing the honor, the conference cited: “respect for Johnson and his dedication to his profession, his program and his personal life�� as key reasons for honoring the Quakers�� head coach. The statement continued: “Coach Johnson instills life lessons to his student athletes on the field while embodying real life challenges.��

How is this possible? An 0-10 coach named coach of the year?

Perhaps the better question is: How is it possible that Coach Johnson had the strength to coach at all?

Over the past two years, Johnson’s wife Melissa has spent over 500 nights in various hospitals—from the Mayo Clinic, to Indiana University, to the University of Cincinnati—battling a debilitating chain reaction of health challenges, ranging from severe intestinal problems to cerebral spinal leaking and brain swelling. From life flight helicopter rides to innumerable operations (Johnson said he “lost count after 13��), the  has been about anything but football. In addition to these unfathomable life challenges and the demands of a being a head football coach, Johnson is doing his best to raise Jayden and Jacob, ages 6 and 4, as their mother fights for her life.

When Johnson was offered the opportunity to take the helm of the rebuilding effort at Earlham, after serving as an assistant coach for the previous decade, he made up his mind to turn it down. His commitment and concern for his family outweighed his desire to fulfill his dream of being a head football coach. That is, until Melissa refused to take no for an answer. From her hospital bed she told her husband to fulfill his leadership calling—impacting the lives of young men on the grid iron.

But coach at Earlham? 3-46 in the last 5 years Earlham? Why would anyone want to take on what some might call an impossible challenge?

Says Johnson: “I’m proud of this team, as odd as that may seem. I don’t want any other team. I want these guys to get the lessons, and these guys to make the improvement. To see them transform and learn from week to week has been very powerful for me, and cathartic for me. Yeah, a win would be nice, and we’re working toward that.��

“There are lessons you get from athletics you don’t quite get from textbooks,�� Johnson continues. “And some of those things are very transferable to the game of life, which is also a tough game for tough people. It gives me encouragement to pass on to [Melissa]. It gives me encouragement to get through the day. This has been a great release from some of the mire that has been my life the last two years.��

Nick Johnson is one of the best leaders you’ve never heard of. His leadership is superlative because he understands what I call the salt principle of leadership.

“You are the salt of the earth.��
                                                 -Jesus ()

The power of this leadership principle has evaded my understanding for a long time—but Nick Johnson brings the salt principle to life before our very eyes. You see, salt serves 2 simple purposes—and when understood in a leadership context, the salt principle can change the way we live and lead.

Salt is an ADDITIVE

This past Thanksgiving holiday I helped myself, against my better judgment, to a healthy pile of mashed potatoes. As I took my overflowing plate of goodness to the dining room table, I sprinkled a few shakes of salt over my mountain of mashed Yukon golds. As I took the first bite, naturally I said:

“Boy this is great salt!��

Right?

Au contraire. As the scrumptious potato flavor hit my taste buds, I immediately commented on how good the potatoes were. The salt was there. It was vital to the taste. It made the potatoes great. But no mention of it. Not even a thought. The salt never crossed my mind.

Nick Johnson is a great leader and a better man, but the focus is not on him. It’s on caring for his wife. It’s on raising his children. It’s on mentoring young men into leaders, on and off the field. He is the salt of Earlham football—an additive to a pending story of future success.

Such is the way we are called to live as leaders. Ever working, ever serving, ever guiding those under our leadership care, salt principle leaders produce progress and pursue perfection. But when others take notice of the organization’s drive to greatness, they talk about the organization not the leader. In the words of the philosopher Lao Tzu, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.��

Salt is a PRESERVATIVE

In Jesus�� day of no refrigeration and no freezers, salt preserved meat. Salt prevented spoiling. Salt prohibited decay. It kept the good from going bad.

I was a 14 year old high school freshman sitting in Mr. Duxbury’s Earth Science class when the announcement came over the PA system. An aircraft had crashed into the World Trade Center’s north tower. As we spent the rest of the school day watching the news and debriefing with our teachers about the unfolding events, an image remained burned in my mind:

While hundreds of people were running away from the crumbling building, hundreds of firefighters and emergency personnel were running to it. They were going in. Defying rational human logic of safety and survival, these brave souls were on a mission—to preserve as many lives as possible.

Why take the helm at 3-46 in the last 5 years Earlham College? Nick Johnson is a salt principle leader, working to preserve Quaker football. When others might run away from the challenge in order to guard their coaching careers, Coach Johnson has gone in—on a mission to build men through football, and in the process, a successful program as well.

Such is the way we are called to live as leaders. When others run away, we run to. When others say no, we say yes. When things are at their worst, we are at our best. Salt principle leaders are present when normal human logic says we should be absent, ready and willing to get involved in making things better.

Salt is an additive and a preservative. And it’s what we are called to be as leaders.

Thank you Nick Johnson for being a salt principle leader. You have both our admiration and our prayers as you construct your program and care for your family.

The question made me squirm.

I was sitting in the right rear corner of the room, leaning back in the black leather office chair, stretching my arms above my head, when I suddenly snapped back to proper posture. I shot my glance toward the gentleman asking the question, then back to the screen of the video simulcast. This answer ought to be interesting.

I was in a live interview with a legendary collegiate coach who helped transform a Big Ten program from doormat to dominant in the 1980’s and 90’s. Most of the questions posed revolved around leadership, culture, teambuilding, secrets of success, and of course winning. Lots of questions came up about casting vision, setting direction, finding the right people (both players and coaches), and living by a set of core values. But this question was different and more pointed. The words seemed to hang in the air.

“Coach…what has your coaching career cost you?��

It was as if the inquiry came through the Skype camera like a Mike Tyson uppercut. The coach chuckled for a second—you know the type—the kind of half-hearted laugh we tend to exhale when we are caught off guard or surprised. After pausing for a moment, a distanced gaze came over this hall of fame legend’s face. After a few head shakes, the coach looked at us through misty eyes and said:

“Too much. It has probably cost me too much.��

Winning. Results. Success. It is what we recognize and glorify in our culture. It is what sells tickets and brings contract extensions and pay raises. It is the American Dream. But winning is hard. It is flat out, beyond a doubt, tough to win. Winning comes as the result of work, attention to detail, perseverance, and an unrelenting desire to get better. And sustaining winning over time is whole new level of habitual commitment and dedication.

In short, winning comes at a cost. And in our win-at-all-costs world, sometimes the cost is incredibly high. Consider the ways we’ve seen this desire to win manifest itself in the world of athletics in just the last 12 months:

found a growing concentration of young athletes using heroin has been linked to their use of painkillers to keep playing through injury.


The controversy continues to stay in the news as the NFL hired one of the nation’s most prominent attorneys, Paul Clement, to challenge the reversal of Tom Brady’s suspension.


The demands, hours, and pressure to win take a heavy toll on coaches�� marriages and family lives, most notably and recently Florida State’s �����Ի� former USC coach .


A recent survey published in the found 75% of youth sports coaches say parents put too much emphasis on winning and 95% of youth coaches report they have seen a parent yell at a referee during a game.

The expectation of any leader in any setting—athletics, business, healthcare, education, ministry, and more—is to get results. To produce progress. To win. Leaders must cast the vision, set the direction and then mobilize people to get it done. Why play, why lead, why even show up if you aren’t there to win? Winning is a good, dare I say, even a noble pursuit that is worth our best efforts. But if we leave a wake of damage and destruction behind us on the path to the prize…have we really won?

Winning leaders understand a very key principle �� who we are while we pursue winning is more important than the winning itself. Winning is important, but it isn’t ultimate. Everything that is ultimate is important…but not everything that is important is ultimate. Winning is great, but it is also temporary, and to pursue it at the cost of our faith, our families, and our fundamental responsibilities is a dangerous trap.

So what does a leader look like who wins, but does so with a proper perspective? In his letter to Titus, Paul outlines the job description of a winning leader. Titus was tasked to select and appoint leaders (elders) in every town of Crete, and Paul told him exactly what to look for. Winning leaders are:

Constant

“An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe�����Ի� are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.�� Titus 1:6

Winning leaders are always dependable. Whether leading in a personal—in Paul’s example, a family—or professional context, winning leaders can be counted on to deliver the same quality results over and over again. Every person or situation a winning leader touches is left better than it was before.

Consistent

“Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.�� Titus 1:7

Winning leaders are level-headed, steady, and unchanging in any situation. As Paul writes, the leader’s conduct and character precedes them. Those under the care of a winning leader can articulate the values of the leader—just by watching them live—and know what to expect from the leader, no matter the circumstance.

Compassionate

“Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.�� Titus 1:8

Winning leaders are primarily concerned with the wellbeing of others, exuding selfless service and freely giving of whatever can be offered—from time to material possessions. And not only is the leader concerned, Paul submits the leader must “love�� to be and do these “good�� things. The compassionate leader wins by pouring out time, talent, and treasure, knowing helping others win is the best gift that can be given.

Credible

“He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine�����Ի� refute those who oppose it.�� Titus 1:9

Winning leaders can be trusted and are defined by integrity. Paul describes a leader who “holds firmly”—immovable in faith, regardless of opposition. It was leadership guru John Maxwell that summed up a credible leader as “one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.�� A winning leader’s message of coaching, correcting, or encouragement is well received because of their credibility as a constant, consistent, and compassionate mentor.

Pursuing winning with perspective isn’t easy, but it can be done with a disciplined commitment to being constant, consistent, compassionate, and credible as we pursue the prize.

                   

                  

Join Tim at The Michigan News Agency (308 W. Michigan Ave., Downtown Kalamazoo) this Tuesday, November 17th from 6 �� 8PM. Hear about the story behind , hear a reading from the book, and get a signed copy.

JOIN TIM AT AN UPCOMING STRIVE BOOK SIGNING!

, 6-8PM at �� 308 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007

, 5-8PM at �� 133 N. Main St., Orrville, OH 44667