Leaders Elevate...

Leaders Elevate…

Tom Brady elevates performance...

‘Tis the season for football’s biggest game…we’re all excited for Super Bowl Sunday.  Amidst all the hoopla, I took something away from last weekend’s Ravens/Patriots game. 

Tom Brady is the Patriots’ leader…everyone knows it.  However, in last week’s game Brady put up the worst postseason performance of his career; just 239 yards, on 22 completions, NO TOUCHDOWNS, and he threw TWO interceptions.  They still won the game. 

The Patriots are still going to the Super Bowl, thanks to Rob Gronkowski’s very clutch - 5 catches and 87 yards on the day. 

It wasn’t about Tom Brady…it was about Tom Brady elevating everyone else’s performance.

OneMoreStep Thought for SUPER BOWL WEEK: Effective leaders always bring their “A” Game, making contributions of their own…but the great ones ELEVATE EVERYONE AROUND THEM, making others better.  Leaders Elevate.

Rob Gronkowski is a good football player at 6 foot 6 inches tall, 265 pounds…he also runs about a 4.65 second 40-yard dash.  At the University of Arizona he was named an Associated Press Third-Team All American, and was selected in the second round – 42^nd overall – of the 2010 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots.  Modest stats.

Tom Brady makes him a GREAT football player. 

Per Wikipedia:

Gronkowski owns a number of NFL tight end scoring and receiving records, including the single-season records for tight ends for most receiving touchdowns (17), most total touchdowns (18), and most receiving yards (1,327), all set in 2011.

Would Rob Gronkowski be a decent NFL player on another team?  No question.  He’s a very talented and physically gifted athlete.  Would he be breaking NFL records in just his second year as a pro without Tom Brady as his quarterback?  Doubt it. 

Tom Brady elevates Gronkowski’s potential and performance every single week.

I looked up synonyms for the word – Elevate – on Microsoft Word.  Here’s what I found:

RAISE…LIFT UP…LIFT…MAKE HIGHER…PUT ON A PEDESTAL…BUMP UP…BRING TO FORE…PROMOTE…ADVANCE…FURTHER

OneMoreStep application…

As leaders, it’s not always about our own stats. 

It’s less about what we do:

·      The idea we come up with and present

·      What we say in a meeting

·      How well we dazzle the team or audience with our analysis

·      The points we make while dominating a conversation

It’s ALL about how well we’re able to ELEVATE those around us:

·      Whose performance can we lift up by putting them on a pedestal?

·      Who, on our team, can we promote to help advance their career?

·      Rather than dominate, can we facilitate conversations to further progress?

·      How can we lift spirits with our positivity rather than feeding negativity?

If you want to make an impact that matters…be a true leader…ELEVATE.

Have a great day.

Taylor