Effective leadership depends on effective communication.

Unfortunately, effective leadership is sadly lacking in all levels of society.

A miserable, but typical, lack of leadership jumped out at me at a recent High School junior varsity football game.   And as usual, this lack of leadership involved the Number One Sin of "pretend leaders" - lack of communication. 

This story involved a freshman blocking back in his third JV game.

Through most of the first half, he performed his job by effectively blocking for the running backs. One of those blocks actually led to his team’s only touchdown. 

Near the end of the first half, as can be predicted, the "coach" called a play where the blocking back would carry the ball. 

On the play, he was stripped of the ball as he was being tackled. The opposing player who stripped the ball ran 30 yards, untouched, for a touchdown. This touchdown put them ahead by 16 points.

Remember I mentioned the running back’s team only scored one touchdown on his block. 

Can you imagine the embarrassment of having an opposing player take the ball away from you and return it for a touchdown! 

What would you do as that running back’s coach? 

Right.

You would do what most "pretend leaders" do.

Nothing. 

What was more shocking about this total lack of leadership was that both coaches - the head coach and assistant coach, let this totally embarrassed player walk off the field without saying one word to him.

Zero Communication. 

Let’s examine the word – coach. 

This was a teachable moment. A real coach would have called the player over to console, encourage, and instruct him.  

A real coach would have reminded the player that even Pro Bowl players fumble the ball once in a while. 

A real coach would have shown his confidence in the player, in front of the other players. He must have had confidence in the player if he had played him at that position in the two previous JV games and the varsity game the night before. 

What’s really interesting in this sad tale of miserable leadership is that the blocking back, the night before, had run the ball once in the varsity game and gained eight yards. 

I am not being fair to this "coach."

He did communicate with player.

He did not play him at running back the rest of the game. And, he limited his play on defense to two plays on special teams.

He very effectively communicated his displeasure to the player. 

A real coach would have put the player back in the game immediately and call a play allowing the running back to carry the ball again. I guarantee he would not fumble the ball this time. 

Even if you know nothing about football, you know and understand the traits of a leader. 

These traits include communication, vision, and risk-taking. 

OBJECT LESSON 

We suffer from a miserable lack of leadership here in the USA.

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