Mike Henderson

The Perfect Player

As football finally kicks off as of last night and in earnest this weekend let me end talking about the perfect player.  This week Teddy Bruschi announced his retirement from football.

He had been with the New England Patiots for 13 years.  At one point he had a stroke from which he recovered and returned to play football at a very high level.

Upon his announcement his coach Bill Belichick referred to him as 'the perfect player.'  Deep down I think everyone wants to be remembered as the perfect player.  Perhaps the perfect dad.  The perfect assistant. You name it.

Perfection.  No one will be considered perfect by everyone.  That's ok.  The point is what can I learn, what are some of the characteristics of a player who was called 'perfect' by his coach?

Longevity: Often one's length of time in one place will be the difference maker.  We often overestimate what we do in one year, but underestimate what we can do in a lifetime.

Loyalty: Everyone from food stores to pro sports teams are vying for people's and players loyalty. Loyalty can pay huge dividends and everyone knows it.  You must be 'countable.'  Can others count on you?

Accomplishments:  At the end of the day you have to produce, have results.  Bruschi's list is too long to list, but he was known for his tackles, sacks, and recovered fumbles.

Change: Bruschi started out as a defensive end, but switched to linebacker. It was at that position that he added the most value to the team.  It's always healthy to ask, 'Where can I add the most value to the team, organization, company?'

Attitude: You can tell when someone loves what they do, loves their teammates, and the team they play for.  It's written all over their face.  When Teddy Bruschi gave his retirement announcement, you could see it all over his face.  He loved what he did and where he was.

One day you will arrive at the last day at where you are.  How will you be remembered?  Teddy Bruschi will be remembered as "The Perfect Player."

Currrent Great Reads

  Right now I am reading a couple of great books.  I enjoy reading and listening to Guy Kawasaki.  His most recent book, Reality Check, is about outmanaging and outmarketing the competition.  In the church the competition are things like a warm bed, the golf course, Lowes, yard work, or simply reading the paper.  It's hard for some to give up those things.

  Here's one quote from his book.  "It's hard to stay motivated and excited about executing crap.  It's easy if you're changing the world.  So if you and your team are having a hard time executing, maybe you're working on the wrong thing."

  Another book I am reading on the lessons in non-linear leadership, unleashing the POWER of rubber bands, is hard to put down.  The author is Nancy Ortberg and she writes, "Healthy teams do autopsies after most activities, gathering together both to celebrate and to analyze what happened.  Autopsies allow teams to have honest conversations about missing the mark and what they could have done differently or better."

  Two excellent minds with tons of stuff to think about.