Some of our greatest lessons of leadership are found on the green turf of fall. What a season TCU and a valuable lesson in culture makes perfect!
Sports provide the backdrop for so many of life’s lessons. As Americans, we love our underdog movies. The inspirational greats like “Rudy” or “Remember the Titans”. A feel good reminder that hard work and dedication will eventually come out on top for the win!
It revs up our dormant desire to go for the win in our own lives. If we are motivated enough, the victory begs the question: how can I? The answer lies at the foundation of any great comeback season, on screen or off, and can be taken straight from Leadership 101.
One of my all time favorite leadership coaches, John Maxwell states, “The bottom line of leadership is not how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others.” I watched this quality of leadership, which Maxwell describes as the Law of Addition, unfold in awe inspiring detail this college football season.
Our daughter entered her college years at Texas Christian University in the Fall of 2018. Full disclosure, football is normally not our reason for breathing in the fall. I usually know who’s playing in the Super Bowl a day or two before the event. However, we were caught up and ready to embrace the contagious horned frog spirit. Alumni family members told tall tales of enthusiastic games, the MUST know secret chants, and over the top community tailgate parties, made us thrilled for a ringside seat.
Over the next four years, we flew out from California to attend home games and join the infectious school spirit. Win or lose the fans delivered in epic proportions. This was so FUN!
On the other hand, as mentioned I’m not a football expert, but the TCU football team seemed to fumble and bumble their way through the seasons. I dared not voice it in a crowded room of purple, but there seemed to be a lack of cohesion and communication on field. I heard die hard fans say that these were “growing years”. In my mind, that sounds like a veiled way to excuse poor results.
Evidently, my uneducated hunch was correct. In the spring of 2022 a new head coach was dramatically delivered by helicopter to the infield of the Amon G. Carter Stadium with the hopes of ushering in a new season of winning for TCU. With that kind of entrance Sonny Dykes had better be prepared to deliver. Anything less than a perfect season, would be akin to a super model tripping and falling off the runway during Fashion Week.
And deliver he did. On Saturday, the TCU Horned Frogs wrapped up in a big purple bow a 12-0 season in the Big 12 Conference. That bestows upon them a national number three ranking among the likes of Georgia, Michigan State. In the words of Max Duggan, the 4 year quarterback who came alive in a huge way this year, “It is all owed to the CULTURE and LEADERSHIP that Coach Sonny Dykes brought with him.”
I was so inspired watching the season finale 62-14 game against Iowa State. A school TCU crashed and burned against just one year prior. The horned frogs I watched on Saturday were now lean and incredibly athletic. They completed impossible touchdown passes, they intercepted and tackled, they seemed to glide and communicate on field. It was a thing of beauty!
I learned that after Coach Dykes exited the helicopter, he immediately got to work on the mindset of his team. Getting the players to believe in themselves and each other was paramount to success. If they complained about a player being weak, Coach told them to make that player better. Intense, purposeful strength training and diet were brought into the program as a top priority.
Most magnificent of all was that the talent and winning mindset existed dormant within each of these players all along, even when losses were excused as “growing years”. The difference was Coach Sonny Dykes and his leadership team got this team to BELIEVE IN IT and in each other! The word perfect means to “Do Completely”. The transformation of the TCU 2022 football team was a life lesson in CULTURE MAKES PERFECT.
John Maxwell says,”He who thinks he leads, but has no followers is only taking a walk. If you can’t influence people then they will not follow you. And if people won’t follow, you are not a leader.” Congratulations, TCU! I think you found yourself a true leader.
Watch out world, I think our Horned Frogs are on the loose and RUNNING!
