Six years ago, when my son was playing Freshman football at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, the team was administering a methodical beat-down on The Landon School when in the fourth quarter, we punted the ball to them. Their deep man caught it, and with Good Counsel’s defenders still about 20 yards away, he took a knee.
Now if you’re not familiar with football, taking a knee is the act of voluntarily stopping the play. It’s kind of like “tapping out” in a mixed martial arts fight or throwing in the towel in a boxing match. It’s the football version of saying no mas. Sadly, the player who took the knee was their best one. He was the biggest and fastest and the one whom I’d put my hopes in during a time of crisis. After that point, the rest of the game was characterized by our guys taking it easy and Landon doing its best to get to the final whistle. The final score was 40 – 0.
So anyway, the principle this display put into my head was around the importance of not quitting.
Now for those of us who no longer play in competitive sports, we can apply it to our day-to-day routines.
- As managers, you’re entrusted with the viability of your company. Your people look to you for guidance. I’ve worked with way too many companies that are in jeopardy of going under but are led by managers who withhold information and simply look for a way out for themselves. With the company dangerously close to shutting down, the best and brightest look for a way out. Sadly, in most cases, they quit too soon.
- As a job seeker, are you one of those statistics mentioned that represents those who simply gave up looking for work?
The lesson here is that at some point, we all need to put our foot down and determine not to give up. Our co-workers, families, and friends look to us for strength. We can’t afford to let them down.
There are many times I’m tempted to “take a knee.” Sometimes I actually do and feel really bad about it. Other times though I suck it up and keep going.
What about you?
This week, let’s take a look at what we’re wrestling with. Is it really that bad or are we simply envisioning the worst case scenario? After seeing that sad spectacle at the football game, I’m going to think twice before taking a knee.