What Leaders Can Learn From Brett Favre

by Mark O. Wilson (Revitalize Your Church, 3/4/08)

After pondering over what made Favre such a great champion, here are a few sentimental observations:

1) He Showed up to Play Every Sunday.

Regardless of what was happening in his life (i.e. his father's death and his wife's cancer), he still found a way to get to the game on time.

2) He Played Through the Hurts.

I've watched just about every Packer game since Favre's debut. I've seen him clobbered, hammered, hamstrung, smashed, and boggled. Yet, Brett kept getting back on his feet again. Remember the year when he played half a season with a broken thumb? Somehow, the desire for victory was far greater than the physical pain.

3) He Took Risks and Made Plenty of Mistakes.

Not only does he hold the career touchdown record, he holds the interception record as well. You can't win big by playing it safe. Consider the turtle, who makes no progress until he sticks his neck out. Brett stuck his neck out all the time.

On countless occasions, I've seen him do something crazy, and yelled, "NO!! NO!! DON'T DO THAT!!" But then, it's the crazy passes, completed as touchdowns which will go down in history as the greatest and most memorable.

4) After He Blew It, He Shook it Off.

Nothing could rattle his confidence. On the next set of downs after an interception, he'd throw deep (and crazy) again. Favre didn't allow failure to be final and always believed that setbacks are supposed to be followed by come-backs.

He never blamed others for his mistakes, and always took responsibility for losses on the field.

5) He Inspired the Team.

Brett always had a good word of encouragement for the younger guys around him. I remember when Ryan Longwell, as a rookie kicker, muffed an easy field goal against the Eagles, and lost the game. The crowd booed. Favre went over to his dejected teammate and said, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's not your fault. We lost this thing together."

6) He Kept Smiling.

The thing I appreciated most about Brett Favre was his enthusiasm and love for football. Most of the time, he really enjoyed himself and was glad to be there (There were a few exceptions, such as the ice bowl in Chicago, but normally, he'd grin for at least three quarters, anyhow!) Brett's lighthearted spirit was contagious. Win or lose, it was still a good game.

7) He Didn't Quit Until the Clock Ran Out.

Many players give up when the tide turns against them, but not Brett Favre! He played his heart out every second of every down in the game. Perhaps that's why he led his team to so many last second comeback victories.

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Any other reflections on what leaders can learn from Brett Favre? I have a few more:

1. He went out on his own terms.
2. He saved his best for last.
3. He stayed with a team for the long-term.
4. He stayed with a team that played in Green Bay, not New York or New England or Indy.
5. He played for the fun of it.

What’s Your Church’s Biggest Strength: Management or Leadership?

An excellent blog (3/10/08) by Todd Rhoades of Monday Morning Insight:

Leadership and management guru Peter Drucker once said, “Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things.” When I read that recently, I thought that this statement could be very true in today’s American church. Here’s my theory: Could it be that while most churches are ‘doing things righ’t, a smaller group of churches are ‘doing the right things’?

The percentage of churches in decline is America is substantial. (I’ve heard as high as 90%!) It’s my hypothesis that each of these churches (and if you take the conservative church count in the country of 200,000 churches, 90% would be a whopping 180,000 American churches!) have to be ‘doing things right’ to some degree. Doing things right means things like conducting weekend services, maintaining property and facilities, making payroll, and caring for their attenders. In essence, as long as there are still people attending most churches, the churches, by and large, are ‘doing things right’, at least from a management standpoint.

But what about the other 10% of churches in America that are growing and vibrant? Could it be that they have moved beyond ‘doing things right’ to ‘doing the right things’? Every single one of the growing churches I’ve seen are very outwardly focused. They reach out and specifically target reaching their communities. They move beyond ‘management’ to dare to try new things; new programs; and new approaches. They are not afraid of change. They are not afraid to confront the culture. The are leaders. And the result is a growing and community-changing church.

LET'S CHAT: What’s your church’s strength? Management or Leadership?