In Week 5 of our 14 week series A Leader in Every Locker, we focus on the leadership trait of decisiveness. Decisiveness is the ability to make decisions promptly and to convey them in a clear, impactful manner.
This quality of character guides a person to accumulate all available facts in a circumstance, weigh those facts, (while accounting for time) and then choose and announce an alternative which seems best. And timing is key… We can almost always expect less than ideal (sometimes conflicting) information, and limited time. However, it is often better to decide promptly rather than pursue a potentially “better” decision at the expense of more time. Whether trying to avoid “delay of game,” or the play clock winding down late in the 4th quarter, time is not a luxury afforded on a football field. (And often times not a luxury in life either!)
This past weekend was our home opener, under brand new lights on brand new turf. We had run our “Power Read” play with success and had double teamed the play-side 3 technique (Defensive lineman). As the drive continued, we earned our way to the one yard line where I thought we would take advantage of our earlier success and repeat the Power Read. However, the defense aligned in a “Bears” front. With little time to react, the offense approached the line of scrimmage. As the play-side Guard and Tackle were calling for their double team on the 3 technique, our Center promptly and forcefully decided to cancel the double team, directed the Guard to block down on the Nose, and Tackle to block down on the 3 technique, enabling the center to block back for the pulling Guard. Our Center considered the circumstance, and with an understanding of the desired outcome, made and communicated his decision. The linemen executed the plan, we got everyone blocked, and the running back walked into the end zone.
When players use good Judgement, are Dependable, take Initiative, and are Decisive, the outcome leads to success on the field. We ask our players to be decisive both on and off the field and look for opportunities to highlight both good decisions, and ones we might have made better. In both cases, we learn from, and build a reservoir of experiences from which we will draw later to make future decisions.
Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!
O Line Skills 