3 Leadership Tips Inspired by the Kansas City Chiefs

By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions

Photo by: All-Pro Reels

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Wow, what a thrilling game last Thursday night was between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers! The game was epic!

I bring this up because it’s rich with many leadership lessons; it would take forever to cover them all.
So here are three to get started:

1. Ignore the Naysayers

The game-winning touchdown by Travis Kelce was a true thing of beauty. Despite his age (32), it proved that he’s not in decline, as many in the media have been saying. That run showed otherwise. Even so, Coach Reid teases him about being the “old man” on the team but at the same time encourages him to be his 22-year old self.

Last night in a post-game interview, Travis said: “Instead of 32, I was 22 tonight.” He’s not paying any attention to the naysayers and is still performing at a high level.

Lessons Learned:

Either ignore what others say about you or use it as fuel to be your best self. Also, encourage those on your team to do the same despite whatever challenges they may be facing. Consider using words that challenge their assumptions, as Coach Reid does with Travis.

2. Don’t Let Your Past Mistakes Hold You Back

The Chiefs struggled for most of the game. For example, Patrick Mahomes made one of the worst passes (not ending in an interception) that I’ve ever seen. A simple 4th-down pass for a touchdown to a wide-open Mecole Hardman landed far short of the target.

It’s been a challenging season for Patrick, but he has proven in the past that he can rise above mistakes and learn from them. To see “vintage Mahomes” last night throw three touchdowns in a little over six minutes to win the game was encouraging. Even so, you can bet Mahomes and his teammates will be reviewing film to learn how to correct the  mistakes they made.

Lessons Learned:

When you make a mistake in the heat of the moment, shake it off, pick yourself up, and keep moving forward. When things calm down, review the situation and determine how to prevent the same mistake from happening again.

3. Fight to the End

This aspect is self-evident. The Chiefs have been in similar situations and have come from behind in miraculous ways. They knew they could do it again and followed through with their belief in their abilities.

Lessons Learned:

If your desire to fight is diminishing, think back on the times you’ve overcome what appeared to be impossible odds. It’s amazing how an iron-clad will can overcome obstacles if we only believe! Draw from that experience to fuel your desire to keep fighting.
 
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I’m excited to announce the launch of my new podcast, Elevate Your Profitability! Episode #1 is an interview with Gordon Tredgold, a Top 30 Global Guru in Leadership, and Michael Cantu, the co-author of our No-Nonsense Digital Transformation book. The topic is How to Steer Your Digital Transformation Towards Success.

​​Click the link below to check it out!

'til next time,

Kathy

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