Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust

Their faces, caked with dirt and sweat, could not mask the young mens potent mixture of doubt, dread and distrust. Dive right, dive left, dive right, dive left……slowly and methodically I was teaching the Law of Solid Ground. The sixth of John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership simply states that trust is the foundation of leadership.

I was attempting to resurrect a dead football program in the toughest section of town. The young players faced a world of difficult circumstances off the field and their issues of trust were on full display. We were 3 games into the season without a win. They were not buying my boring brand of football. I stressed fundamentals and they wanted flea-flickers, reverses and tricks every play. I was trying to sell them on 3 yards and a cloud of dust. It’s real simple math, you have 4 plays to advance the ball at least 10 yards and 3 x 4 = 12! They did not trust each other or the plays.

I had to earn their trust for myself and the system. As Dr. Maxwell writes “Character makes trust possible.” I had a surprise for the Chiefs! We were going to have a scrimmage against another team at the next practice. They were excited about hitting some different players for a change. I announced the Packers would be joining us for practice the next day. Their excitement faded quickly. The Packers were almost perennial champions and the boys now exchanged nervous glances. I assured them that I knew what I was doing.

The Texas sun beat down on our barren practice field the next day. As we sweated through our warm up routines it was obvious the guys were concerned. The packers arrived in crisp, matching practice uniforms and performed well orchestrated warm ups. We took the ball first, 80 yards away from the end zone. I spoke low and plain to them in the huddle. I asked them to trust me and each other. I told them I respected them for continuing to show up and work despite our winless record and I hoped they respected themselves and their team mates. I believed that they had great potential and if they would be consistent with their efforts they would see improvement.

I knelt on one knee, surrounded by eleven wide-eyed players and simply said dive right on one, ready, break. They charged to the line of scrimmage and ran the simple play up the middle as designed. They gained three yards and I showed the enthusiasm usually reserved for touchdowns. The Packers thought I had been in the heat too long. We huddled up again, I called dive left with the same results and reaction. Returning to the huddle after I had called one dive play after another and reacted with excitement each time, I could see the players’ eyes starting to glow with recognition.We were actually marching the ball down the field against The Packers! We scored on that drive and began a new chapter for the Chiefs that day.

We watched the Law of Solid Ground transform these young men as we they learned character makes trust and trust communicates consistency, respect and potential. With a foundation of trust, the Chiefs won enough of their remaining games to enter the playoffs, begin a winning tradition for a group of young men that needed some wins both on and off the field.

About the Author

Gary Sirkel is a Featured Writer for the John Maxwell Team Blog.