Oftentimes, we measure leadership by results and strategies implemented, but a true test of a leader comes from the courage they have when the ground beneath their feet begins to shift. With the Super Bowl before us, families and friends will gather to see who will be crowned the victor of the National Football League. For those of us who are invested in forming the leaders of tomorrow, this game exemplifies two teams that have had seasons rooted in resilient and redemptive leadership.
The path to this point for the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots was not a straight line but rather one of transformation that required a certain kind of leadership that values the long game over the temporary fixes.
Here is how these two teams built a winning formula through leadership built on resiliency, redemption, and the power of preparation.
1. Turning Resilience into an Identity
For New England, this season was supposed to be another rebuilding year after two straight four-win seasons, and after beginning the year with a loss, the expectations were low. Under the leadership of Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye, the Patriots proved that resiliency is a mindset. They weren’t just going to sit around and wait three years for what the world thought was their timeline. Instead, Vrabel implored his team to ignore the title of underdog and embrace the standard of excellence. They aligned their culture immediately with this model and transformed a worst-to-first story with a reintroduction of their competitive identity.
2. Giving and Taking Second Chances
In Seattle, the story of the season has been the breakout of a cast-aside star in Sam Darnold. After being written off by multiple teams, Darnold was given a chance and thrived under new leadership that didn’t define him by his past mistakes but instead invested in helping him grow and progress. By signing a quarterback whom many had given up on and surrounding him with a team constantly looking for ways to build each other up, the Seahawks demonstrated that great leaders see potential where others see a lost cause. This magical revival of a career and season for the Seahawks reminds us that redemption isn’t a single moment. It is the daily discipline of showing up, doing the work, and refusing to let critics have the final word.
3. Preparing for the Fire
Success in a season of the National Football League is not defined by a single play. It is found in the unglamorous hours of preparation. Both of these teams entered the fall as massive longshots and undervalued odds with 4800 to 1 odds to meet in the Super Bowl. They reached this point because of a season-long commitment to preparation. Going over countless hours of film to understand the opponent, to expect the unexpected. These two teams showed that not only do they do the job on the field with excellence, but their off-the-field preparation is done with excellence as well. Coming into the office ready to learn and be critiqued, giving them the most opportune chance to achieve a victory on Sunday.
As the classic saying goes, hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. The courage to endure, the humility to grow, and the discipline to prepare for the task set before us. In a world obsessed with talent and quick wins, the season-long journey of these two teams is the kind of leadership model we need. One focused on resiliency, giving grace, and preparing for the moment.
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