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I’m a sports fan. Maybe you’re not. But stay with me ’cause I guarantee you can relate.
Last week when the NFL regular season ended a number of coaches and general managers got a chance for a fresh start. They were fired on the Monday following the Sunday games. Seven head coaches. Five general managers.
The NFL is a small, somewhat closed community. A fraternity. Most, if not all of those fired, will be candidates for new jobs with different teams.
One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.
The Kansas City Chiefs have made fired Andy Reid (Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach for the past 14 seasons) among the highest-paid head coaches in the league. It’s good to be wanted. And for Andy, it’s got to be a nice feeling to know you’re going to get a fresh start. A chance to do things differently…hopefully, better.
Andy lost a son this past year. He’s a man who has known his share of trouble. Some troubles – like the death of a child – are unalterable, but even so, I strongly suspect Andy is thankful for an opportunity to put the past behind him so he can focus on the prospect of a brighter Midwestern future. He will certainly find the fans in KC more…shall we say, polite. I’ve not heard of KC fans throwing batteries at opposing players.
That’s how it is with fresh starts. They are enormous opportunities, chances to do things drastically different.
The fresh start represents major change. Not just some slight shift in direction or in how we do things, but that dramatic change we may (or may not) be looking for. For people who get fired, it’s a forced quest for a fresh start. But, how many times have we read or heard stories of people who were fired only to report how thankful they were for it to have happened?
The person stuck in cubicle nation, afraid to step out and step away — is called into the corner office and told their position is being eliminated. The job they’ve hated for years is suddenly among the most prized possessions they can think of. Slammed with the reality that they’re now “out of work” they’re quickly paralyzed with fear. Like the opossum who faints with fear, once revived, they quickly scamper into action. Eventually they find their way. Some soar to success they never dreamed possible. All because they were forced to make a quantum leap and create a fresh start.
It’s among the many reasons why most of us don’t make the improvements we know we should make. It’s just easier to stick with what we’ve always done. Continuing to get what we’ve always got. One foot in front of the other, hoping that tomorrow things may be better. Just because we’d like them to be. Hardly ever happens.
Will Andy Reid be successful in Kansas City? I don’t know. Will he hire a different staff than the one he had in Philly? I’d venture to guess you’ll see some familiar faces, but I’m also betting there’ll be quite a few news ones. Even a seasoned pro like Andy is going to want to do some things very differently than the way he did them back in Philly.
They why didn’t he make the changes in Philly? Because he’s just like you and me. He got comfortable. He didn’t plan on becoming lethargic or complacent. But he’s human. It happens. Today’s show is all about…
The Power Of A Jolt
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