Wednesday, February 04, 2009

How (not) to Lead: A look at Tony Romo

Tony Romo is the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, the NFL’s most popular football franchise. Literally every action of the team documented and commented on in the local, state, and national media. This is a team where players are literally loved by all. In a sport where the quarterback is a figurehead of an organization, the most crucial player on the field, and naturally the leader of the team. In this situation Tony has constantly come under criticism for his inability to lead his team to a Championship; an unforgivable sin for the man destined to lead America's team to greatness.

As the media, and former greats have criticized him, Tony recently replied by saying, "Leadership sometimes comes from your ability to perform and personality. And some of it comes from experience..." Boy oh, boy! Tony has no idea how to lead.

What Tony seems to be shirking with his comment is the whole idea of responsibility. His main criticism is that in an off-week before a big game, he was seen taking some va-ca in Cobo...with his superstar girlfriend Jessica Simpson. This is the type of distraction that has plagued Romo his entire career, and when he is confronted by this fact, he sidesteps the fact he made a mistake and dodges the issue. The problem is that leadership centered around responsibility, not celebrity, performance, or experience. Leadership is taking the responsibility for what ever is being led.

If we want to be good leaders we must start by being responsible. It is the cornerstone for decision that a leader takes. If a leader places responsibility as their #1 priority, all other decisions will fall into place, because a responsible choice is a good choice. Not taking responsibility proves that one is not a leader. This is why Tony Romo's track record with the Dallas Cowboys will be constantly marked by failure to realize just who good they can be

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