On Sunday, January 2, 2022, a wildly talented wide receiver in the National Football League decided to remove his jersey and shoulder pads, throw his shirt and gloves into the stands, and simply walk across the field into the locker room all while the game continued to be played.
Throughout 2021, the world, and primarily the western world, was subject to what has become known as The Great Resignation; a record number of people leaving their jobs for reasons not entirely known.
Call it a re-evaluation, or a reset, we’re not quite sure, but we do know it was and is real.
Antonio Brown simply played out on a very public stage what many employers have seen privately in commercial kitchens, construction sites, and entertainment venues throughout the United States and other parts of the world.
On the same day, Antonio Brown walked away from his work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers professional football team I heard of another worker at a local entertainment venue in our town walking off of their job mid-shift. No major announcement, no obvious “incident”... they just turned in their gear and walked away.
Earlier in 2021, a client of ours had two significant office staff members leave in the middle of the day. If this is happening with reasonably well run businesses, it is bound to be happening on a larger scale.
We are in a season of culture where many seem to be in “fight mode”. Fighting for this niche hope, or that niche desire. Many of these fights are societal discussions that need to be had.
In most cases though, it is not the leaving that is the problem, but instead the fight method and forethought that goes into it.
We want things to change and yet find ourselves unwilling to go through the hard, long, patient work of change in favor of abruptly walking out assuming that it will fix things either with the organization or with ourselves.
There is one skill that stands in contrast to the “walk off” mindset that could bring massive value to you, your business, your community, and your family.
Grit.
Grit is defined as “courage and resolve; strength of character”.
Grit is a visible endurance of something that is not ideal, yet by enduring it can create a next-level maturity that, without grit, will not be achieved.
It will be easy in the Antonio Brown situation to focus on the underlying conditions that were the catalyst Brown used to exit his role, and then begin to put ourselves into jury mode in determining the validity of his grievance in contrast to the actions he took and declare, “Right” or “Wrong”.
Instead, maybe we should ask, “what opportunities were missed by not allowing grit to play a role in sticking it out through the end of the game, and having a sit-down conversation without the cheap air support of a cryptic social media post?”
Grit is a face-to-face conversation.
Grit is riding out the shift and then having a reasonable conversation.
Grit is wading through emotion and objective reality.
Grit is seeking wisdom before making a decision.
Grit is putting in the reps and realizing there is no such thing as an “overnight success”
Author John Sowers says simply, “hurry ruins everything.”
We are working so hard to get so much more and many times missing what is right in front of us.
Remember this wisdom statement, “to whom much is given, much is required.” We work with a lot of people that have significant access to wealth and can tell you with great experience, the ones who “have it all” many times feel like it all has them.
Many times we see anxiety increase with net worth.
Grit is the gift of realizing that whether you have plenty or little, the gift is in being part of the team, being on the field… being in the arena.
President Theodore Roosevelt had completed his two terms in office and was touring the world. He passed through Paris, France, and offered a speech entitled “Citizenship In A Republic”. It has come to be popularly known as the “Man In The Arena” speech and was meant to refute a society that had become a collection of arm-chair-quarterbacks, instead of participants in real life.
Roosevelt famously says,
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
As Antonio Brown theatrically left the arena, it was an interesting contrast to look back at the field of play and see twenty-two other men remain in the arena. Twenty-two men along with their coaches, although likely not perfectly happy in their skill set, contract value, team relationships, or family availability; they continued on in the arena “marred with dust and sweat and blood…” erring, coming short, and spending themselves in a worthy cause.
You may have woken to a New Year enthused with the opportunities that lie in wait or you may have woken to a New Year a bit dreadful of the striving that this year will require.
Regardless, you have the opportunity to dare greatly, and by daring greatly to know victory or defeat along with a soul that is full of warmth and courage.
Grit will be the necessary skill of a New Year.
