What Would You Do?

Many of you have probably seen the article going around about the dramatic action the football coach of Union High School (Roosevelt, Utah) took recently.

In a nutshell, he suspended his entire 80-player football team after realizing the discipline the school handed out for skipping classes and bullying hadn't worked to curb the undesirable behavior.

He didn't just kick them out and look for more upstanding young men to fill the vacancies, though. He gave his players ways to earn back their spots on the team. He used this as a way to transform these kids into the men he knew they could be.

In this Yahoo!Sports article, he talked about the leaders-by-title who were now learning to lead; who were learning to advocate for the right solutions; who were learning to set clear expectations. He recognized that - like with all groups - not everyone has the inclination, desire or talent to be in this role, but those who do do must step up and into it.

"Great story of courage an bold action by the coach," you say, "but what's that got to do with me or with Active 20-30?"

Think about what is holding back your local club, your committee or even your team at work. Are you solely focused on why you are there (as the players should have been on becoming the best athletes they can be and advancing the program)? Are you allowing yourself and your "team mates" to waste time and energy by taking part in counterproductive behaviors (at the very least, failing to participate; at the worst, inflicting harm or undermining others)? Are you witnessing inappropriate actions of others, but choosing (for whatever reason) to do nothing?

A question I'd like you to reflect on. Honestly. What would you do if you were in the shoes of this coach or the president of a club who had lost focus and was no longer representing the organization in the best light?

The story of this team sounds so extreme. A coach at the end of his rope. Most of us would say that they're beyond repair; that we'd never get "that bad". But this coach proves otherwise. It simply took acknowledging the problem, being willing to fight for something bigger than yourself (or your key objective, such as winning football games).

Put yourself in his shoes - be with with a team of high school football players or in a professional setting (even a club setting). What would you do if you saw your leaders not leading and your team running amuck off the "field."?