Today’s Task – November 16, 2021
NFL Coach Andy Reid has a vision of the type of player he wants on his teams. He is not seduced by a player’s athleticism, if he is a person of bad character. In the NFL’s competitive environment, it takes great discipline to think this way. Reid has been known to pass on a star player with a bad attitude. He understood that when the chips are down, the player with character is always there for you because he will play his heart out for you.
We have all seen the band with an exceptionally talented player with an equally exceptional bad attitude. The Director spends most of his/her time justifying overlooking the student’s bad behavior because….he is a great player! I suspect I have done this more times than I care to admit. But I have also removed that student from the program when every effort to adjust his/her attitude has failed and their behavior is negatively impacting the program. Admittedly, it is a delicate balancing act. We don’t want to “give up” on the student, hoping we can help them improve their character, but we can’t do so at the expense of the program.
Today, no every day, I encourage you to consider how you deal with that star player who lacks character. Is their positive contribution to the program equal to or greater than their negative contribution? Does the culture of your program encourage and support their behavior? Are you overlooking it, hoping that somehow their bad attitude will disappear? Perhaps, instead, you have a plan for helping this student find a balance between talent and character. If not, do you have the strength to make the decision that is in the best interest of your program….and actually….in the best interest of the student’s growth. Just wonderin’!
Make Today a Magnificent Day!
Gary L Rupert
Culture Strategist/Coach
II:Leaders Creating:II Leaders
LCL Mentors @ Marching Arts Education