Accountability for oneself and praise of others equals Leadership
by chopperpilot on Aug 16, 2009 10:07 AM MDT
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- Main Entry: ac·count·abil·i·ty
: the quality or state of being accountable; especially : an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to accountfor one's actions
- Main Entry: 1praise
1 : to express a favorable judgment of : commend
I don't care what arena you might be in, football, the corporate world, military, etc., if you are in a leadership position you need to take accountability when things don't go good. If you say I did this wrong, it was a mistake, a bad decision and I understand that I can't continue to do it and will work hard not to, your peers and/or subordinates will follow you. In addition, when you talk about the things that went right you should praise those around you and use the word "we" to show unselfishness and unification. Doing these two things will not go unnoticed and will gain you the support of those around you.
The opposite of this is to say "we" every time you talk about what went wrong. This demonstrates that you are not willing to accept the responsibility of your leadership role. Likewise, when speaking of what went right if you us "I" your peers will notice your self glorification and I guarantee people will not follow you and not work as hard for you because they know you'll hog all the credit.
Think about where you work and who you work for or with and I bet you will be able to find examples of both styles.
Now to my point, both Orton and Cutler made several bad decisions in their first preseason games and things didn't go as well as both teams would have liked. I'm sure most everyone has watched both players post-game interviews, regardless if you have or have not I want you to take a few minutes and watch them and decide for yourself who takes accountability for making bad decisions and who says "we" when referring to the positive and which player blames the lack of game planning twice (throwing the coaches under the bus), the lack of a starting running back and tight end (throwing their backups under the bus), the lack of his leading receiver's skill set, so I'll have to learn from it (throwing him under the bus), and says "we" need to go back and look at what "we" need to improve, (not being accountable for his mistakes and throwing the entire offense under the bus.), while never once saying I made bad decisions, I forced the ball, I locked onto one receiver, I need to go and watch film to correct my mistakes.
I'm not sure how to insert direct links, but Orton's video is obviously on the Denver Broncos website, likewise Cutler's video can be found at ChicagoBears.com.
I would love to hear what all the haters out there have to say about my perspective and please, tell me which QB you would follow.. As always I would love to hear the thoughts from the Bronco "faithful" too.
Also, take a few minutes and watch McD's post-game and take note of how he and his staff take responsibility for their mistakes and how it all starts with them. Now that's accountability!
Go Broncos. 13-3 BABY!
This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR
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cutler has never taken responsibility for any of his mistakes. it’s always the defense, or the vanilla play calling, or devin hester not knowing how to catch the ball properly. just ONCE, i’d like to hear the guy say, “you know what? that was my bad. that was just a poor throw, and i really need to try avoiding throws like that again in the future.”
but YOU WON’T here that, because they guy thinks he doesn’t need to improve. a little self-deprecation could go a long way.
orton’s got the right attitude, he just needs to show us that he is capable of running this offense efficiently. granted it’s only pre-season, so both guys get a break, but i think orton has a better chance of learning from his mistakes and correcting them, than he-who-shall-not-be-named.
you can only blame a converted DB for dropping passes so many times.
A haughty spirit is destined to fall,
therefore ‘humble’ yourself so you might be saved. Hmmm.
by bfree2bronc on Aug 16, 2009 12:47 PM MDT up reply actions
I believe McD. felt Cutler was uncoachable and would much rather have a less talented QB that will listen and learn from his mistakes than a elite talent that is overconfident and self righteous.
by chopperpilot on Aug 16, 2009 10:46 AM MDT reply actions 3 recs
It's not always about the fastest car in the garage.
It’s about the one that shows the most upside to win you the race.
That’s the difference between Cutler and Orton.
"FLAG! Fail on the field. Re-do." -Disco_Stu
and the driver that
knows his cars limitations…
by chopperpilot on Aug 16, 2009 11:08 AM MDT up reply actions
Indeed.
Am I the only one that kinda felt like drafting Cutler was a bit Raider-esque?
I’m not comparing Shanahan to Ol’ Al by any stretch, but how did Shanny NOT see that Cutler is an arrogant punk?
"FLAG! Fail on the field. Re-do." -Disco_Stu
For the record
I never liked the Cutler pick, and I never liked Cutler. Just so my credentials are in order. I thought Plummer was thrown under the bus and Cutler started way too prematurely.
"FLAG! Fail on the field. Re-do." -Disco_Stu
by Joe Medina on Aug 16, 2009 11:15 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Plumber was dis'd plain and simple
I think that is why he called it quits…Said to himself “I don’t need this crap”
by BroncoSense72 on Aug 16, 2009 11:19 AM MDT up reply actions
I have been saying that for the last 3 years
and all I got for it was, you don’t know what your talking about. As I watch, and this goes away from the cocversation here, but to think that Stafford and Sanchez can come out of college and start in this league is a mistake IMO. These kids are sometimes thrown to the wolves in order to win and when adversity hits them they have to build a shell of confidence around themselves as in the case with Cutler. Now, he is in the spotlight to win and win he must or else it will be disaster. Whether he can recover from this shell of confidence only time will tell. I’ll tell you one thing, I resented the fact that Shanahan threw Jake Plummer under the bus, he might have shaken off all the criticism and taken us to the Super Bowl, who knows? We will never know now. Orton will be given plenty of time and opportunaty to make himself better and his spirit seems to deem that he will.
by bfree2bronc on Aug 16, 2009 12:57 PM MDT up reply actions
And, as we are finally realizing
I believe much of the reasons that Plumber was replaced in the first place was that Shanahan failed to use him properly (play calling, etc.)…I often wonder (now) what McD could do with Plumber…I think he would thrive in a system designed around his strengths, as I believe KO will as well
by BroncoSense72 on Aug 16, 2009 1:10 PM MDT up reply actions
I would give back Cutlers 2.5 seasons here to see what McD would do with Plummer.
Maybe as a gesture of good faith, McD will bring Plummer in to a few games this year, to show him how things are run now and give him a good taste about the Broncos again. He doesn’t have a “bad” taste now, he hates Shanahan for good reason, but his feelings about the town and team remain good. It couldn’t hurt to show him a good night at Invesco again though!
"FLAG! Fail on the field. Re-do." -Disco_Stu
by Joe Medina on Aug 16, 2009 1:14 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
I disagree
In hindsight you can say this or that were plainly visible. As I recall, though, Shanahan didn’t meet directly with JC, and relied somewhat upon his trusted friend’s appraisal (Jeff Fisher, coach of the Titans). Also, despite his flaws, you can’t argue drafting JC was some sort of big mistake; especially when compared with Young and Leinart. There’s also the idea that ‘arrogant punk’ didn’t always dissuade Shanahan (cf. Maurice Clarett, Lional Dalton, etc.).
Please note that I’m not missin’ JC at all. He has the tools, but I’m not sure he’ll ever overcome the limits in his head…. And, yes, I agree hugely with the point of this article. My first company didn’t have the ‘best and brightest’ at every position, but they knew how to pull together and go the extra mile for each other. I was very proud of their success because of that.
Maybe not clear, but
This was my reply to Calif’s “Am I the only one that kinda felt like drafting Cutler was a bit Raider-esque?”
You're right, compared to Leinart and VY we made out like bandits.
I guess the way I see it looking back is
“How much of the teams identity did we lose thanks to Cutler’s antics and Shanahan’s get rich quick schemes of recent years?”
"FLAG! Fail on the field. Re-do." -Disco_Stu
Drafting Cutler was a sucess.
Considering what we got for him 3 years later. Not many players in that draft worth more than 2+ 1st round picks.
I guess you're right in that sense.
I hadn’t though of it like that.
"FLAG! Fail on the field. Re-do." -Disco_Stu
I was blind, but now I see...
I have to admit I was smitten by Cutler’s arm strength, but I can see clearly now that’s all he really has.
Many were smitten w/ Jeff George as well
Until he started showing his true colors (not Team colors)
by BroncoSense72 on Aug 16, 2009 11:25 AM MDT up reply actions
Excellent post, chopper!
Definitely some good “old school” thinking! I believe that Orton has the respect of his teammates, much as he had in Chicago. He’s the one I would follow into battle.
Rec’d, BTW!
" Life is what happens while you're making other plans "
Cutler and Shanahan
cut form the same cloth. While Shanny would sometimes talk the talk, he seldom walked the walk. In 2005 Larry Coyer’s defense was a big reason we went to the AFC championship. The in 2006 Coyer’s D was leading the way despite offensive struggles after the departure of Kubiak (who I think never got the credit he deserved). Then when injuries decimated the defense and we missed the playoffs it was coyer who got thrown under the bus. Shanny brings in Bates to run a defensive system that Denver completes lacks the players to run. Rather than admitted this strategic error of going to a system he lacked the players for, Shanny throws Bates under the bus and goes with his buddy.
Shanahan was a tactical genius on offense. But as a leader and HC he left a lot to be desired. Cutler is just like the coach who drafted him.
by SlowWhiteGuy on Aug 16, 2009 2:51 PM MDT reply actions 1 recs
Great points, Chopper. Rec'd.
It’s a fine point that I missed. I’m not a shrink but I watch one on TV. Actually, some of my background includes work with drug addicts/alcoholics. I routinely heard statements that placed the blame for their own predicament on someone else, from their parents to the schools to the police to their girlfriends, and so on.
Cutler’s statements are indeed in stark contrast to Orton’s. 2nd/3nd person is the worst (YOU/THEY made the mistake.) The next best is passive (Mistakes were made.) The best way is 1st person: I made a mistake. The best leaders also take responsibility for their position. Eisenhower had already written his defeat speech for DDAY which said (paraphrased) “If we are successful, the men get the credit. If we fail, the fault is mine alone”. That’s what a leader says. Even if his men turned and ran in fear, Eisenhower was taking the blame as the leader.
Culter doesn’t do that. Orton does. Kudos to you for spotting a classic example of bad/good leadership.
Wherever you go, there you are.
by YosemiteSam on Aug 16, 2009 3:20 PM MDT reply actions 2 recs
A fine post cp.
"You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough, in the second half you give what's left." – Yogi Berra
"No, I'm from Iowa, I only work in outer space."
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