Written by In week 17 of the 2020 NFL season the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers, in fact they had already clinched the win in their final possession of the game. Most quarterbacks would take a knee and let the clock play out. Instead, Russell Wilson through a pass to received David Moore, then took a knee on the next play. The successfully completed pass brought Moore’s catches up to 35 for the season and a qualification for a $100,000 bonus.
Not only is Russell Wilson a talented athlete, but he is a quality leader. Articles have been written about him and the way he carries himself on the field, around his teammates, as a competitor, often highlighting his exemplary leadership qualities. His most recent act provides several lessons that many of us can apply to our own leadership. First, he cares about the well-being of his teammates off the field. His response to the pass was “It’s a blessing to be able to help his family and his daughter and all of that stuff.” In the working world, we often get caught up in me, me, me, and “how can I get more money,” we can look to Wilson’s example, take a step back, and look at the bigger picture and ask, “how can I help my colleagues?” You never know how that may pay off in the future. Second, the notion that helping another person receive a bonus, would not take away from his own paycheck. I am sure we have all had experiences with leaders in one way or another where we do not receive a raise as high as we were hoping or a nice bonus, but our supervisors made it seem like if we got a raise it would come out of their own paycheck? Well, most of the time it does not. Again, it all roots back to caring about the well-being of his teammate. Additionally, the success of one teammate, does not automatically mean a loss to another teammate. Another common mentality, that we must out perform our colleagues to succeed. Wilson’s actions represent the mentality, that when you win, we all win. We all have the same goal in the end right?
Wilson’s behavior contributes immensely to positive culture. Players want to be on the receiving end of his throws, young players want to learn from him, coaches want to partner with him, and he is one of the most liked quarterbacks in the league. We can all learn from Russell Wilson and lead with more kindness, respect, and care for our own teammates. When one of our teammates has a win, we all win; teamwork makes the dream work.