Da Bears…

Last weekend, the Chicago Bears’ NFL football season came to an end, but it was a magical season right up until the last minute of their overtime divisional playoff game against the LA Rams.

Bears fans are acquainted with grief, but this year has been unique. From the beginning of the season, there was a different feeling in the air.  The Bears won their first division title since 2018, and celebrated their first playoff victory since 2010!  It had been a long dry spell, and the whole city rallied around the new-look team.

The turnaround was due, in large part, to their acquisition, last off-season, of coach Ben Johnson. The new head coach, who had previously been the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions and had great success there, brought with him a fresh intensity and a new team culture to rally around, making this season in Chicago  electric.  After every game the Bears won, it was so fun to watch Johnson gather with the whole team in the locker room and shout a call and response, top-of-their-voices, victory chant:

“Good better best,

never let it rest…

‘till the good gets better

and the better gets best.

Bears on three…

1 - 2 - 3 - BEARS!

This quote was first made famous by Chicago Cubs outfielder, Billy Williams when he shared it at his 1987 major league baseball Hall of Fame speech.  And now, because of the Bears, teams everywhere are shouting this mantra!

The Bears bought into Johnson’s style, his intensity, his toughness, and his attention to detail. The team played for each other and with newfound purpose and energy.   One player described the season as “completely unreal.” He said the team was “a brotherhood that was unmatched, built on toughness and belief”.  In fact, when trailing in the fourth quarter in seven different games, the Bears came back and stole the victory. In their wildcard game agains the rival Green Bay Packers, they came back from an 18-point deficit in the 4th quarter to snatch the win!  They just knew, if it was close, they were gonna take it!

All this made me think about my own leadership.  My style and approach.  And the culture I establish for those I influence.  I want to be a leader who creates culture, not just manages tasks. I want to be a man who inspires belief and buy-in within others… a true catalyst!  

Ben Johnson seems to be a players’ coach.  He’s in th mix with the guys.  He’s in the center of the locker. room wildness, sometimes with his shirt off!  His passion and drive are contagious.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. - Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

Lions, no matter where you lead, do it with all you’ve got.  Think about your own belief so you can inspire belief in others.  Rally around a unifying purpose.  Develop an ethos.  Model the energy, attitude, and excellence you expect from others.  Set the standard and go all in. Be a sharpener.  Be a catalyst.  I’m positive the result will be a changed atmosphere and brand new possibilities as you lift those around you!