A Leadership Lesson from the Indianapolis Colts

I'm not a Colts fan. I'm a Cowboys fan since the days of Tom Landry and Roger Staubach - and a Seahawks fan since their inception. However, I joined a small fantasy football league this year and one of my first draft picks was Peyton Manning, the Colts superstar quarterback who puts up amazing numbers and surgically picks apart defenses with his passing prowess. He is arguably one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. Unfortunately he had a spinal fusion surgery which ended his season before it began - bummer for him, for my team, and for the Colts.

I've watched and wondered this season what has happened to the Colts. 2 years ago they won 16 games and lost in the Superbowl. Last year they were 10-6, made the playoffs, but lost in the first round. So far this year, they are 0-10 and look terrible. I can understand a dropoff after losing Manning - but 0-10? Their defense is not good and has been in decline. But their running game was to be improved this year. The difference? Peyton Manning Syndrome. This team has been carried by Manning for over a decade - and they have been very good with him. But you pull him out, and the team crumbles to 0-10.

It is not only important to have great leaders, it is important to have great teams around great leaders. Over-dependence on a leader in any type of team, including a church, will not be sustainable. Great teams can lose a leader and still be effective. But if everything rises and falls on the leader, when it falls, it will fall hard.

Jesus spent the bulk of His time building a great team. When He left, the team carried on to great effectiveness. If we are in a leadership role, a significant portion of our time should be given to building and training a great team around us. If you are a leader, and you were taken out, would the ministry carry on in strength? Are others trained to do what you do, and do it well? Are they given opportunity now to do it? Are the right people in the right places? What areas might suffer if you were not there to do them?

Avoid the Peyton Manning Syndrome. Build a great team!