

&nbsp;

<strong>I have a friend that loves football.</strong>  He is not super passionate about leadership, and is not a person of faith.  However, he is fascinated with Tim Tebow and convinced that Tim is the real deal!

I am passionate about leadership and about my Christian faith but <strong>I’m not a huge football fan</strong>.  So when my friend shared how closely he was following Tim, I decided I should pay more attention.  As I followed him, I too have been impressed.

<strong>Two weeks ago I had a profound moment and began to really understand the <span style="text-decoration: underline">depth</span> of the wisdom behind some of Tim's choices.  </strong>
<ol>
	<li>In the book Good to Great, Jim Collins describes an extraordinary leader as a Level 5 leader and emphasizes that the most important ingredient of a Level 5 leader is humility.</li>
	<li>Bruce Wilkinson emphasizes that all leaders will face 5 temptations: Pride, Power, Possessions, Pleasure, and Position.  (When I heard Bruce speak in 2001, I remember thinking, “<em>This is great!  Now that I have been warned, I won’t fall for those temptations.</em>”)  …Do you see any pride there?</li>
</ol>
<strong>Imagine for a moment that you have been given the same opportunities that Tim has been given.</strong>
<ul>
	<li>What if you win game, after game, after game and everyone is praising your uncommon ability?  Would you be tempted, even a little bit, to believe the press you are getting?</li>
	<li>And what if you play a terrible game and get lots of negative press?   Would you struggle, even a little, to recover?</li>
	<li>I think I would struggle on both counts.</li>
</ul>
<strong>As a part of Tim’s foundation, he spends time <span style="text-decoration: underline">before and after</span> each game with children that have life threatening illnesses and their families.   Think about that for a minute:  </strong>
<ul>
	<li>Before he walks on the field to play a game he is reminded how precious life is, what a blessing it is to have the love and support of a family, and how much he has to be thankful for.</li>
	<li>When each game ends, no matter how he played, no matter how the team played, he is reminded again of all that he has been given.</li>
	<li>As he spends time with those children and their families, any temptation he may face to think that he’s all that, or to dwell on a bad day falls away.</li>
	<li>And when he is reminded of all that he has, he kneels to give thanks to the one that gave it all to him. <strong></strong></li>
</ul>
W<strong>hat an incredibly simple recipe:  He has created a sandwich that keeps him focused on what really matters when he is most vulnerable to those 5 temptations.  </strong>
<p align="center">When are you most vulnerable to those temptations?</p>
<p align="center">What will you do to create a sandwich that keeps you focused?</p>
<p align="center">~</p>
<em><a title="Giana Consulting Blog:  Simply Understanding" href="http://consultgiana.com/">Chery Gegelman</a> is one of <strong>21</strong> Lead Change Group Author’s from 3 countries that connected virtually and discovered a shared passion that has resulted in a new book:</em>

<em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Character-Based-Leader-Instigating-Revolution-One/dp/145751222X"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://consultgiana.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/377028_10151043037557083_218040194_n3.jpg" alt="377028_10151043037557083_218040194_n" width="200" height="225" /></a></em>

<em><a title="The Character-Based Leader Book" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Character-Based-Leader-Instigating-Revolution-One/dp/145751222X">The Character-Based Leader:  Instigating a leadership revolution… One person at a time.</a></em>

<em>This book encourages people everywhere to lead from WHO they are not WHERE they sit.</em>

<em>“Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are.” Theodore Roosevelt</em>

<em>“With great power, comes great responsibility.” Stan Lee, Franklin D Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Voltaire</em>