Lead Every Position, Win Every Game

Lead Like a Championship Offense

Next-level leaders win like great coaches.

Let’s look at leadership using the analogy of a football team’s offense.

On a football team, there are eleven players on the field at a time. Each one has a specific role, and no two positions are exactly alike. Every player is uniquely designed to do something that the others cannot. Like these players, on the team you serve, you’ve got to realize that each person is designed to do something that the other one may not be designed to do. That’s the beauty of a team—different skills, same mission.

For a moment, I want you to picture the offensive side of the ball:

1. The Offensive Line – These are the people up front. You want a strong front line because, without them, the backfield will not be any good. As a leader, you can’t focus on just one star player; you must invest in every position. If you’re caring for the offensive line, that means paying attention to all of them—left guard, left tackle, center, right guard, and right tackle. Too often, we put all our focus on the center because of their visibility, but the other four are just as vital—sometimes even more. Next-level leaders give their best to every part.
2. The Backfield and Receivers – Here we have the tight end, quarterback, wide receivers, and running backs. In football, the quarterback often gets the spotlight. But even the best quarterback is ineffective without a receiver to catch the ball, a running back to carry it, or blockers to protect them. Every role contributes to the play’s success. Let me emphasize “the play’s success”; every next-level leader wants success at the smallest level so that success at the bigger levels is inevitable.

As a team-oriented leader, your job is to consider the benefit of the entire team. How can you set everyone up for success? The best leaders—like the best coaches—find ways to get every position working together in harmony toward one shared goal: winning the game.

Great coaches don’t just position their teams for victory; they also help each player grow in their individual gifts and abilities. They teach each person how to use those gifts not only for their own success, but for the success of the team as a whole.

That’s the heart of a next-level leader: putting every player in the best position to contribute, collaborate, and win—together.

Next-level leaders don’t just bet on one star—they develop every position. When each player’s strengths are sharpened and the team works in harmony, small wins stack into big victories, and everyone crosses the finish line together.

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