It looked as though the Ghost of Playoff Setbacks Past had once again haunted Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, where its tenant the Chiefs were staring down a 24-0 deficit to the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Playoff game. If the score held up, it would be another devastating end to a season filled with Super Bowl aspirations.
But that’s when Patrick Mahomes decided to take things over. The gunslinging Kansas City quarterback threw five touchdowns–four of those in the second quarter–and the Chiefs not only came from behind to book a trip to the AFC Championship Game, but they did so by a 20-point margin.
(Brian Siguenza photo)
I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate having Patrick Mahomes on the team that I’ve followed over the past 27 NFL seasons. The leadership that he possesses reflects his performance on the field, not to mention that of his teammates. If you’ve ever caught a Chiefs game, then you’ve seen the TV cameras get shots of him firing up the team on the sidelines or in the locker room, encouraging them to do what is necessary to accomplish their goal. When not in the game, he’s often seated on the bench next to his head coach Andy Reid, presumably to discuss strategy. In essence, Patrick Mahomes is proof that being an athlete at the professional level is about so much more than just throwing a ball or scoring points. It takes a great deal of development both physically and mentally to be successful in high-pressure situations such as Mahomes faced trailing big in a playoff game.
While an appearance in the Super Bowl isn’t generally on the line in day-to-day operations, the experience of dealing with adversity on the football field is transferable to any place of business. In fact, many of today’s CEOs had played an organized sport growing up. And while commentators carrying on about athlete’s “grit” or “tenacity” during any sports broadcast seems rather cliched, those are desirable traits for a leader to have in business and in sports. Charisma helps a great deal also, and Mahomes has used it to his advantage, developing a legion of fans in Kansas City plus endorsement deals.
So to summarize, the definition of leadership as observed through an NFL quarterback is displaying strength, confidence, and calmness through times of great uncertainty. That Patrick Mahomes has all these qualities gives the Chiefs their best chance in years to achieve greatness.