Competence, Confidence and Courage

Well another Super Bowl is in the record books and it was even an exciting game. In fact for the first time in many years the game was better than the commercials. As I watched the New Orleans Saints come from behind to win the game and after listening to Drew Brees comments following the game I realized that there is a component to courage that I had not been considering as I talked about The Character of Leadership with audiences last week.

In the Character of Leadership model we say that a courageous leader "boldly seizes opportunities and firmly deals with challenges." This is true but what allows a leader to demonstrate that courage is competence and confidence? When he was interviewed after the game Drew Brees stated that what allowed them to win was that they never quit believing in themselves as a team. To demonstrate the courage to win against an opponent as great as the Indianapolis Colts required the competence to perform and the confidence in the team to overcome the challenges.

Drew Brees, the coach and the entire team showed the courage to win by being competent and confident. Well done!