“Saddle Up The Horses”

After almost 20 years as a sportscaster in the Mile High City, people still approach me and want to talk sports, which is just fine. I love athletics and personal experiences as an athlete and many moments from reporting on sports certainly shape how I view the world. Lately, many have asked my thoughts concerning Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen firing long-time coach Mike Shanahan. My answer? I was shocked.

I try and stay away from using absolute words like “never, always, perfect” but I NEVER thought Bowlen would remove Shanahan. I thought the two-time Super Bowl champion coach had a life-long deal with the Broncos.

But I think it’s a great example of what the Comeback Coach emphasizes during Run to Daylight presentations. Sometimes in life, “we must be limited only by our imagination, not our fears, in creating productive choices to the challenges we face. We must put fear and self doubt aside and go for it, run to daylight.”

The Broncos owner looked at his franchise and saw the following: three straight seasons without a playoff appearance; an underachieving defense; fans becoming more disgruntled. Juxtaposing those truths was the fact Bowlen really likes Shanahan; the two had made a great team in leading the Broncos franchise for many years. But Bowlen knew he needed to do something and that something ultimately was firing a man, who in many ways was almost like a brother to the Canadian-born owner.

Having the courage to make decisions that force you from your comfort zone, easy to think and talk about considering, but much more difficult to execute, right? But it’s an example of how effective leaders occasionally must respond. And guess what? This is true whether we’re talking about a football team, your personal life, something at work or an issue in your community.

The venues change but the leadership strategy does not. Change can be difficult but “quite often once the dust settles and the pain subsides we realize change brings things into our lives worth keeping no matter what.”

Where might it be time for you to muster the courage to say, “This is not working right and must change!” Where’s it time to take that leap of faith into the great unknown, limited only by your imagination, not fear, in creating productive choices to the challenges you face?

Take a cue from the Broncos’ Bowlen. Saddle up the horses you gotta trail to blaze.