Over the previous 17 years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (“NFL”), accumulated a record of 107 wins and 165 losses. On average, they lost 4 more games than they won every season. During that span, they played in only 2 playoff games. They lost both games. More recently, between 2011 and 2019, the team endured losing seasons in 8 out of 9 years. While team owners certainly invested significant resources to improve, the organization was stuck in mediocrity.

In 2020, the mediocrity ended when Tom Brady agreed to become the Buccaneers quarterback. Love him or hate him, Tom Brady has proven over and over to be one of (if not) THE greatest “field general” in the history of the NFL. While other quarterbacks rival and even surpass Brady’s physical skills, none match his ability to lead a team. Teammates and coaches laud his work ethic, his assuredness of success, his relational intentionality and his will never to give up. In 2020, leadership of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers improved. As a result, the organization improved, and they won their first championship in nearly two decades.

We believe organizations get better when leaders get better. We see it every day. In some ways, the notion is as simple as the natural law of motion that Isaac Newton introduced nearly 400 years ago…

• An object either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity, unless it is acted upon by an external force (paraphrased).

Although Newton was a physicist and this first law of motion was intended for physical application, we believe it also applies to our behavior and the behavior of our organizations. Without an external force, our organizations will remain constant in habits and resulting performance levels. Leaders are the external force in organizations with the potential and responsibility to initiate, communicate and execute positive change. With that in mind, our organization’s best is only limited by our leaders’ best.

If you want to grow your organization, grow your leaders. The highest potential of your organization can be measured in direct correlation to the highest potential of your leaders. When your leaders get better, so will your organization!