Be the Starter

A message from Steve...

There are certain moments in sports that have very little to do with the final score but tell us almost everything we need to know about a teammate. Recently, Chicago Bears quarterback Case Keenum gave us one of those moments. 

After being named the starting quarterback the previous week and leading the Bears to a win, Keenum learned that fellow quarterback Tyson Bagent would get the next start. There could have been disappointment, frustration or even awkwardness, especially at that coveted QB position where opportunities are limited and competition is constant. Instead, Keenum asked to be the person who delivered the good news to Bagent. Who does that? Apparently, Case Keenum. 

From what I could gather, Keenum texted Bagent that morning and asked what time he was coming to the facility, then encouraged him to get there a little earlier. When Bagent arrived, Keenum told him how much he appreciated the support Bagent had given him while preparing for his own start the week before. He then told Bagent that he hoped and prayed he would have the same kind of night Keenum had experienced, before finally sharing the news that Bagent was starting. Bagent later described Keenum as a “top-two friend, teammate” he has ever had, quickly adding that Keenum was definitely not number two. 

At Game On, we lean on the powerful dynamic of “Challenge and Support” in all of our curriculum, and this story captures both beautifully. Challenge matters because Keenum and Bagent are competitors. They want to start, and each has to believe he can help his team win. Healthy teams don’t eliminate competition or challenge because both can make us sharper, more prepared, and more accountable. 

But the other side of that equation is support, and that support becomes much more meaningful when someone else’s opportunity comes at the expense of our own. I think we can all agree, it’s much easier to cheer for a teammate when we are standing beside them. It takes a different level of confidence and humility to cheer when they are stepping into the spot we wanted. 

That’s the part of Keenum’s response that made me think about our Game On Rules of the Game, especially Celebrate Small Wins and Have Each Other’s Back. It also reminds me of one of our Core programs called “Building Collaborative Teams”, where we challenge our participants to see beyond titles and roles, recognize the value others bring, and understand that collaboration isn’t simply being agreeable. Great teammates can challenge one another, compete with one another, and still genuinely celebrate one another. 

Sometimes having someone’s back means helping them prepare. Sometimes it means encouraging them after they fail. And sometimes it means being the person who looks them in the eye and says, “It’s your turn,” even when part of you wishes it were still yours. 

Most of us can read this story and say we would have handled the situation the same way, but would we really? What happens when someone else gets the promotion, the starting position, the speaking opportunity, the recognition, or the role we wanted? Can we move beyond simply hiding our disappointment and actually help them succeed? That’s a much higher standard of teamwork because it requires enough confidence to know that another person’s opportunity doesn’t diminish our value, and enough humility to understand that sometimes our most important contribution isn’t taking the spotlight but helping someone else step into it. 

As leaders, teachers, coaches, and presenters, I encourage us all to do our best to create these moments every day, whether we recognize them or not. We can build environments where people protect their position, or we can create teams where people challenge each other to get better while supporting each other when opportunities arrive. 

During this season of my life, I don’t follow the NFL as much as I use to, but I’ve been seriously tracking this story, and below are a few of my immediate take aways: 

1. Challenge with purpose. Healthy competition should make everyone better, not make teammates smaller. 

2. Support when it costs something. Encouragement means more when someone else’s opportunity is the one you wanted. 

3. Have each other’s back. Great teammates don’t just celebrate success, they help create it. 

In the midst of the battle, in between plays, let’s ask ourselves if we are simply hoping our teammates succeed, or are we actively helping them succeed, even when their success may mean we’re on the sidelines while they have their chance to... Be The Starter.