Alan Draper
When the Denver Broncos travel to the Miami Dolphins on October 23rd, Tim Tebow will be the new starting quarterback. If you have read my prior blogs, you know my opinion on this “starting Broncos QB” issue. You can review Social Media – Proven or Promise and Social Media – And NFL Team Depth Chart where I counseled patience and objectivity. Tebow is an inspiring young man with an outstanding work ethic, infectious smile, convictions about his faith, and humble bearing. I hoped he could grow into the starting role like Steve Young did under Joe Montana and Aaron Rogers did under Brett Favre.
But as the incumbent starting QB, Kyle Orton didn’t deliver his part in this long-term approach. Sure, there have been massive injuries to an already porous defense and a mediocre running game. But QBs get too much credit when the wins are coming and too much blame when the losses mount up. The Chargers game was the first time I saw Kyle Orton second guess his own strengths (calm, accuracy, making the right read, throwing the ball away to live another play) and show doubt.
So how does this relate to social media, branding and leadership in general? Let’s treat Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow as brands.
- Kyle Orton calm, unflappable, won’t make mistakes that cost the game, game manager, professional, teammates like him, throws a catchable ball
- Tim Tebow winner, leader, emotional, passionate, motivational, gives you hope, non-prototypical, scrambler, fighter, gamer, he has “It”
Which descriptions would you like associated with your name or brand?? If you are selling life insurance or low-risk mutual funds, perhaps you want Kyle Orton’s attributes. Otherwise, you want the fire…to walk on the wild-side…to take a chance and be the hero. You dream of being Tim Tebow with the game on the line, no timeouts and 01:30 minutes to play! You want people to know you have “It” and you’re bringin’ it!!
Think about it from a Denver Broncos perspective. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2005. At 1-4 in 2011, that drought is likely to continue. Who puts fans in the seats faster while generating merchandise revenue and national exposure: the guy who calmly loses each week while having decent numbers, or the guy who throws percentages out the window, embraces the unorthodox, screams, scrambles and wills the most out of himself, his teammates and his fans? FRS Energy Drink saw Tebow’s potential and ran the TV spot before Tebow ever started a professional football game:
It is that passion and conviction in his beliefs that made Tebow’s jersey the #1 selling jersey in the NFL…again, before he ever started a professional game!
There are many competent and successful brands, managers and bloggers out there. But there is only one Apple, one Steve Jobs, and perhaps a handful of bloggers that capture our interests on a weekly basis for whatever our passions may be. These leaders chose to not simply be part of the noise and the crowd. They chose to be transcendent.
What do you aspire to as a brand, a leader, a writer, a spouse, a parent? Do you think the world needs more of the same, or is it time to embrace your unorthodox and creatively captivate your audience with a healthy dose of your own “It” factor?
Let those comments fly, folks…and live each day Bringin’ It!
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Alan Draper.
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As a big Denver Broncos fan, I couldn’t agree more. I’m rooting for Tebow to succeed even though most people think he won’t. And I definitely want the Tebow brand (passionate, competitive, exciting) over the Orton brand (which usually seems apathetic).