Leadership. Doing the Right Thing, Even When Nobody is Looking.

It is the small things you never would think anybody would see or notice that can have the greatest impact.  We are all defined by our actions, but judged by our reactions!

Something struck me yesterday while watching the Dallas Cowboys play the Baltimore Ravens.  Dak Prescott, the rookie sensation quarterback which over the season has led the team to a franchise record 9 straight wins, had just come off the field.  He was sitting on the bench and finished drinking water from a paper cup.  He went to discard the empty cup in a trash can sitting just a couple of feet behind him when his short toss missed the trash. (It is good for the team he can throw a football 50 yards more accurately).

I don’t know how many people, particularly with the egos and entitlement behaviors that are seemingly pervasive in all of pro sports and in society today, would have got up like Dak, go pick up his trash and throw it away.  While it is a very unassuming act, it speaks volumes for the person and leader Dak Prescott is proving to be.

Leadership is the doing the right thing even when no one is looking.  However, in this case, millions of people will see Dak lead both on the field and off now that the video has gone viral.

During this season of giving thanks, I for one, am thankful there are still role models like Dak we can point to that show us what true leadership really is.