Unless you’ve been under a sports rock, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.  Last weekend the New England Patriots defeated the Broncos and eliminated them from the NFL playoffs. The talk of Tim Tebow over the past year, and the heroics of 4^th quarter comebacks, are nothing short of a made-for-TV movie!

So with the loss this past weekend did Tim Tebow really lose? Really? Let’s review…

Here’s an overview of this past season for Tim Tebow:

1. He was not the opening day starter.
2. After the Broncos started with 1 win and 4 losses, he replaced starting QB Kyle Orton in the game against the San Diego Chargers.
3. In the game against the Kansas City Chiefs he only threw 8 passes, completing 2 of them for 69 yards and one touchdown! And by the way, Denver won the game!
4. Over the last 11 games he led Denver with 7 wins and 4 losses.
5. His quarterback rating is 72.9 which ranked him 27^th (number 1 being Aaron Rodgers at 122.5).
6. He led the Broncos to several Heroic 4^th quarter come-from-behind to wins.
7. BTW, Denver made the playoffs!

When the Broncos drafted Tebow two years ago, the media and so-called draft experts were quick to point out his flaws as a quarterback, and quick to tell you on paper he has no business playing in the NFL.

Tebow has a slow-throwing motion with little to no experience at the pro level, and runs better than he throws. So why all the hoop-la? Because he wins … end of story!

Yes the Broncos lost the playoff game, and yes they are done for the season, but I contend Tim Tebow and his teammates won a major victory this past season. The victory of individual and team improvement, the victory of a sense of hope for the next year and, most importantly, the victory of confidence to know that they can compete with anyone in the league.

It’s easy to look at Tebow’s numbers and question how good he is.  But, look at the intangibles! Besides winning games in the 4th quarter then making the playoffs, look at what he did for the other players and the city of Denver. The other players have openly said they play harder when he’s in the game. Bringing the best out of players seems to be a normal thing for Tebow; like NFL veteran teammate running back Willis McGahee (over 31 years old) said of Tebow, “I don’t know what it is, I just play harder when he’s in the game.”

If you could only measure the intangibles!

Another word for love is passion. Tebow has a love and a passion for the game, his teammates and challenging himself to be HIS best, not THE best, HIS best. Win or lose he always gives his best and is satisfied with the result.

Over the past several weeks I’ve been writing about The 4 Pillars of Success, Self Awareness, Ingenuity, Love and Heroism. Tim Tebow possesses all four of them, but the one he possesses most, is Love. Love of the game, love of the competition, love of his teammates, and love of pushing himself to being the best he can be. And where it all starts and the most talked about … love of God.

Tim Tebow’s players love him and love playing for him. They’ll do anything not to disappoint him and it shows both on the field and in the win column. If they didn’t love him they would not play over their head the way they did in the first 4 games. If they did not love him, they would have done the bare minimum, whatever it takes to stay under the radar. It’s the difference between playing to win and playing not to lose. Believe it or not, there is a difference, a BIG difference!

So how do you translate Tim Tebow’s “Love” into your company quest for success? Consider the following:

Reviewing the Broncos record, Tebow’s quarterback rating, and the loss this past weekend, how do you measure their success?

1. Is he growing as a quarterback/manager/company?
2. Did he elevate his team/employees/coworkers around him?
3. Did he inspire others to greatness?
4. Does he love his teammates/employees/coworkers?
5. Do his teammates/employees/coworkers love him?

Of course the answer to each question is and should be Yes!

Think about your company like a football team and consider the following:

• Your (win/loss record) company profit is an aberration of how well or poorly you performed as a leader.
• How you performed is an aberration of how you treated your (players) employees.
• The productivity of your (players) employees is directly tied to how much you love them and they love you.
• Your company’s performance has nothing to do with the economy!! That’s the easy explanation of poor performance!

As my mentor always told, me you take care of your (players) employees, and they’ll take care of you!