Heaps of Praise for a True Team Player

With the NFL season drawing to a close, and football fans suddenly searching for something else to do with their Sunday afternoons, I thought it would be a great time to talk about football and leadership.

For those of you who don't watch football (and I'm told you're out there somewhere), don't stop reading now. While football is the metaphor in this case, this is still a post about leadership and I promise it will come to a good point.

Todd Heap is the starting tight end for the Baltimore Ravens, a franchise that went from 5-11 and a fired coach last year to 11-5 and the conference championship this year, under the guidance of a rookie quarterback and a rookie head coach.

What led the Ravens from the bottom of the proverbial Heap (I promise not to abuse that pun any more) to the upper echelon of the NFL in one year? To be sure, it wasn't the work of one player. No, the Ravens made it to the game that decided the eventual Super Bowl champion with a total team effort. Let's not discuss, for the moment, that the Pittsburgh Steelers beat them on the way to winning the Super Bowl in that game - that would only distract us from the question at hand.

How did Todd Heap contribute to the winning formula of a superb 2008 Ravens team?

A look at the stats will tell the tale. If you throw out his 2007 season, where he was limited to only 6 games due to a nagging injury, the numbers are quite favorable. For the six seasons between 2001-2006, Heap averaged 52 catches, 610 yards and 4.3 touchdowns per season.

So how did Heap do in 2008? Glad you asked. The two-time Pro Bowl receiving tight end hauled in a pedestrian 35 catches for 403 yards and 3 touchdowns. A bad year, right?

Not hardly. To understand Heap's contribution, you must understand blocking. For those who are not NFL fans, blocking is an unheralded but vital part of a football team's offense. The tight end can be used in one of two ways - to go out and try to catch the ball, or to stay in and essentially become a sixth offensive lineman, keeping the defenders off the quarterback (who throws the ball) or the running back (you can guess what he does).

Heap was wisely called upon to block for most of the year, to open up holes for a much-needed (and highly successful) running game, and to protect a rookie passer (Joe "Joe Cool" Flacco).

Did you hear Heap once complain about his lack of catches? Did you hear him criticize his coaches for the way he was utilized? No way. Granted, it's easier to keep your peace when the team is winning, but you get the feeling Heap wouldn't complain even if the team was losing.

Heap obviously knows a thing or two about leadership. He was asked to trade in a visible role on the team for one far less glamorous (and one much more likely to leave black and blue marks the day after). His reward? A trip to the championship game, one win away from the Super Bowl.

To have a successful team, you must have team members who are willing to sacrifice individual recognition for the good of the group. True leaders don't always stand out. Many are nearly invisible but vital parts of their teams.

It takes a whole team working together to accomplish key goals. Every great team (football or otherwise) has a cast of veritable unknowns working feverishly behind the scenes.

Does your team have any Todd Heaps? Unnoticed, unhearalded, "cogs" who do the dirty work but don't necessarily get recognized for it?

Do you have a story about a team member who went above and beyond to help accomplish a task, or who took on work no one else wanted to do because he or she recognized it was work that absolutely had to be done?

Comment below and tell us about the Todd Heaps you've met, and how important they are to the success of your team. And, while you're at it, consider throwing some praise their way the next time you see them.

Anthony Butler is the assistant director of leadership in the Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Center for Student Involvement at the University of Baltimore.

Visit Leadership UB online at www.ubalt.edu/leadership. For more information, e-mail leadership@ubalt.edu or call the Rosenberg Center for Student Involvement at 410.837.5419. Please feel free to comment here and return often for weekly articles on leadership by scholars, presenters and participants involved in Leadership UB.