Recognizing the ones who make the blocks.

• Author: Kristie, James
• Position: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - Reprint

From Everybody Matters by Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia. Copyright [c] 2015 by Barry-Wehmiller Group Inc. and Rajendra Sisodia. Published by Portfolio/Penguin (www.penguin.com).

A few years ago, I was at a football game, watching the Green Bay Packers play. The quarterback Brett Favre threw a long pass into the end zone.

The receiver caught the ball, jubilantly spiked it, and then, following a long-standing tradition at Lambeau Field, did the exuberant "Lambeau leap." He jumped into the stands to soak in the adulation of fans, who caught him, patted him on the back, and dropped him back on the field.

It made me think, "He is an incredibly gifted receiver who worked hard to be in a position to make that catch. It was a great catch, a catch that few people could have made, but the truth is that he didn't do it alone. A lot of people did the right thing to put him in a position to make that great catch." Just once, I'd like to see a receiver set the ball down, run back to the line of scrimmage, help a lineman up off the ground (after removing someone weighing 300 pounds who has been lying on top of him), and say, "Great block! I would never have gotten open if it wasn't for that block." He should go back to the quarterback and say, "Brilliant pass, right where I expected it to be!" When he returns to the sideline, he should say to the coach, "Thanks for designing that play pattern, it allowed me to be...