Return to Innocence

Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll wanted to remind his team before training camp about its journey. So, he asked each player and coach to stand up before telling them, “If you’re a coach who has been fired, sit down.” The entire coaching staff sat down.

Daboll then said, “If you’re a player and you’ve ever been cut or traded, sit down.” A large group of players sat down.

Finally, Daboll said: “If you weren’t picked in the first round, sit down.” Josh Allen, the starting quarterback, was the only player left standing. Daboll directed his next question toward Allen: “Josh, how many college scholarships were you offered when leaving high school?” Allen answered none. Daboll then said, “All right, let’s all remember where we came from.”

Life is full of ups and downs, as evidenced by the players left standing. No one in that room had experienced the perfect journey, and no one understood this better than Daboll. He has been fired several times and passed over for offensive coordinator positions; yet, when he finally got a chance to work with people who believed in his talents, his skills became apparent.

His professional career has had moments of great success and disappointment. But he never lost confidence in his ability. That’s the key. He never lost confidence and never blamed those around him for not having success.

As leaders, we cannot let failures affect our journey. No one said our career was going to be easy. Life is never about what we achieve. It’s all about what we overcome.

Think about when you started your journey. All beginnings are filled with a great sense of innocence, and within that innocence, a great sense of confidence, toughness, determination and a willingness to overcome any obstacle.

What Daboll accomplished in his meeting was to bring the players back to their innocence — devoid of bitterness, anger or pre-determined outcomes. And most importantly, to reflect on history to affect the present day.

When you move from innocence to experience, you cannot allow that experience to affect your future. Remind yourself every day that everyone has struggles. But they will make you stronger if you maintain your innocence and remember how it all began.