Heart of a Coach Sample

Serve Others With Loyalty

Set
In 1962, Bob Devaney came to Nebraska as the head coach. He was immediately successful his first several years. But then he had two years where the team went 6-4. Some of the fans were very disenchanted. They didn’t necessarily want to fire Bob, but they were insistent that he fire some of the staff and make some changes. But Bob had no intentions of firing anyone in order to make his own situation more secure.

I was a member of that staff. I was about 30 years old and had a wife and three kids. His indication of loyalty meant a lot to me. When I took over for Bob as the head coach at Nebraska, I made sure to model and teach that same kind of loyalty to my coaching staff and our players.

On the other hand, disloyalty can be devastating to a team. When we are disloyal, we give in to self-serving attitudes and compromise our character. Essentially, disloyalty is a betrayal of friendship and a breaking of the trust. Once trust is broken, it’s almost impossible to get it back. That’s why loyalty is such a big deal.

In the Bible, we get an interesting example of loyalty through the life of Peter. As one of Jesus’ disciples, he was bullish in his support of the Messiah, sometimes to the point of doing foolish things like cutting off the ear of a Roman soldier. Although Peter denied Jesus at the time of His crucifixion, he ultimately became a powerful evangelist that helped establish the Church. Peter was loyal to Jesus, even to the death.

As coaches, one of the best ways we can serve our staff and our players is by showing them loyalty. In turn, loyalty then breeds trust, and there are perhaps no two greater tools for a team’s success. –Tom Osborne

Go
1. What are some obstacles to loyalty within a team?
2. What are some ways that you have tried to create a sense of trust and loyalty?
3. What other some things can you do that might help root out disloyalty and distrust?

Workout
Ruth 1:16-17; Proverbs 17:17; John 15:12-13

Overtime
Lord, teach me to understand the true value of loyalty. Help me build trust with my team and my brothers and sisters and Christ. Amen.