Who Do You Play For?
Last Saturday, Iowa State beat Miami 42-41 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Cam Ward, the Miami quarterback and Heisman finalist set an NCAA Division 1 touchdown record in the first half. At halftime Miami was winning 31-28. It was a close game, the kind of game college quarterbacks dream of ending their career winning.
Except for Cam Ward. He sat out the second half on what was called a “business decision.” He was healthy, but chose to stand on the sidelines and watch his team lose rather than battle alongside them. Presumably (because no one has made a statement defending his actions) Can Ward was worried what a possible injury would do to his NFL draft potential.
What message did he send to his teammates? What message did he send to NFL owners and coaches? Would you want a player who cares more about name on the back of the jersey than the name on the front (to paraphrase Herb Brooks)?
I spend a lot of time studying organizational culture and leadership. Leaving your team in the most critical time is a leadership failure. Ward’s teammates trusted him to lead them to victory. Without Cam Ward in the second half, they lost the game 42-41, and lost the payout that comes with winning a bowl game.
Charles Feltman defines trust as choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person’s actions. He breaks trust into four components—care, sincerity, competence and reliability. Cam Ward is clearly a competent quarterback, but I would argue his actions lacked care, sincerity and reliability in the eyes of his teammates.
An organization’s culture is built on what the leader demonstrates and tolerates. This is true for any organization—in a corporation, government or sports environment. Leaders set the tone for the organization, in both the actions they take, and the behaviors they tolerate.
The Baltimore Ravens suspended and then released Diontae Johnson for “conduct detrimental to the team” after he refused to enter a game on December 1st. He was only with the Ravens for seven weeks. Team leadership sent a clear signal about what they value.
How do college coaches create a team culture in the era of the transfer portal and NIL, when recruiting is a year-round job, to include convincing your current students to stay and play? How do they regain the authority and respect they deserve? They have to extend trust to their players—trust them to complete their on-field assignments, to be the best in their position, ensure they are well-trained and most importantly, coaches must care for their players. Their goal is to create and reinforce a culture that makes people proud to be a part of the team. The same goes for leaders in all arenas, and organizations.
Part of a leader’s job is to “hire for fit,” gauging whether a prospective employee fits with the organizational culture. Before the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Cam Ward was projected as a potential #1 draft pick, and likely one of the first two quarterbacks drafted. It will be interesting to see how NFL owners and managers react to his decision when deciding if he fits with their culture.