Taking ownership as leaders to avoid credit union merger

Several weeks ago, the country sat down collectively to watch the Super Bowl.

During the game, I reflected back on Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. It was during that Super Bowl, with only 26 seconds left in the game, The Seahawks had the ball at the New England Patriots’ one-yard line. Instead of handing the ball to their running back Marshawn Lynch (one of the best running back in the NFL at the time), Carroll called a passing play on second down. It was gutsy, but The Patriots ended up intercepting the ball and won the game.

The headlines the next day called it “the worst play call in NFL history,” the “dumbest call in Super Bowl history,” and a “terrible Super Bowl mistake.” Of course, Carroll disagreed with these statements, believing it was the right call based on the numbers and his experience. Regardless of what Carroll said, you can’t dispute that the play did not work.

There’s a lesson here for credit union leaders in what Carroll did next and how he responded to the brutal media onslaught of comments. He owned it. He owned the mistake. “I told those guys, ‘That’s my fault, totally,’” Carroll said after the game. And later, when given the chance to pass off some of the blame to his offensive coordinator, Carroll refused, saying, “I made the decision.”

 

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