Humility Comes Before Honor

Humility Comes before Honor

In the middle of the 2015 NFL season, Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien challenged his players to put the first half of the season behind them. Preparing to face the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football with a 3–5 record, O’Brien reportedly humbled himself when he challenged his players to move on from their first-half mistakes and bad plays.

O’Brien led the way in doing this by admitting to his team that he made a mistake in the first game of the year benching his quarterback, Brian Hoyer, for Ryan Mallett in the third quarter. That one decision seemed to take the team off course, and it wasn’t until they were halfway through the season that O’Brien could look up and right the ship. I believe that when the leader admitted his mistake, it enabled the others on the coaching staff and in the locker room to feel like they, too, could get a fresh start.

O’Brien’s admission to his team is a powerful example of humility that we would do well to learn from. Scripture gives us a choice between haughtiness and humility. Here are the results of each: “Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor” (Proverbs 18:12).

Taking the bye week to look deeply into his team and his own decision making, O’Brien chose to use the key of humility to try to unlock the potential of his team. As a result, the Texans made a run and finished 9–7 for a second straight season under O’Brien, and they secured a wild card berth into the play-offs.

As you lead today, embrace humility. Don’t be afraid to step back, take inventory, identify your mistakes, and admit them. When you do, you free others up to do the same.

Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.

Proverbs 18:12