Lessons from Lions Dressing Room
The Brisbane Lions’ team song is ringing loud and clear across the night sky tonight! What an amazing come-back (again) victory over Carlton in the elimination final! It culminated in one of the most passionate renditions of a team song in the dressing rooms I have ever seen!
I wonder if there’s anything we can learn from the statements of a champion team’s victory song…
1. We are the pride of Brisbane town – Champions learn to carry a very real sense of confidence in who they are and who they represent. Arrogance sounds like confidence but is actually very different. Arrogance is based on an insecure ego, whereas confidence is based on trust in the foundation that has been prepared (through training; experience; delegated authority; sense of call, purpose and mission).
2. We wear maroon, blue and gold – Champions wear the team colours proudly and as excellent representatives. As the Relentless Creed says, “He will have no problem recognizing me, for my colours will be clear!”
3. We will always fight for victory – Champions never, never, never give up. They get knocked down, but they get up again! The Lions have the best win-from-behind record in the league. Again tonight they fought back from being more than 20 points down at least twice. My dad taught me a valuable life lesson when I was playing a lot of sport in my teens: Champions don’t drop their head and give up when things go against them.
4. Like Fitzroy and Bears of old – Champions know where they’ve come from so they can honour the past and learn from its mistakes…but they don’t live there. Imagine if Jonathan Brown ran on to the ground in an old Fitzroy jersey, or tried to sing the old Brisbane Bears song in the dressing room! Yet so often people try to keep living in the successes and/or failures of the past and keep singing the songs of a previous era. Champions keep moving forward – they know their best days are yet to come.
5. All for one, one for all – Champions know the power of team. Lions coach Michael Voss roasted his team after one of their victories earlier in the season (unusual for a team to be in trouble after a win!). What stirred his displeasure? The lack of team work in that particular game. Oh there were some champion individual performances, but he was looking to shape a champion team – because that’s how Premierships are won. Champions back-up their team-mates, and focus on a common purpose instead of fighting battles in the dressing room.
6. We will answer to the call – Champions have learnt the powerful principle of “Yes is the answer…now what is the question?” In other words, they’ve settled the issue of whether or not they will put everything on the line and step up to the mark. They don’t need to waste time debating whether or not they will join the fray – “that’s a done deal, I’ve joined the cause, now what do I need to do?” Whatever the coach wants is what I will do.
7. Go Lions, Brisbane Lions, we’ll kick the winning score – Champions are encouragers. They know how to cheer each other on and stir belief in the hearts of those around them
8. You’ll hear the mighty roar – Champions learn how to carry the shout of triumph and victory in their life. You can hear it in their words, see it in the way they respond to the ups and downs of life.
They were battered, bleeding, bandaged and bruised – but at the end of the night a champion team roared their song together. Bring on the Doggies next weekend!
