The QB, the Coach, And Us
by Peggy Haymes Pinnacle Leadership Associate
When the Carolina Panthers former first round draft pick Bryce Young had an unbelievably bad start to the 2024 season, his new coach Dave Canales made the decision to bench him after the first two games. He knew it was a risk. The organization had a lot of money invested in this player, and players often react badly to a benching. It had the potential to sabotage their relationship just as it was getting started as well as creating conflict and drama in the locker room.
Yet here at the beginning of the 2025 season, reports from the Panthers camp are good. Young ended the season playing with confidence and success. A quote from an article in The Athletic jumped out at me: “During that time while we were still kind of repairing our relationship, we made it about football because that’s what we could control today,” (Coach) Canales said. “How can we grow our processes? How can we have conversations about what we’re doing offensively? And then just attack the football part. To have that part, that commonality, that mutual respect, I was impressed with how he kept coming back to work and just attacking it.” (Joseph Person, Panthers’ Bryce Young and Dave Canales in a better place after some tense moments in 2024, emphasis mine)
That’s what we can control today.
In ministry, in leadership and even in our everyday lives, we can put a lot of energy into things we can't control. We cannot control what the church down the street does. We cannot control the weather for Homecoming weekend. We cannot control what other people think and what they do. We can approach them with curiosity, listening to where they are. We cannot control a lay leader’s decision to step away from leadership, although we can listen for the reasons they’re telling us and the ones they may not mention. We can reflect on what that might be telling us about our church and its ministry… if anything.
We can be strategic in planning for some of the well anticipated “what ifs.” How will we foster new leadership? What's the backup plan for Homecoming? Regardless of what the church down the street is doing, what is God calling us to do? A coach can be a valued partner in helping us recognize the limits of our control and how to be proactive with what we can do. Contact us if you’re interested in talking about the possibility of working with a Pinnacle coach.