I’ll freely admit it; I bleed orange.
I’ve loved the Denver Broncos with all my heart since my dad took me to Mile High Stadium when I was only 7 to see them play the evil Oakland Raiders. (The Broncos were trounced that day, but I’ve been a fan ever since.)
I say that at the risk of you dismissing this post as one coming from a ‘homer’ who’s just lovin’ on his team’s QB. You need to know that I have been an outspoken critic of Tim Tebow’s quarterbacking skills since he was brought off the bench to rescue my team’s dismal 1-4 season.
All the while he’s been winning close games with miraculous finishes, I’ve been praying that Denver can swing a deal for much better passer to lead them into the future. Even after a terrific performance in the playoffs against the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers, I still remain unconvinced that Tebow’s “the guy.”
That does not make me a Tim Tebow hater. In fact, I absolutely love the guy as a leader and a competitor. Tebow’s a player you want on your team, but it is not because of his size, his skills, or his football acumen. The reason every team, every company, and every organization needs Tim Tebow is because of his incredible, inarguable, indisputable work ethic.
Tim Tebow is the modern day poster child of Work Ethic. I should know — I wrote the book on work ethic..
In that new book, Reviving Work Ethic, I define work ethic as “knowing what to do and doing it, marked by seven core values: Positive Attitude, Reliability, Professionalism, Initiative, Respect, Integrity, and Gratitude.”
Using that standard and being as harsh of an evaluator as I can be, let’s see how Tim Tebow grades out:
Tim Tebow’s Work Ethic GPA = 4.0
Yes folks, I’m a card-carrying flag-waving fan of Tim Tebow’s work ethic. He’s currently starring center stage in the NFL, and that gives us reason to talk about work ethic. But as I honor him, so too do I take my hat off to the many Tebow-esque employees that you’ll never hear about; those who possess the same core values and same commitment to continual self-improvement that we’re seeing on display in a #15 jersey.
The Tebow’s at work may not always be the most skilled people in their respective organizations, but they are, without question, the most valuable.
This was originally published on Eric Chester’s Reviving Work Ethic blog. His new book is Reviving Work Ethic: A Leader’s Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the Emerging Workforce. For copies, visit revivingworkethic.com.