I have often cautioned, through writings, about falling into the habit of judging others.  To be honest, while I suppose I should practice what I preach, I often “judge” the habit of judging.  For, I understand the potential damage that looking down on someone else can inflict on a relationship, organization, or team.  I have mentioned that an individual usually becomes angry and resistant when judged, and so called deviant behavior only gets reinforced.  I have also said that those who judge others simply fail to recognize their own errant state of mind in the moment, since a person will never judge when their level of psychological functioning is high.  In this writing however, I want to specifically demonstrate the far reaching negative effect that judging a team member, or colleague, can have on your team or organization.

Brett Favre was a “train wreck,” while Donnie Warner “had guts.”

When Brett Favre was a rookie quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, head coach Jerry Glanville judged Favre to be irresponsible on and off the field.  In fact, Glanville looked down on his “raw” quarterback from Southern Mississippi right from the start.  When his feelings about not drafting Favre were overruled, Glanville even said that it would take a “plane crash” for him to get in a game.  Then, when Favre missed the team photo that year, Glanville dubbed him a “train wreck” and following the 1991 season the Falcons traded Favre to Green Bay.  Well as they say, the rest (at the QB position for both teams and the subsequent career paths of Glanville and Favre) is history.

To the contrary, way back in the summer of 1970 at the University of Michigan, a freshman named Donnie Warner knocked on the door of head football coach Bo Schembechler’s office.  Standing 5’9” and weighing 170 pounds, Warner asked for a meeting with the not yet legendary second year coach.  You see, it was Warner’s desire to try out for the football team.  Schembechler had quite a busy schedule but reasoned that any young man who had the guts to make a personal request like that, deserved at least a few minutes of his time.  Schembechler listened to “little” Donnie Warner state that he wanted to play offensive guard for one of the biggest and best college programs in the country.  And when Schembechler told him how big the Michigan offensive line was, Warner’s response was “okay, then I’ll play defensive line.… middle guard.”  So, flash forward to his senior year….Warner has earned a full scholarship, is starting at middle guard, and is one of the captains of the team!  Until the day he died, Schembechler considered Donnie Warner the greatest football player that he ever coached at Michigan.

When we judge and then act from this egotistical place of insecurity, we will always get in our own way and stumble.

I suppose the message that I am using football history to impart, is that if you are a coach or leader of any organization, you just might be in the presence of greatness (Favre and Warner) but are far too distracted by your own limiting thoughts to notice.  Glanville was so busy paying attention to what was wrong with Brett Favre, that in spite of his obvious physical attributes, Favre’s potential was withering away in Atlanta.  On the other hand, Schembechler was so busy focusing on what was right with Donnie Warner that, in spite of having no tangible physical attributes, Warner became one of the most impactful players in the history of Michigan football.  Schembechler was even quoted as saying that “nothing demonstrates the value of giving a guy a chance (not judging) more powerfully than the story of Donnie Warner.”

It is therefore essential to realize, that when we judge and then act from this egotistical perspective of insecurity, we will always get in our own way and stumble.  Glanville’s record as a pro head coach was 63 up and 73 down.  While his subject of ridicule, Favre, has re written the NFL record book at the quarterback position.  Schembechler’s record at Michigan was 234-65-8, and the while this total is pretty amazing in itself, the enduring relationships that he developed with his players away from the game is what he is truly remembered for.

If we are tempted to judge, the way out is to see the positive possibilities for the future.

So, the next time you find yourself in a low state of mind and are tempted to look down on another, I ask to think about the real life stories of Glanville and Favre, Schembechler and Warner.  Realize that judging someone else says a lot more about you than it does the person in question, and once you buy into the habit of negatively labeling others, it’s difficult to turn back.  If we are tempted to judge, the way out actually lies in seeing the positive possibilities for the future.  For, if you can hang in there and resist the ego’s negative pull, I can assure you that faith, and then hope, will become a reality before you even know it…… Just ask “raw” Brett Favre and “little” Donnie Warner!

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