Sports are an easy way to learn about teamwork and leadership because we can literally observe both in action. I did just that last night, along with 200+ million others, while watching the Kansas City Chiefs v. the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.

NFL experts talked for two weeks about how talented both teams are and how much they had in common—including the coaches worked together. The experts anticipated the Eagles would win. The Chiefs quarterback was injured, so I did not begrudge their dismissal of the Chiefs.

Since it was going to be a tough game, I took notes during the game about what I noticed about leadership so as to not be influenced by the final score. The final score was Chiefs 38 - Eagles 35.

Below are the seven leadership lessons that business leaders could take away from the Super Bowl:

🟦  Visualize your life. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni shared in the weeks prior to the game that he listened to Whitney Houston’s rendition of the National Anthem to picture being there in that moment. He talked about all the work that goes into making it to the Super Bowl and that he wanted to appreciate the moment if he ever made it to the game he dreamt of since he was two years old. And he did make it there.

Seeing tears stream down his cheeks while Chris Stapleton sang the National Anthem was a beautiful moment for everyone. Here’s the video. Enjoy it. Then, visualize your own life. What do you picture for your life? Career? Team?

🟦  Lead with heart and focus. The Eagles and Chiefs played with heart the whole game. Usually, one team loses momentum and the winner takes over by the middle of the fourth quarter at the latest. But, last night, neither team gave up. They played with heart and focus the whole time. Literally, the whole time, as the game came down to the final seconds.

How do you show up when things are tough? Do you give up at the first or second sign of trouble? Or, do you play with heart the whole time? Think about how you act and what you say to your team during the tough times. Are you showing up the way that builds momentum or could you improve how you show up? Reflect on how you did during the pandemic if you’re not sure. A recession is coming, so your chance is coming again.

🟦  Take responsibility for mistakes. The Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts, is just 24 years old in his second year in the NFL. Obviously, he has strong leadership skills. One relatively minor indicator of his strength as a leader was after the Chiefs scored off a fumble, Hurts was shown talking to each offensive lineman. He took responsibility for the fumble and kept their heads in the game. Another Eagles player took responsibility for a holding penalty called on him late in the game.

How often do you see leaders take responsibility for mistakes? Is it more common to see them analyze the cause of the mistake first, even to the point where they place blame on others? Reflect on your most recent mistake, or one you caused. What could you fine-tune to be clear about the responsibility and keeping your team’s head and heart focused?

🟦  Choose your level of excellence. The Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, had his ankle re-injured prior to halftime. He winced in pain that made everyone around me wince too, even though our ankles didn’t hurt. Luckily, halftime was almost thirty minutes long, so he had extra time to take care of his ankle during the break. He played the second half, even running a few key times. After the game, Mahomes commented that the ankle did not feel great, but he was going to play hard and leave everything he had on the field.

Great leaders do not make decisions like that on the spot. They think about it, visualizing it even. What’s your standard for yourself? What’s the equivalent “leaving it on the field” for your team? Can your team count on you to do everything you can to put them in a position to win?

🟦  Share the credit. After the game, Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said, " I'll give the credit to the big O-line, and Patrick Mahomes, and all those guys around them. Eric Bieniemy was phenomenal also…The great quarterbacks make everyone around them better, including their head coach.” Mahomes gave credit to his teammates and coaches too. Eagles Coach Sirianni acknowledged all of the people who help get teams to the Super Bowl.

How do you respond when given praise and recognition? Do you graciously accept it and name others who earned part of it? Or, do you minimize the praise saying things like, “That’s our jobs.” Or, do you accept the recognition for yourself and take all the credit? Reflect on your most recent experiences and see if there’s something to improve so it is clear you are sharing the credit.

🟦  Look forward. Whether you win or lose, act the same. Shake the opponent’s hand (or, hug if warranted), congratulate them for their season, and walk back to your team. After the game, Coach Sirianni said the game does not come down to one play and the Chiefs were better than the Eagles were today. He also said, “We’ll use this pain. We’ll use this failure to motivate us so we can make it a strength.”

 Mahomes said something similar after the Chiefs lost the Super Bowl two years ago. It worked for him and his teammates!

 The leadership lesson is to look forward. The loss was not a failure. It was preparation for the next season. The Eagles will be even better next year because of how they feel today. How does your team handle losses and failures? Does it get better or wither? What’s your role as the leader? Can you do more to help build forward momentum, even when something does not go according to plan?

🟦  Praise generously. FTR, I’m not the halftime show’s target audience. I would have loved to hear U2’s new version of “One” or Chris Stapleton for fifteen minutes. However, Rihanna deserves heaps of praise for her halftime performance. Unless you can swing from the rafters, dance, and belt out songs when you are four months pregnant while taking care of a nine-month-old at home, keep your criticism to yourself. Her voice is phenomenal. The criticism I saw was personal toward her, not that the $1.5 billion business women cared about those folks.

Reflect on how you criticize and praise. Can you be more generous with praise and keep some criticism to yourself? Does every negative opinion have to be shared? Remember, what you say affects your reputation.

I had more notes about leadership showing up in various plays, opponents talking after plays, the Kelce brothers, and Terry Bradshaw’s behavior toward Coach Reid, the referee decisions, but those seven are the main points leaders in all fields could learn from those who took the field last night.