Wordload Can Bench The Best

A future Hall of Famer.

Yanked.

An elite.

Minimized.
Negated.

“You wanna know which ring is my favorite? The next one…”
Shut down by crowd noise.

80,000 screaming fans.

Rocking.
Chanting.

United.

Arrowhead Stadium.
Home of the Kansas City Chiefs.

September 29, 2014.

We took a win from the Patriots.
While taking the record for most crowd noise.
142.2 decibels.

Louder than standing 100 feet away from a jet engine…
As it’s taking off.

Voices screaming.
Ears ringing.
Record earned.

Joy complete.

But not for everyone.

Tom Brady had one of his worst nights.
Ever.

Two interceptions.
One fumble.
Sacked twice.
Hit often.

Benched.

2014 average quarterback rating—88.9

Tom Brady that night…59.5
His weighted rating  with errors?

13.6.
Out of 100.

“The New England Patriots. Let’s face it, they’re not good anymore.” Trent Dilfer, ESPN

Words.
Describing the effect of words.

Solomon wrote, “The tongue has the power of life and death…”
Even for a G.O.A.T

Actions aren’t louder.
They’re drowned out by words.

_____________________________

 Most of us will never face 142.2 decibels.
Or 80,000 screaming fans.

But we do have a crowd.
Some for us.
Others against.
Few are neutral.

And they all have a voice.
With an opinion.

Parents.
Teachers.
Leaders.
Digital media.

Sitting in the stands.
All adding wordload.

The unseen weight of external language that gets internalized and repeated.
Then shapes decisions, performance, relationships and outcomes.

And often?
We don’t even realize it.
More importantly…

It’s not even true.

“You’re just like…”
“You always…”
“You never…”

Internalized.
Repeated.

Performed.

Repeatedly.

_____________________________________

 Teams prepare for crowds.
They plan for noise.

Music.
Cheers.
Boo’s.

Game day.
Piped in on loudspeakers.

During practice…

A pause where teams get better.
Learn from mistakes.
Prepare for the next week.

Teams add noise to become precise.
We add noise that steals precision.

In our own thoughts.

Tom Brady didn’t become less.
Crowd noise took away his ability to adjust.

It took his voice.

Wordload builds scripts.

So even when the right play is called.
A new relationship.
A promotion.
A move.

Gets sabotaged.

Not by fans.
By words.

From the crowd in our own head.

“I’ve never been able to say ‘no,’”
“I always mess things up.”
“Will I ever be able to…”

“Let’s go!” Crashes into “I don’t want to get up…”

Benched.
Because we lost our voice.

And couldn’t adjust.

Not because we’re less.
Because our words and stories aren’t built for “more.”

_______________________________

 Teams don’t get better adding more words.
In fact…

They take them away.

Coaches are wired for sound on the sideline.
But that doesn’t mean everyone can talk.

They toggle to who is relevant in the moment.
Private channels for offense and defense.

For precise communication.
Timely.
Necessary.

True.

Coordinators looking down.
Assistants looking across.

Advising decision – makers.
Counseling play – makers.

They echo what was learned and practiced in the pause.
With real time edits and corrections.

“You’re a rockstar…” meets “Let’s take a look at this…”
Without judgement.
Without labels.
When moments are described.

Before they begin defining.

We often work backwards.
And let moments define us.

With labels and judgements.
Unfiltered, from the crowd.

142.2 decibels.
Overpowering motivation, mindset, and positive thinking.

Then, “I got this…”
Runs headlong into:
“Come to my office…”
“I called my attorney today…”

Or worse.

Silence.

Crowds are loud.
100,000 word digitally.
16,000 words spoken or heard.

Daily.

Affecting the 300,000 words we think.

Daily.

And often?
We don’t remember the source.

But we do need to remember to pause.

_____________________________

 “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
A popular phrase in the 50’s.
That became truth.

In politics.
In business.

Then it came for our voice.

Brady didn’t join the Chiefs.
In fact, he went 3-0 against them when it mattered.

In the playoffs.
He silenced Arrowhead in an AFC Championship.
Then took a Super Bowl title.

After the crowd said he was washed up.
He chose not to listen.
He practiced.

He paused with purpose.

RE| allows us to do the same.

Not by adding more words.
By making words work for us.

With precision.

RE| is the pause that allows us to recognize the smallest controllable.
The words.

Not to change our vocabulary.
To discover what is necessary.
Timely.

True.

RE| is the cue to toggle the headset to what is relevant.

And filter what’s not.

“You’re just like your dad.”

Rewritten.

“In that moment I was similar…”

“I always…”

Redrafted.

“Sometimes I…”

Identity…Restored.
To become more.

“I messed that up last time…I’m re-working my process to become a better leader.”

A pause.
Not to put a chip on our shoulder.
Not to label ourselves or others.

But to recognize the voice in the headset.
Retire old words and scripts.

Reclaim purpose.
Choice.

Clarity.

To change moments from momentous…to momentum.

Because in 2014?
The Patriots won the Superbowl.

My name is G. Scott, and I write about the power…and burden of the words shaping people, organizations, and outcomes. I’ve served over thirty years in the corporate environment scaling operations and sales initiatives and teams regionally and nationally.

I have been blessed with my wonderful wife Alyson, three great kids and my first granddaughter.

The most important part of my work? You.  I hope you share your story!
If this has been tough, please reach out to a trusted friend, pastor, or counselor.