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While Jalen Hurts, quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, did not lead his team to victory in Super Bowl 57 last weekend, he leads them as a human being.
In the postgame press conference following the Eagles’ 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Jalen could have easily blamed his team, the referees, or a myriad of circumstances. Instead, he mused, “You either win or you learn.” I would have been impressed if that’s all I had learned about Jalen, but this 24-year-old demonstrates wisdom beyond his years. At the end of the Super Bowl, Jalen walked to the locker room, skipping the traditional postgame on-field handshake with the Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Why? He was too emotional after his loss. Once Jalen regained his composure, he met Patrick to congratulate him. A few days later, at another press conference, Jalen reflected, “Obviously, we had a big goal that we wanted to accomplish, and we came up short. The beautiful part is that everyone experiences different pains in life, but we get to decide if we will use them as teachable moments. “And that is something that I control – how I want to respond.” He then shared that he rewatched every play from the game, including his second-quarter fumble, remarking, “I’m going use all of these formative experiences to better myself, grow, and help the guys around me to move forward.” And Jalen’s leadership did not end there. When asked about the Eagles’ Offensive Coordinator Coach, who is leaving to become the Coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Jalen responded, “I give Coach Steichen a lot of credit for the things he’s taught me and this team as a motivator, leader, and coach. He’s been the world for us.” Again, despite his disappointment, Jalen suggested, “You want to give people opportunities to chase their dreams. I know he’s going to do a great job for Indianapolis.” And then an extraordinary thing happened. The reporters and videographers thanked Jalen for his professionalism all season. They acknowledged him! Why? Because Jalen made their jobs more enjoyable with his consistent graciousness and maturity. (Unsurprisingly, Jalen reciprocated the gratitude.) Jalen’s Leadership Lessons:
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