When I Wasn't Good Enough

A Lack of Unity Loses, Always

I remember standing on the infield, hands on my hips, at the 50-yard line on top of the school’s mascot. I was talking to these six men—our six best sprinters—trying to explain the goal of the sprint relay. It wasn’t just about speed; it was about how fast you could get the baton exchanged in those 20 meters of the exchange zone. “How quickly can you accelerate?” I asked them. “How fast can you position yourself on the track, put your hand back, and receive the baton without losing momentum?” We had one runner slowing down when he approached his teammate, and another accelerating too early, messing up the rhythm. This was not an oversimplification. I had videos ready to show them, scientific articles on sprint mechanics, and even anecdotal stories from past relay teams. But it didn’t seem to matter. No matter how many drills we ran, something was off.

I would like to think that after 15 years of coaching in college, I began to get a few more things right than I had gotten wrong. Oh, believe me, I got some things wrong. One of the finer aspects that eluded my understanding was the ability to put together a sprint relay. DMRs? Check. 4x8s? Absolutely. 4x4s? Fun to watch. But the 4x1, where you take your four fastest athletes and put them together, that was a relay I never really got right. Now, getting four athletes to run fast? I had a pretty good recipe for that. But getting those same four athletes to sync up with one another in a relay? That was an entirely different task.

The issue wasn’t technique—it was attitude. Each of these men wanted to anchor, the most prestigious leg of the relay. None of them wanted to lead off; coming out of the blocks didn’t have the same glory. They each had an idea of where they belonged in the lineup, but none of those ideas matched. Some had run first leg in high school and felt it was beneath them now. Others wanted to be in the middle, but not if it meant someone else was anchoring. Every one of them was thinking about their own role and how they would be perceived, not about what was best for the team. The baton exchanges kept faltering, and deep down, I knew why. The problem wasn’t speed—it was a lack of trust, humility, and a shared vision for success. And it was a problem that no stopwatch could fix.

When Pride Comes . . .

As I stood there watching this group of talented athletes struggle, it became clear that our issue wasn’t about speed, skill, or even strategy—it was about pride. Each sprinter wanted to be the star, the one who got the glory of crossing the finish line. Their focus was on individual recognition, not the success of the team. Proverbs 11:2 captures this perfectly: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” I was witnessing the truth of that verse play out in real time. Their pride wasn’t just slowing down our baton exchanges; it was eroding the very foundation of trust that a relay team needs.

Pride, as I came to realize, can infect a team in subtle ways. It’s not always loud or boastful; sometimes it shows up as silent resentment, a quiet belief that "I deserve better." Each of these men believed they had earned a specific place in the relay order, and none of them were willing to sacrifice their own preferences for the good of the group. They didn’t want to be the one in the blocks because it lacked the glamour of anchoring. They didn’t want to adjust their position for the sake of a faster race. In their pursuit of personal glory, they forgot the goal—to get the baton around the track as quickly as possible. The disgrace that Proverbs 11:2 talks about wasn’t just a loss in a race; it was the breakdown of the unity and trust we needed to succeed.

But the second half of the verse is where the real lesson lies: “With humility comes wisdom.” Had these men approached the relay with humility—willing to run wherever they were needed, trusting their teammates, and focusing on the bigger picture—we would have seen a different result. Humility brings wisdom because it opens us up to learning, to understanding that there’s more at stake than just our own ego. It allows us to see the value in each person’s contribution, regardless of who gets the spotlight. I didn’t need four fast sprinters; I needed four humble athletes who could put the team’s success ahead of their own.

My Reflection ( If I Could Do It All Over Again)

Building a Winning Team: Lessons from Proverbs 11

When it comes to creating a successful team culture, the wisdom found in Proverbs 11 offers timeless lessons. In particular, this chapter reminds us of the importance of humility, generosity, and fair dealings—qualities that build not just individuals but entire communities. Reflecting on how I’ve coached teams in the past, I see now how much more powerful we could have been if I had been more intentional about fostering these values. Here’s what I could have done as a coach, what our team leaders could have done, and how we all could have come together to build something greater than just athletic success.

Three Things I Could Have Done as Head Coach

1. Model Humility
   As the head coach, the team looks to me for direction. If I had embraced humility more fully, I could have set the tone for the entire group. Proverbs 11:2 tells us, “With humility comes wisdom,” and that wisdom extends beyond strategy—it shapes the culture. By admitting that I didn’t have all the answers and by being open to input from both athletes and assistants, I could have shown that collaboration and shared leadership are more important than any one person’s ego. Modeling this humility would have permitted the athletes to let go of their own pride and focus on the team’s success.

2. Encourage Generosity of Spirit
   Proverbs 11:25 says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” As a coach, I could have placed a greater emphasis on the importance of being generous with encouragement, effort, and support. Had I encouraged the athletes to celebrate each other’s victories, even when it wasn’t their own, it would have created an environment where every success felt like a team success. This kind of generosity goes beyond talent—it builds trust and camaraderie. I could have structured practices and meetings to reward athletes who demonstrated selflessness and commitment to their teammates.

3. Cultivate Fairness and Accountability
   Verse 1 of Proverbs 11 warns against dishonesty in dealings, saying, “The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.” Fairness is foundational to a team’s morale. As head coach, I could have been more transparent and consistent in my decisions about lineups, opportunities, and recognition. This doesn’t mean being perfect, but it does mean being honest. When athletes trust that they’ll be treated fairly, even when the outcome doesn’t go their way, they’re more likely to buy into the system. Fairness could have built the trust necessary for everyone to feel invested in our collective success.

Two Things Team Leaders Could Have Done

1. Demonstrate Selfless Leadership
   Team captains and upperclassmen are often the heart of the team, and their attitudes ripple through the entire group. If our team leaders had embraced the principles of Proverbs 11:17—“Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves”—they could have taken more active roles in lifting up their teammates. Selfless leaders would focus on what’s best for the group, not just their own recognition. By stepping up to help younger or struggling athletes without being asked, they could have created a culture where success was shared, and no one felt left behind.

2. Promote Team Unity Over Individual Achievement
   In a sport like track and field, individual events can sometimes overshadow the importance of the team. Proverbs 11:14 says, “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.” Leaders who foster unity help prevent division. If our captains had actively promoted the idea that no race is truly won alone, that even individual success depends on the support of teammates, we could have avoided the fragmentation that pride brings. Regularly reinforcing that each person’s role, no matter how small, contributes to the larger victory would have built a stronger, more cohesive unit.

One Thing We All Could Have Done: Commit to Humility and Accountability Together

Proverbs 11 consistently emphasizes the benefits of humility and accountability in community. As a team, we could have committed to these values as a group. Whether it was through regular team meetings, group reflections, or simply creating a culture where every person felt valued and heard, we all could have embraced the principle that “with humility comes wisdom.” Holding each other accountable to this standard would have created a foundation where athletes weren’t afraid to admit mistakes or ask for help. We could have built a team where vulnerability was seen as a strength, not a weakness, and where every person’s contribution mattered.

Not Quite Enough

By the end of the season, our team just missed qualifying for the national championships. We needed a time of 40.31 seconds to make it, but we clocked in at 40.34. That margin—a mere three hundredths of a second—is so slim that you can’t even measure it on a stopwatch fast enough. As a coach, I believed we had the four athletes who not only could qualify but could stand on the podium. However, belief wasn’t enough, and my ability to lead them wasn’t enough either.

What we didn’t achieve in medals and accolades, we certainly earned in hard lessons. Our fifth runner, the alternate who didn’t compete in that not-quite-fast-enough 40.34, had a front-row seat to watch how destructive a lack of humility can be. He saw how the inability to look past oneself eroded trust within the group. By the end of the season, that runner took it upon himself to lead the sprint relay the following year, with a newfound understanding of leadership. Watching others fail taught him more about leadership than any success could have, and that lesson—rooted in humility and wisdom—will serve him for a lifetime.