In football, a good lead blocker doesn’t just hit somebody. They know the initial direction, identify the threat, take it on first, and create a lane for someone else to succeed.
The running back isn’t looking everywhere. If he starts trying to outrun the blocker or bouncing all over the field, the play usually dies. But if he stays behind the block, patient and disciplined, a crease appears.
Leadership works the same way.
Your job isn’t to carry the ball for your people. It’s to absorb the first collision. To clear confusion. To remove obstacles. To communicate the path. Your team shouldn’t have to fight every battle you could have handled first.
And trust goes both ways.
The leader has to earn enough trust that people are willing to follow the block.
The team has to trust the leader enough to stay behind it.
The moment everyone starts freelancing—running their own path, ignoring the block, or trying to be the hero—you’ve got eleven people playing eleven different games.
Great organizations don’t need everyone making the perfect read.
They need leaders willing to hit first… and teammates disciplined enough to follow the lane.