Craft Your Cadence

A lesson from football quarterbacks

I’ve never played football, but over the years I have watched more and more games and become invested in the sport. As I watch, there is one thing in particular that sticks out to me.

It isn’t the wild finish after you thought you knew who the winning team would be in the final seconds of the forth quarter. It’s not how much the players get paid (or the bonuses they get on top of that). It’s not the videos I’ve watched on the logistics behind prepping each game, feeding the players and getting the entire staff to travel safely.

It’s the quarterback cadence.

Each game, each play, from the beginning of the season until the end, the quarterback signals the beginning of a run with their call. It’s unique. It is recognizable. It is what makes them stand out from the rest on the field.

Quarterbacks carry the responsibility of signaling when the time is right. There is a language and a rhythm that each carries to make the cadence their own.

Dak Prescott’s Cadence

Cam Newton’s Cadence

Aaron Rodger’s Cadence

You are the quarterback of your life. What’s your cadence?

You get to run the plays. You throw opportunities to others for a collaboration, a friendship, a compliment that feels like a win. You get to stand out with a sound all your own that is so unique people recognize it without you needing to announce yourself. That’s what your cadence call symbolizes. What are you saying?

The gift/danger of a cadence is that it is repetitive. You can feel fatigue in constantly calling out when things aren’t working. Some will claim you are gloating and begging to be seen. It can be both the bat signal for those who are looking for you and repel those who are in opposition of what you represent. Your responsibility is to stand your ground. Own your cadence, no matter what the display on the score board is or who is/isn’t cheering in the crowd.

However, your cadence is only one part of the equation. While your cadence can be strong, your body language can be even louder. Without speaking, you can signal you’re looking to create a generational win. Without saying a word, you can walk up to the field of your dreams and find momentum based on how you entered the space. You can experience people moving based on what you say simply because you took the responsibility of being the quarterback of your life seriously.

What’s your next play?

What direction are you throwing your efforts into? How are you switching tactics based on what you see? How do you rally others? How do you work through obstacles? Over the course of playing the game quarterbacks may change jerseys or go through set backs but the mission to drive forward remains the same. No matter the years of experience, the time of year or the record of wins/losses under their belt, each play starts the same way. With a cadence.

Determine what yours will be.