A Contract, Patrick Mahomes, and Going All In

Ten years for $450 million.

Whether you follow sports or not, the commitment and amount of money stops you in your tracks. Quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, signed that contract to stay with the Kansas City Chiefs.

As much as we might consider that an enormous amount of money, a few pundits have said this long-term contract could mean Mahomes loses money in the long-run. In the next ten years in the NFL, Quarterback contracts could double and triple.

Why talk about the contract of Mahomes? Mike Tannenbaum analyzed the deal. You can see the video below:

Mahomes receives a $500,000 signing bonus to stay in the offseason in Kansas City. That means during offseason workouts and meetings, the team’s leader will be there.

Mahomes’s contract has the opportunity for a lesson. Let’s assume a mutual trust between Kansas City and Mahomes. Both parties agreed to sacrifice to commit to each other. That decision influences the whole team.

We talk about being all in. I wonder how often we see that in one way. The people who lead us need to become all in for us. The people we lead need to become all in for us. No matter where you find yourself in leadership, to be all in goes both ways to build a healthy culture.

As you think about the church and organizations you serve, do people see becoming “all in” as a two-way street? Do they know that we will defer to one another? I think of what Paul says in Philippians 2:3-4:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:3-4

Paul, the writer of Philippians, talks about a church and culture of mutual trust and sacrifice. A group of people will give to the greater good for each other, not a one-sided sacrifice.

If the contract plays out well for Kansas City and Mahomes, they will both experience sustain consistency. Every new player who walks into the organization will understand the expectations. The community will see the team’s commitment.

Time will tell if the contract will play out well for both sides. I would encourage you not to miss the learning opportunity for you as a leader. Commitment and becoming “all in” results from a culture of trust. People model it towards each other.

How can you build a culture of trust with people going “all in”? Beyond the contract numbers, I believe Kansas City and Mahomes have revealed questions for us to ask ourselves.