Leadership is most displayed in the valleys, not the mountaintops

Ben Okri once said, "The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love, and to be greater than our suffering."  All of this is a process!  No magic beans to grow that beanstalk, no silver bullet.  It takes time.  It's maddening, but it takes time.

The above quote was found in a book by Wayne Cordeiro entitled, "Leading on Empty."  On the very next page, Cordeiro gives another choice chestnut:  "It is a gift to be able to launch an inspiring vision.  But unless you manage it along the way, it can turn on you, and soon the voracious appetite of the vision consumes you."  How do we know if vision is managed well along the way?  It'll take time.

But how much time?

Coach Mastroeni and Captain Drew Moor (praying for you, Drew) are in process now--and for us as fans, it's frustrating.  As Chris White reminded us yesterday, our Boys in Burgundy have lost their last four games by a margin of 11-3.  We have a rookie coach, along with some young and talented individual players all looking for ways to find their groove as a team.

Mastroeni certainly is authentic when talking to the media--in fact, too authentic for some, given his comments after the Rocky Mountain Cup went to the wrong side of the Rockies.  He's been preparing for this role for most of his professional life.  Revisiting Okri's coments, Mastroeni is at the 'create' and 'overcome' stage.  The FO has some decisions to make as to whether he will endure.  We won't really know until year three, to be honest (yeah, it's that time thing again).

The second quote by Cordeiro--that's pertinent to our Boys' situation now.  Pablo aims to remain steady during the ups and downs, and leadership is most displayed in the valleys, not just the mountaintops.  When things start clicking, you have momentum.  Pablo's leadership will be on display in this deep valley he and his squad find themselves.

Recently, our fans constructed an immense tifo saying that cheering for the Rapids is "our religion," which explains many fans' palpable desire to see a consistently winning product against teams that we not only should beat, but even teams that have significant talent that we must start beating.

But it will take time to know one way or the other.  Pablo, you're in the valley.  Here's hoping you can lead the Rapids out.