Colts’ GM Chris Ballard on Admitting Mistakes, Taking Risks on Players, and Communicating with Honesty

Indianapolis Colts’ GM Chris Ballard joined the Off Script Podcast in June 2020 to talk about his career lessons in player evaluation and how he is trying to get the Colts ready to compete at the top of the NFL.

I found a few of his quotes particularly notable in giving a sense for how Ballard thinks about risk and the effect that those risks can have on the overall togetherness of the team.

Being Disciplined in Their Approach to Evaluating Talent

The Tendency to Fall in Love with Players Because of Talent

"We all fall into that trap. We all want talent. Being disciplined enough to stay with what you talk about and believe and live, vs. a guy that has so much talent that on Sunday he is going to make a huge difference for you, but how is he going to fit in the locker room, can he sustain it, is he going to do it over time. Those are the questions you have to ask.”

Knowing When to Take Risks on Players

"I've seen more things over time, and don't quite take the same amount of risk. I always ask the same questions: 1) Does he love football? And 2) Is he a good teammate? If they'll answer those two questions, I'm willing to live with some stuff, and we can usually make them work."

Core Values as a Leader of Honesty and Admitting Mistakes

Being Humble Enough as a Leader to Admit Mistakes

"It's how you get better and you improve and get better every day if you are willing to admit that you have room for growth"

I love this part about any leader needing to have the humility to admit mistakes. It’s how you understand and correctly address where the potential problems are that could prevent peak performance in the future, and also allows leaders and their teams to continue to grow and learn from all experiences, regardless if the results were failures or successes.

Communicating with Honesty with the Team + Players

“I will tell the locker room: ‘We will only go as far as you take us.’ You have to challenge when you see something that's wrong that affects winning. Distractions have to be eliminated.”

Achieving Success with Focus on Growth and Improvement, not Results

Taking Down the Super Bowl Trophy from the Indoor Practice Facility

"Yeah that's the goal and were trying to win it every year, but what do we do when we win it...do we just stop?! No, and that's why you have to be willing to grow"

New England Patriots and Their Consistent Success

"I give them credit. For them to be able to reset every year and continue to get better and drive and stay hungry and stay humble in the process and keep living it, that's a hard thing to do in any profession."

On "The Last Dance" Michael Jordan Documentary on Putting in the Work to Win

"You have to put in the work, and it's all about winning. And whatever it takes to win, you better go there or you will not be there."

The Best Teams are Never the Most Talented

The Teams that Play Together the Best are the Teams that Win

"The teams that are the most talented don't typically win in football. It's the teams that come together the best that win."

In sports and in life, the best teams are the one that can come together and work with and for each other. It’s refreshing to hear an NFL GM acknowledge this. Of course you need talent to win, but the teams that truly elevate and exceed their capability are the one that create that collaboration with the locker room.