DISCLAIMER: I’m a Chicago Bears fan, but this post
isn’t really about that. It’s about being professional and the words and
approach we choose.

Aaron Rogers is the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. A pretty good one, in fact. He followed Brett Favre there, someone you may have heard of, too.

And, in all that time, when the Packers had two quarterbacks,
the Bears had…. wait for it…. 35.

Yep, I know.

But this post isn’t about that. It’s about Aaron Rogers, who
— in my opinion — could have used some good PR counsel this year. But I’m not going to get into all that either. I’m just going to focus on his most recent
communication glitch.

Namely, that in his last game against the Bears at Soldier
Field, after scoring a touchdown, supposedly egged on by fans who were a trifle upset at his doing so, he yelled, “I still own you!”

When asked later whether he regretted saying it, he
reportedly said he didn’t and that you can’t really argue with the facts that
the Packers basically have beaten the Bears for a L-O-N-G time, a supposed
rival, in the years he and Favre have quarterbacked the team.

Is it true?

Yes.

But is it professional?

Nope.

Professional is confident, yes, but it’s also kind. It’s
courage mixed in equal parts with compassion. It’s the reason Walter Payton, a Hall of Fame running back with the Bears, would simply hand the ball to the referee after scoring — “Act like you’ve been there before,” he’d
say, when asked about why he didn’t celebrate more.

Professional is treating the other person like an equal, even
if you’ve beaten them a hundred times. It’s shaking hands after the game, or
business meeting, even if you feel like you didn’t get the better outcome.

Professional is telling the truth, even when it’s hard.

Yes, Aaron, you’re a great quarterback. But are you a great
leader?

Do you treat people well, both colleagues and competitors?

Are you looked up to, listened to, for not just your pinpoint
accuracy or how you scramble out of for-sure tackles, but also for your
authenticity and credibility?

Aaron, you’re playing my Bears on Sunday night. Will you beat
them? Probably, though I’m hoping our guys have enough pride to make you wish you hadn’t said that (I’m sure our fans will have an appropriate response).

Yes, you’ll probably win the game.

But, in the process, you’re losing much more than that.

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