Whether you’re a Tim Tebow fan or not, he is teaching us something all of us should take both personally as well as on the job.  And it has nothing to do with football!

I already admired Tebow for his drive to make it in the NFL; for his candor about his faith; for his unwillingness to yield to public mockery; and for his determination to be himself.  But then an article by Rick Reilly appeared on ESPN.com and I was hooked!

This guy is amazing.  While most professional athletes live, eat and breathe their sport–not true of Tebow.  Despite his long hours spent in overwhelming devotion to training, self-discipline and leading his team, he will be the first to tell you football is not who he is.  Football is what he does.  And that is clearly evident in Reilly’s article!

Reilly knows a thing or two about sports.  He has the distinction of having been voted National Sportswriter of the Year–not once–but ELEVEN times!  Here’s how he put his take on Tebow:

There’s not an ounce of artifice or phoniness or Hollywood in this kid Tebow, and I’ve looked everywhere for it.

Why is Reilly almost forced to that conclusion?  Well, I invite you to read his article linked here: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow and then what I’ll say about what Tebow has to teach us will become abundantly clear!

What Tebow Teaches Us

First, stay true to your own values.  Always get the job done, but at the end of the day you are the one who has to be able to look yourself in the mirror and be able to tell yourself you did things the right way.

Second, remember that what you do is not who you are.  Its easy to get that backwards.  Who you are should define what you do.  Let your occupation be an extension of your life and values.

Third, live outside of yourself.  Make other people the focus of what you do.  Seek opportunities to honor those in even the most humble of circumstances.  Who knows?  God forbid that we might find ourselves in their shoes one day.

Tim Tebow’s leadership is extending far beyond the confines of a stadium.  He models for us all the qualities that truly mark a champion–at work and in life.

Bryan's picby Bryan Naquin.  Follow Bryan on Twitter @ACIexperts.  And you can always contact him at 225.906.2589 or by email at bryan@aciexperts.net.

Bryan Naquin is president of Acadian Home Theater and Automation based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  CEPro Magazine ranked Acadian in the top 100 consumer electronic companies in the U.S. coming in at Number 87 for 2011.