As many of you know I’ve had the good fortune during the past 6 seasons to participate in Ravens Rap TV/Radio show in Ocean City, MD with Steve Bisciotti.
During that time I’ve gotten to know Bisciotti a bit and he’s a fun-loving, approachable guy who is often humbled by the journey that is his life.
He hasn’t forgotten where he’s come from and he’s deeply loyal to those who have contributed to his fortune. He’s also very self-deprecating and as most good leaders do, he contributes to the success of his underlings, understanding that in doing so it helps his own cause.
He’s also brutally honest.
But perhaps the quality of Bisciotti that I find most intriguing is his ability to see things with clarity – to sift through the distractions that could cloud the average Joe’s vision. He assesses any situation, particularly challenging ones, sizes them up and then leads you down a path towards solutions.
His stories and experiences as he describes them are like journeys. Initially you may not be sure where he’s taking you, but when you get there, you appreciate the ride and of course the newly discovered clarity.
This is an example of one of those “journeys”, a response to a question during the Ravens Rap a couple of seasons ago about whether or not he would offer a job to Ray Lewis within the organization upon Ray’s retirement.
This week Bisciotti ran into a buzz saw – the fallout and collateral damage to his brand stemming from the fallout of the Ray Rice domestic violence incident.
Bisciotti has admitted that he and the Ravens organization have handled the situation poorly. He’s even admitted that his own affection for Ray Rice has clouded his judgment, blinded by his own faith in the gregarious running back.
The hits keep coming and the criticisms of him and the front office have at times been quite vicious. One only needs to look at our message board and our Facebook page for proof.
Bisciotti isn’t running from the criticisms. He understands them and seeks to meet them head on.
And in a way that is uniquely his, he assesses the situation and with purposeful patience he refuses to get lost in the damage without ignoring it. Instead he seeks to learn from the mistakes and build upon them in a way that eventually places the organization, the league, our society and you and me in a better place than we were before the mistake.
Watch the video below courtesy of CBS Sports, and you’ll see exactly what I mean…
//
