I remember the day I met then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Tony Dungy like it was yesterday. We met in his office and talked about how he’d noticed that his players needed help being great dads. I, too, was passionate about family, having recently started leading Family First. Tony and I eventually set up a day when dads and kids could come spend intentional time together at the Bucs’ facility. It was a day at the Bucs’ training camp. We thought maybe a couple hundred dads and kids would come. Over 3,000 people showed up, far exceeding our expectations. We knew we were onto something. There was a hunger to build strong families.
If you’ve followed football, you know that Tony went on to become a Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer. All Pro Dad has grown into one of the largest fatherhood programs in the world and has hosted more than 130 of these family stadium events, which are now called All Pro Dad Experiences. I’m grateful for it all. I know Tony is too. Success is never guaranteed, but it’s always worth aiming for. You’ve probably pursued dreams and goals too. It usually takes hard work and persistence to see results. When it happens, it’s wonderful, but sometimes success comes with hidden costs. In all my years in leadership, I’ve learned there is 1 thing that should always trump results—relationships!
Relationships
The importance of good relationships should never be underestimated, and here’s why.
1. Relationships are about teamwork.
Tony was a master at putting players in the best position to succeed together. Football requires 11 men working in harmony on each play to be successful. If there’s a breakdown by one person, it affects everyone. Teamwork builds relationships. Working together gives you a chance to rely on each other, build trust, and work toward communal goals. That way, when success comes, you can share it.
2. Relationships make you happy.
When you make the effort to get to know the people you work beside, going to the office and fulfilling your job duties becomes more enjoyable. Likewise, strong relationships outside the office enhance your personal life. Cultivate friendships with those who share common interests and values. Happiness, along with positive results at work, will follow when you make relationships a priority.
3. Relationships help you live longer.
Being independent sounds macho, but interdependence should be our goal. Living in community with others brings more life satisfaction. Studies, including one from the Mayo Clinic, show that adults with strong social ties have a lower risk of depression, high blood pressure, and an unhealthy weight—and they may even live longer. It’s not good to be alone. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General warned us about the danger of loneliness, yet many people slip into it, thinking they’re tough enough to handle life solo. Don’t be that person. Building healthy, trustworthy relationships is the cure to loneliness.
4. Relationships with wise people sharpen you.
We all need friends to call on for help, advice, or just to chat. I hope you have good and wise friends like this, too. It’s important to spend time with people who make you better, challenge you, hold you accountable, and push you to be a great husband, father, and friend. Surround yourself with people who care enough about you to tell you the truth. That’s a relationship that will sharpen you.
5. Relationships help you see what really matters.
I recorded a podcast with Tony, and on it, we discussed work-life balance. Tony has always handled this tension very well, referring to one of his favorite Bible verses as inspiration: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” There’s a lot of wisdom there, and in the same vein, we should ask: What does it profit a man to succeed in business and lose solid relationships? Not much—yet so many people choose one at the expense of the other. Friends have a way of holding us accountable, which is a positive thing. They see blind spots, inconsistencies, and also help you keep your priorities aligned.
Do you think the importance of relationships is valued in our culture? Why or why not? Share in a comment.
