"I guess I'm flattered that people think I can help get things done"
About this Quote
The subtext is accountability management. When people say you can “help get things done,” they’re also volunteering you for a job you didn’t apply for: fixer, mediator, moral authority, political validator. Dungy’s phrasing keeps agency with the collective rather than the individual. “People think” signals distance from the narrative; “I can help” is deliberately modest, framing impact as support work, not command. Even “get things done” is vague in a way that’s strategic: it acknowledges urgency without committing to any specific agenda that could be weaponized later.
Context matters because Dungy isn’t just any coach. As a Super Bowl-winning leader with a reputation for calm, faith-tinged discipline, he’s often treated as a credible voice beyond football. That credibility is precisely what he’s interrogating here. The line reads like a soft refusal to become a symbol on demand, paired with an awareness that influence is real but finite. It’s humility, yes, but also boundary-setting: an insistence that progress is a team sport, even off the field.
Quote Details
| Topic | Leadership |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Dungy, Tony. (2026, January 15). I guess I'm flattered that people think I can help get things done. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-guess-im-flattered-that-people-think-i-can-help-163478/
Chicago Style
Dungy, Tony. "I guess I'm flattered that people think I can help get things done." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-guess-im-flattered-that-people-think-i-can-help-163478/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I guess I'm flattered that people think I can help get things done." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-guess-im-flattered-that-people-think-i-can-help-163478/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.

