You don’t need to follow sports to know who Tim Tebow is.

For the unfamiliar, Tebow is the quarterback for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League. They made him the quarterback after they started the season poorly, and he won six games in a row to help them make the playoffs. They lost in the second round, but it was unexpected for them to make it as far as they did.

Along the way, Tebow was a polarizing person. Some people loved him, and some kept saying that he isn’t good enough to be an NFL quarterback. The Broncos changed the way they play offense to suit his strengths and hide his weaknesses, and that made him stand out even more.

He became associated with “Tebowing,” a gesture made famous by his kneeling and giving thanks to God (he is very religious). He had tons of articles written about him and was the subject of sketches on “Saturday Night Live.” All the while, it seemed as though people kept looking for things to criticize about him.

That will happen when someone is outwardly expressive about his faith. Adding to Tebow’s persona is the fact that he is a self-proclaimed virgin and is outspoken about being a nice guy. And you know what they say about where nice guys finish.

I recently read an article on Inc.com with the headline “Why you should hire Tim Tebo.” It went on to explain that he’s a winner, a proven leader, a team player, etc. So I started thinking about what employers look for when they make hiring decisions and took it a step further.

Would you be a business partner with Tim Tebow? Would you be his friend? Would you consider working for him, instead of being the one who hires him?

I firmly believe that the people you surround yourself with have a major impact on you. Surround yourself with positive, interesting, challenging people, and you are more likely to be more positive, interesting and productive yourself. I think this is the case whether it’s friends, co-workers, business partners, or other people.

And from what I’ve read and heard about Tebow, he would be a good person to associate with. He’s loyal, he has respect for others, and he’s committed to being the best he can be. I like the fact that he seems to know that he’s considered to have flaws, and he doesn’t shy away from the criticism. I read that the University of Florida, where he played in college, has a plaque hanging at its stadium with something called “The Promise,” which Tebow made following a loss.

The plaque reads:

The Promise

To the fans and everybody in
Gator Nation, I’m sorry.
I’m extremely sorry. We were
Hoping for an undefeated season,
That was my goal, something
Florida has never done here.

I promise you one thing, a lot
Of good will come out of this.
You will never see any player in
The entire country play as hard
As I will play the rest of the
Season.

You will never see
Someone push the rest of the
Team as hard as I will push
Everybody the rest of the season.
You will never see a team
Player harder than we will
The rest of the season.

God Bless.

Say what you will about his religious devotion or his ability to throw a football, but you can’t deny his commitment both to his own contributions and to making those around him better. You can’t question how he holds himself accountable as a leader for his team’s failure. And you can’t help but feel like he’s a guy who will learn from, and be motivated by, his mistakes.

Later in the year he made that promise, Tebow’s team won the national championship.

So he gets made fun of. He’s called a bad quarterback. Even his bosses on the Broncos won’t commit to Tebow as the long-term quarterback of the team.

But he’s a winner. He’s steadfast in his beliefs. He is a hard-worker, a positive person and motivated to bring success to those around him.

That’s not a bad guy to be around.