Football and Business
Fighting the Defense: Superstorm Sandy
No blog last week—did you notice? I travelled last Sunday to—wait for it—the East Coast! I was determined to make it in ahead of Superstorm Sandy. A big audience was waiting in Virginia. The Annual Conference had been scheduled a year in advance, and I was scheduled for a breakout session and the Opening Keynote…
Read MoreIt's Only the 4th Quarter: Never Give Up!
This column could be a tribute to the Manning brother quarterbacks, Peyton and Eli. After all, I did dedicate my book to Peyton, and Eli keeps astounding people with his cool performances under pressure. But it’s more than that for me: they are both masters of the 4th-quarter comeback. You know: when their respective teams…
Read MoreMark Weisman: A True Standout Player
During the last three weeks, I watched my alma mater University of Iowa Hawkeye football team beat their opponents. It was heartwarming to see. I was struck by the spectacular tough running performance of the best player on the team, in my opinion: running back Mark Weisman. His story is interesting. He was not recruited…
Read MoreRunning Tough
Anyone who has run a marathon—as I have—knows just how tough it can be. And that it’s not about how you start, but how you finish. And it’s not even about HOW you finish, it’s just about finishing! It’s about the phrase, “Just do it”—whether it’s through scorching sun in the Desert, or driving rain…
Read MoreLet's All Root-Root-Root for the Home Team
I did not realize how badly I want an NFL team to call my own until I went to a Los Angeles Dodgers game in Dodgers Stadium Saturday night. Not that I’m a big Dodgers fan, having grown up in Chicago going to Cubs and White Sox games (yes, both, due to a “mixed marriage”). …
Read MoreWill You Beat the Odds?
If it is true, as I write in my book, “Opportunity and intention are what football is all about,” where does “beating the odds” come into play? Last week was week 2 of the NFL season, and I heard these “odds” many times: Teams that start the season 0-2 have a 12% chance of…
Read MoreEGO Loses the Game
Week 2 of the NFL season is over after tonight’s Monday night game. And what a week it’s been! A business lesson jumps out at me. It’s called DO YOUR JOB! It’s a recurring mantra among football coaches, as well as among corporate CEOs, presidents of volunteer boards, and soccer moms in charge of assigning…
Read MorePreseason 2012: What We Can Learn
Last year at this time, I wrote a blog called “My Love/Hate Relationship with NFL Preseason Football.” And it’s that happy time of year again and I still feel pretty much the same way. Yesterday, I watched my Chicago Bears lookin’ good! The first quarter anyway . . .Cutler to Devin Hester; Cutler to Matt…
Read MorePopovich: “I want some nasty!”
So I have turned from the Funny Football Female to the Bawdy Basketball Broad. Transformation complete—at least for the next 30 days during these NBA Championship Playoffs. The NFL season is still about 100 days away (sigh) and I long for some “necessary roughness.” Well, Sunday night, was—in the words of Larry David– pret—ty, pret—ty…
Read MoreNFL Draft: The Ultimate Reality Show
The greatest hiring event in sports begins tonight. Millions will tune in to watch hours and hours over the next 3 days of the NFL Draft. The 32 NFL teams will be choosing from among the most highly talented college athletes. Like your company, a team’s roster is pretty fluid, which is why the Draft…
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