Mr. Clutch

I had the privilege of talking to Drew one night about his career and memories from the NFL. It was awesome as he was an incredibly kind and engaged man, and even shared stories about his days playing against my favorite team, the New England Patriots. As we talked, two very important lessons came out of that conversation.

First was the money. Back in the 70s, NFL players played because they loved the game, not because they got rich from doing it. He specifically told me that they made a living through the connections they made that could help them after their careers were over, not a huge NFL contract. The guys who survived financially over time were the ones who were excellent at guarding their personal brands and building connections with others that they could lean on to help build careers after their time in the limelight was over. It was about the power of connections, building bridges, and maintaining a professional personal brand. 

The second lesson was equally important. He said there really was no difference in his playing ability between the Spring he left Tulsa and the Fall he started catching balls for the Cowboys. He said the only real difference was the players around him. His team simply made him better. The players around him made all the difference between an undrafted free agent and ultimately earning the nickname Mr. Clutch at the NFL level.

Are you spending time building great connections?

Are you drawing people in or burning bridges? What about your team? Are you surrounded by people who make you better? Are you worried about surrounding yourself with people better than you, or do you have the humility to accept the fact that others can make you better and reach new heights? 

And for those Vikings fans out there, Drew wanted me to tell you that he didn’t push off!