Scott Becker’s Post

I just watched the documentary "Bye Bye Barry", a story of NFL great Barry Sanders and his ultimate decision to leave the game. #20 was a childhood hero of mine and watching him play was pure magic. While watching his story, there are some takeaways for how to live life and parallels to my decision to leave the public sector and to move into the private sector. 1️⃣ The team's accomplishment is more important than individual success. This reminds me of what I have told my son while playing; "The name on the front of the jersey is more important than the name on the back." 2️⃣ Be humble and "act like you've been there before". Awards and accolades are not everything. Let your actions do the talking. 3️⃣ You can be the best of the best, but if the team around you cannot keep up, success is not guaranteed. A solid well-rounded team can be the difference in winning championships. 4️⃣ No matter how great your career's journey is, when it is your time to hang up your cleats, it is time to leave on your own accord. Leave while the decision is still yours. Regardless who is upset by your decision, you have to do what is best for you. #behumble #liveyourbestlife #teamwork

🌟 The Power of Unwavering Belief: Lessons from Russell Wilson 🏈 I've loved the Denver Broncos since I was 5 years old. I watched them win 3 Super Bowls in person. So the last few years have been hard…real hard. And Russell Wilson, the current starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos has been a huge disappointment… Until now… I give him credit… He’s starting to look more like the Russ of old when he played for Seattle… Chalk it up to his unwavering belief. His reflections on belief, pre and post-victory, resonate deeply. His assurance—"It's gonna be a great season. We still believe"—reflects unwavering faith driving success. Post-victory, he noted, "We just believed, and we believe. A tough game, but belief made the difference." This underscores resilience and unwavering belief's transformative power in tough situations. Beyond football, Russell's message is a lesson in perseverance. It highlights the profound impact of unwavering belief, regardless of hurdles faced. His words inspire, urging us to nurture beliefs fueling perseverance and paving the path to success, overcoming any obstacles encountered. Embrace belief and resilience in our journeys! 💪 #BeliefIsKey #ResilienceWins #NeverGiveUp #SuccessThroughBelief #InspirationFromSports

Pete Carroll (72 years young) was released as head coach of the Seahawks last week. Here's an excerpt from his last press conference on HOW TO BE A WINNER! 🔥🔥🔥 He was dropping 💣💣💣 I had to share! Interviewer: What would be your advice for anybody who comes in as the next head coach? Pete: "You want me to tell the guy how to win? It wouldn’t matter if it was football or not. To me, the essence of being as good as you can be is you have to figure out who you are.  You have to figure that out in relentless effort and get clear on what’s important to you; what uncompromising principles you stand by; what makes you who you are. If you don’t go through that process….you don’t do the self-discovery; then you don’t have an opportunity to be your best because you don’t know who you are yet. For anybody, you have to understand what kind of player you are; you have to understand what kind of coach you are; what kind of dad you are…all the way down the line to maximize your authenticity and be connected to the true essence of who you are. Without that, you’re gonna be sometimes and sometimes…that’s why you know people don’t (win). It’s hard to be consistently successful cuz people don’t even know HOW they got there a lot of times. It just happens kind of along the way, the circumstances come together and all…you know… So that’s to me, the essence of it. That’s how I understand it." Tell me what you think! Diesta

The video below is a short clip of Pete Carroll - Seattle Seahawks…have a watch and have a think… Motivation is complex… It’s not so much about ‘wanting it’…wanting to perform, wanting to win, wanting to claim the title or the championship (although ‘wanting it’ can absolutely drive effective behaviours for competition)… To paraphrase Pete Carroll (who’s forgotten far more about this stuff than I’ll ever know)… It’s more about about doing it…in order to see that it can be done…because when you see it can be done and you feel it can be done…then you have more chance of getting it done… But, for me…if I may be so bold to add an opinion here…the ‘doing it’ can be as small as you want and as big as you’d like… It can be a strong tackle that demonstrates you can win your duels in a game… It can be a dominant half to show you can win a game… It can be a won game to demonstrate you can win at this level… It can be a string of wins that show you’re capable of winning the championship… Nothing is too small nor too big to work as evidence that you can reach that mountain top… The key is to do it - behaviour - actions - whatever behaviours and actions they are. And then to notice the results of those behaviours and actions - to see the link between behaviours, actions and results. And then to accumulate the feelings derived from those results…and enjoy them… Motivation is complex…it’s not just about ‘wanting it’. It’s about doing it…in order to see it…and it to feel it…to get it done!

Bill Belichick left the New England Patriots today. Nick Saban, former coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, winner of 7 national championships, and Pete Carroll, former coach of the Seattle Seahawks and USC Trojans, also both retired within hours of the Belichick announcement. Whether they were all fired or left by mutual agreement, what’s clear is that the old guard (Belichick: 71 years old; Saban: 72 years old; Carroll: 72 years old) is making way for the new. Belichick and Saban embodied valuing the process over the results. “Do your job” and other slogans that became synonymous with their coaching styles were created as shorthand to illustrate one maxim: in these locker rooms, there is no player bigger than the team. With their exits, is it time to reevaluate the value of these ideals? Belichick used the annual draft like a master’s class in economics. He’d trade mid-level picks for multiple later-round picks, opting for volume over value. The resulting rosters were mostly devoid of standout talent but filled with athletes hungry to prove themselves. Belichick took those raw athletes, used them in unique ways, and created chaos throughout the league with his schemes. Everyone won when undrafted free agent Malcolm Butler used his innate smarts and athleticism to jump a route and snag the interception leading to the Patriots win in Super Bowl 49. Dig deeper though, and one finds that Belichick signed an undrafted free agent with physical prowess and something to prove. Belichick trusted his position coaches and advisors to prepare his players for every possible eventuality. Everyone, from head coach to undrafted free agents, literally “did their job” in a virtuous cycle that led to 7 Super Bowl wins over 24 years. But when you look at Belichick’s lieutenants’ track record of recreating that “do your job” environment on other teams though, it’s clear that Belichick excelled where others failed. Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator for 6 seasons for the Patriots, went on to post a 13-29 record in 3 seasons as head coach of the Lions. Josh McDaniels, Tom Brady’s offensive coordinator for 14 seasons, went on to post a 9-16 record over 2 seasons with the Raiders. So, what does this say about where we are today? In the aftermath of their many Super Bowl victories, many of Patriot's coaches referred to the joy of being in the moment with their teammates. All extolled the virtues of working with “love” as one “family.” Will winning teams of the future become less “family” and more machines, working simply as the sum of individual talent? Will future coaches need to subvert their coaching tendencies to coddle fickle superstar talent as they fill their rosters? Most importantly, what does this say about the playbook Millennial coaches like Mike McDaniel (Dolphins) will use going forward? Will they be able to make do with spare parts like Belichick? Tough to say.  But I really enjoyed the ride. https://lnkd.in/gPFd65Z4

For Seattle football fans it was a week of significant finishes. First of course is the Monday night Husky football championship loss. And now there are many folks processing the ending of the Pete Carroll coaching era in Seattle. Beginnings and endings matter. If we think about it, we are always in a state of starting and finishing something. So the invitation is to show up in our present transition rather rush into the next thing. When I heard the news and listened to his farewell speech it was obvious, Pete Carroll knows how to show up in transition and finish well. Pete Carroll is widely viewed as a master coach. He created a unique culture that shaped young men by drawing out the special in each one. Whether a fan of football or not, Pete’s farewell speech is a valuable ten-minute watch. This seasoned man in late-life years alluded to the “sauce” of his players and the organization. Pete’s secret sauce was revealed when he said, “This league is about the players.” He goes on to call out his team leaders Bobby Wagner, Tyler Lockett and Geno Smith by name. What did he name specifically about how they contributed? These young team leaders kept him connected to former players, the many “souls” that had come through the program. As I listened to the others he named and their contribution the underlying Pete Carroll secret sauce became clear: Connection. If I was to sit down with Pete Carroll I would love to ask him more about that core value. I would like to ask him how he has seen personal connection give birth to hope, energy, commitment, hard work, accountability and loyalty. All values he has talked about with players and the press. I would like to know more about who saw him and how they drew out the special in the younger Pete. I don’t know if that opportunity will ever come but I am grateful for his example to Seattle-area coaches and fans alike. Two questions for further conversation:  1) What do you observe about Pete Carroll showing up in transition? 2) In what beginning-ending have you been invited to show up more fully? https://lnkd.in/eE-qVBC5

Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra, a New York Yankees legend, was celebrated for his remarkable 19-year baseball career, including 18 All-Star appearances and 13 World Series titles, and his iconic number 8 was retired by the Yankees. Beyond his on-field achievements, Yogi was known for his unique and humorous sayings, famously called "Yogiisms," which added a charming and memorable dimension to his public persona. Yogiism: A humorous statement of the truth. Here are 10 Yogisms you can take to work with you. 1. On your career “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” 2. On business finance “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.” 3. On strategic planning “The future ain’t what it used to be.” 4. On performance “We made too many wrong mistakes.” 5. On your boss' inquiries "I wish I had an answer to that because I'm tired of answering that question." 6. On customers “If the people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them.” 7. On competition “We were overwhelming underdogs.” 8. On performance goals “I always thought that record would stand until it was broken.” 9. On the sales quarter, month, etc.: "It ain't over till it's over 10 On the demands of a new fiscal year "It's deja vu all over again." Make it a great day! Patrick #inspiration #motivation #success

For me, the author of this Facebook post (Karl Mecklenburg) is a local and national NFL legend, who played for my beloved Denver Broncos. I find this particularly relevant in the space I work in... [Karl Mecklenburg] I played football with men from all different backgrounds, races, religions, moralities, and outlooks on life. Our culture was a culture of mutual respect. If you could be relied on to help the Broncos win football games, you were respected. There were no other requirements, and because of this solid team culture, we only had two losing seasons in my 12 years with the team. I recently shared a story about a conservative politician and a liberal musician working together to benefit people. Examples of progress engineered and negotiated by people with different viewpoints are inspiring to me, as well as for many of you. Of course, there were a few comments attacking one side or the other, but that’s what’s inspiring about collaboration. To set aside your differences and focus on the task at hand is a difficult and worthwhile accomplishment. Moving forward with a specific project does not require the full endorsement of the worldview or past actions of someone who can help you make the project a reality. Great teams aren’t made up of clones and yes men. Great teams have people with differing viewpoints who learn from each other and share a common goal. bit.ly/3K1hoSz #Leadership #Teamwork #Success #Respect #Culture #Growth

I have never been a Tom Brady fan, or a Patriots fan, but his HOF speech was 🔥 🔥 🔥. I admit, I took 20 minutes and watched the whole thing. While it feels like blasphemy(dedicated Ravens fan here), I appreciate his greatness, dedication and accomplishment. It resonated with how a good leader should behave. He was grateful, humble, and gave recognition to so many that helped him succeed. For me the best part starts at 16:40. Here are some of my favorite excerpts: "It wasn't me, it wasn't you, it was us". "They may not have liked us, but they certainly ended up respecting us". "What can I do to help the team win"? "Success and achievement come from overcoming adversity, and that team accomplishments far exceed anyone's individual goals". "To be successful at anything, the truth is you don't have to be special, you just have to be what most people aren't; consistent, determined, and willing to work for it. No shortcuts"! Watch it if you have a few minutes to kill. I relate it to any business or industry. It's hard. Like is hard. That's a fundamental principle and it's not going to change. Make yourself tougher so you can handle the hard. https://lnkd.in/ghHg-H5a

Just read this great piece on #WillieMays by James Hirsch already