Author: Don Yaeger

Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard this saying: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It’s become quite popular in recent years, and regardless of whether or not Peter Drucker actually said it, the Boston Red Sox are giving ample reason for any leader to stop and re-examine the sentiment behind the statement.

This past Saturday, while the Purdue Boilermakers were stunning the Ohio State Buckeyes with a 49-20 win, one of the most famous Boilermakers was probably finishing up his own game against the Baltimore Ravens. Somewhere on the Chesapeake Bay, Drew Brees was leading his New Orleans Saints to a victory. Now, before you think I’ve lost my mind, I’m aware that the Saints and Ravens didn’t meet on a football field on Saturday....

I love writing for Forbes. It’s an incredible platform, and they are incredible partners—with them, I have a well-defined lane: the intersection of leadership, sports and business. And most of the time, I stay in my lane because that’s what I’m supposed to do. This isn’t one of those times. Last week, Hurricane Michael ripped into the state I call home. Florida’s Gulf Coast and Panhandle regions were obliterated by...

When you’re a kicker in the NFL, the job description is pretty straightforward: put the ball between the uprights on field goals and extra points and limit your opponent’s field position on kickoffs. The simplistic job description for kickers makes them an easy target for sarcasm and derision; after all, while everyone else is sweating through the first half, the kicker is sipping Gatorade on the sidelines, just waiting...

In the aftermath of a broken leg, a middle finger, and one hellacious Tweetstorm, one of the most pressing questions in the NFL this week has to be: What is the value of a superstar? That’s the question the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers have been asking themselves since this summer when Seahawks safety Earl Thomas and Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell announced they wouldn’t report to the teams without...

“I couldn’t have done this without the help of everyone around me.” Those were the words of Tiger Woods on Sunday evening as he stood, victorious, at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club. At the home of Bobby Jones, Tiger once again found a way to make golf magic happen, shooting a final round 71 to win the 2018 Tour Championship in a thrilling wire-to-wire fashion. And as he stood there in the setting sun, surrounded by...

The other day I was listening to sports radio and the hosts were arguing about what to do with New York Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold.  Do you throw him in the fire, giving him the starting job from game one of his rookie year?  Do you give the job to an experienced older player and let Darnold sit back and learn?  Each one of them made valid points and could claim history on their side.  They didn’t know it,...

Maybe the best parts of life as a journalist are those moments when you get to go eye-to-eye with one of your heroes and your “job” is to engage them in conversation.  And if you get to do that “job” at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio the “work” gets even sweeter. A couple of weeks ago, leadership legend John Maxwell invited me to join him on stage in Canton to interview football legend, Roger Staubach. ...