Rafe Wilkinson knows a lot about football and coaching. He played linebacker for a Super Bowl Denver Broncos team and considered coaching until his entrepreneurial drive kicked into gear and led him to buy ODS Security Solutions. Over 15 years, he led the company through explosive growth, increasing his workforce from a team of 30 to more than 1,000.
In 2016, he became a co-founding partner of CEO Coaching International with twelve-time triathlete Mark Moses. Whether he is coaching a client or a member of his team, Rafe believes in using difficult conversations to forge the best possible solutions, with the proviso that once a decision is made, agreement may be optional—commitment to it is not.
“When the huddle breaks, you may not be the one carrying the ball to glory and a touchdown,” Rafe noted, “but you have to execute your part to the fullest of your ability. The same is true in business.”
In this episode, Rafe shows how he applies lessons he learned during his playing days in his role as a corporate “eye in the sky” to entrepreneurs and C-level executives who want to achieve a culture of growth.
You will learn:
- 3:00 What it was like to go to Super Bowl his rookie year.
- 13:00 How to overcome the “I don’t belong here” feeling.
- 14:00 How to focus on what you can control.
- 21:00 Importance of preparation and reflection.
- 24:00 How to ask better questions while networking.
- 33:00 How to take a group of individuals and make them a team.
- 35:00 How to give real time actionable feedback.
Resources:
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Greg Brenneman
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Beth Brooke
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Rick Hendrick
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