The Greatness Newsletter

What Baseball and John Smoltz Can Teach Us About Being a Great Teammate

Written on March 27, 2013.

When All Else Fails…Adjust They know how – and when – to adjust their game plan With the start of another Major League Baseball season on the horizon, I figured I’d toss this month’s dialogue of Greatness around Atlanta Braves legend John Smoltz. Throughout a 21-year career, his talent and drive as a pitcher created Hall of Fame worthy statistics, but he’s far from the typical...

“The Catch”: How The Ability To Adjust Can Help You Win Big

Written on January 8, 2013.

When All Else Fails…Adjust They know how – and when – to adjust their game plan So in next week’s Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers will be trying to get back to a mountaintop that they as a team seemed to own in the 1980s. Four times during that decade the 49ers won the world championship. That “dynasty” era began with a play 31 years ago this month that was so iconic that even...

Chuck Pagano: How To Visualize Victory And Win The Big One

Written on November 28, 2012.

“Visualize Victory…” They see victory before the game begins. This month’s newsletter actually begins with a powerful handshake from 2011–a genuine handshake and accompanying fistpump that took place on a football practice field in Maryland just four days before last season’s AFC Championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots.

Jim Kelly

Written on September 25, 2012.

“Records Are Made to be Broken…” They know their legacy isn’t what they did on the field. They are well-rounded. I’ve not always been a fan of the Buffalo Bills. I don’t dislike them, but I’ve just never “circled the wagons” like so many others. I felt bad for Jim Kelly when he lost four straight Super Bowls, but that he had a chance to play in four is a bigger...

Misty May-Treanor

Written on August 14, 2012.

“Do Unto Others” They know character is defined by how they treat those who cannot help themselves. You have two gold medals and you’re on the path to your third, having just defeated a competitor to qualify for the semi-finals in the Olympics. There is cheering, there are hugs, there are high-fives, and there are a lot of television cameras in your face. At this moment of celebration and excitement–the...

Jimmie Johnson

Written on February 1, 2012.

“What Off-Season?” They are always working towards the next game… The goal is what’s ahead, and there’s always something ahead. After a disappointing sixth-place finish in last year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the no. 48 Chevy, knew he needed to reexamine his team dynamic. For most, finishing in the top 10 of their profession would be a reason for celebration....

Dale Brown

Written on January 1, 2012.

“Records Are Made To Be Broken.” They know their legacy isn’t what they did on the field. They are well-rounded. But that’s not the kind of man Dale Brown is. “Retirement can be a rocking chair or it can be a launching pad,” Brown quipped in a recent documentary about his life, The Man in the Glass. “And I’m choosing a launching pad.” The film, which won several...