A modern sports fable

Aesop has a modern counterpart in the sports world. Inspirational writer Jon Gordon has managed to become the writer of choice for sports organizations spanning the NFL, NBA, US NCAA, and even Fortune 500 corporations, entire American school districts and non-profit organizations. The best-selling author’s books have been converted into trainings, leadership programs and advancements in development plans not only for the teams, but several top-level corporate managements.

Gordon first came to public attention with his book “The Energy Bus,” a story of overcoming personal and professional adversity. This was followed by “The No Complaining Rule,” and introduction about how negativity destroys not just morale but productivity in the workplace. Gordon’s style is simple, a straight narrative about a character who is led to a series of discoveries based on research or others’ experience that turns his or her life around.

His 2009 work “Training Camp, A Fable About Excellence” is a prime example, albeit in a sports setting. Based upon his dealings with Mike Smith, former defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars who was named head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL, the story follows rookie Martin Jones. Jones, an undrafted nobody who, at 5’7” was always considered too small to play football, has a great pre-season game for a team whose roster he is trying to crack. Unfortunately in the process, he sprains his ankle and will have to be sidelined for the precious days when the coaches are about to decide their final line-ups.

The point of Gordon’s story is illustrated by two of the team’s mentors, Coach Ken and team trainer Gus. The basic premise is that excellent performance is determined by a set of principles that apply to a wide range of fields, from sports to corporate life and beyond. The list was apparently compiled by the fictitious Coach Ken a former linebacker, in interviews with millionaire businessmen, and professionals from various lines of work. In what he calls his “The Playbook”, he lists tools for achieving your best in your environment, whatever it may be. This writer found many of the tools striking, particularly for young people striving to find their way, in sports as in life.

The first principle explained was that the best know what they truly want. The easiest way to find out what you truly want to be in life (though it is definitely not fool-proof), is to look at your role models and persons who inspired you. Knowing what you truly want defines all your actions to get there. In a world full of distractions an peer pressure, having this north star, this compass, is priceless and will save you from much grief later in life.

The best also want it more. This was a question they repeatedly asked Jones, how much did he want it. Naturally, having overcome being disregarded and underestimated all his life, Jones said he was willing to do whatever it would take to make his NFL dream come true, not just for himself, but for his ailing mother and his fiancée. This led to the third principle, the best are always trying to get better. “You are either getting better or worse but never staying the same. If you are not getting better, then you are getting worse,” echoes Coach Ken. He meant that the best are willing to be uncomfortable with constantly changing.

The coaches also debunked the myth of an “overnight success”. Similar to this writer’s previous columns on how we trivialize the effort it takes to become the best, he says that we don’t see the thousands of hours needed to be world-class; we only see the highlight reel and the results. We don’t see them working hard when everybody else is asleep, or looking for the best possible mentors to stretch them beyond their limits. Coach Ken says only five percent of a person’s spent life is actually performing. The rest is preparation.

This brings up another principle which is dealt with later in the novel: the best overcome their fear. We are inundated with dozens of hours of reality programming each week. The participants’ biggest downfall is overcoming their fear. In some of the leadership classes I teach, speaking in public is their Achilles heel. Surveys around the world show that more people are afraid of standing up and talking in front of a group more than they are afraid of death. Champions aren’t afraid of taking the game in their own hands, or taking a shot that could win or lose.

The book also tackles several tools and principles, such as the theoretically opposite but practically compatible, such as seeing the big picture, and being able to zoom in on a particular skill. There are many more significant tools and principles in the book, which extend beyond the realm of sports, into any field where excellence is sought.