Author: Don Yaeger

Congratulations to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos—you’ve just climbed the mountain. Now, the most difficult thing to do will be scaling that mountain twice. The sports and business greats all know that winning is difficult, but repeating a championship performance is such a challenge that few can tell you how it feels. Think about it, how many champions repeat? Whether it is a team hoisting a championship banner...

In 2011, Cam Newton would sulk on the bench whenever the Carolina Panther’s defense was on the field. Eventually, Newton was advised by veteran players that he could be more effective as a leader if he used his personality to uplift the team. Newton took the assessment to heart and made several major adjustments. Now—less than a week before his first Super Bowl—he’s not only the dynamic leader of the NFL’s hottest...

In a flurry of postseason NFL firings, several big-name coaches—Lovie Smith, Chip Kelly and Tom Coughlin—departed from their respective teams faster than a slant pass from Tom Brady. While loyal fans have decried the firings, it’s not unusual for NFL jobs to change hands before the dust can settle on the regular season. In the business world, executive turnover happens every day and teams must address a consistent...

Heading into tonight’s college football national championship game, the Clemson Tigers are undefeated and ranked number one. Still, if you listened to Clemson players and coaches in the last few days, you have heard how they are fueled by disrespect. You read that correctly. The number one team in the nation feels like the underdog. As ridiculous as it sounds, “No one believes in us,” has been a common comment from...

First, a Monmouth Hawk basketball player slam-dunks a basket on the court and the crowd’s attention immediately turns to…the bench! There, two backup players lift another player—who forms a basketball hoop with his arms—by the waist, allowing a fourth bench player to dunk an imaginary basketball through the makeshift hoop. The Monmouth bench collapses from the dunk, and the crowd goes wild. This circus of team support...

In a few days, you and the rest of the world will pen ambitious New Year’s resolutions…but only a fraction of people will ever accomplish them. We all know the numbers; according to the University of Scranton, 92% of people fail at these goals every year. Jesse Itzler, entrepreneur and author of the book Living With A SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet says that the fear of failure eliminates...

It begins like this: The Golden State Warriors—reigning NBA champs—take the court like phantoms, diving for loose balls and swishing pull-up jumpers; manic fans pulse the stadium with each scored point and, as the lead builds and defenses collapse, opposing coaches drain timeouts, their voices silenced by the frenzy of the crowd. And it’s only the first quarter. Golden State overwhelms opponents with passionate play,...

‘Tis the season to be…stressed. If you’re reading this blog, most likely you’re doing so on a smartphone while flying by the seat of your pants, trying to meet deadlines and end-of-year sales goals. Your email inbox is overflowing, and the pressure to plan (or attend) all those delightful holiday parties may be sending you to the edge. This is the uncomfortable truth: It’s normal to feel overwhelmed during this time...

The Great Teams in sports and business all know that cockiness precedes a fall, and that a modest approach to competition always breeds success. Southwest Airlines—the world’s largest low-cost airline and regularly ranked No. 1 in customer satisfaction by the U.S. Department of Transportation—thrives on humility. The airline stands out in a crowded field by remaining true to its values, which competitors have tried—and...