When you’re let go at 39
Ronnie Lott is one of the most accomplished defensive backs in NFL history. He’s also one of the most successful athletes at making the transition to business. He co-founded HRJ Capital and owns a Toyota dealership. He advises athletes approaching their 40's who have done little but play sports since they were children. Those athletes face an abyss not unlike the one faced by others who choose, or are forced into, new midlife careers. He offers advice on making life’s transitions.
✓ Retiring athletes ask: “What can I do? What should I do?” The hard part is stepping into the unknown of a new game.
✓ It's the same with everyone making a transition. Challenges can be overwhelming and can cripple. Move forward. Know that you have to invest a lot of energy and time to achieve.
✓ Don’t let insecurity keep you sidelined. Maybe you’ll get belittled for being dumb. Get over those fears. That's very difficult to execute, but do it anyway.
“You have to know you’re going to fumble.”
✓ Swallow your pride. Bring the right energy, the right ch'i, the right moxie to attain greatness.
✓ Become a rookie again. Learn the nuances, a new playbook. People fail when they take shortcuts.
✓ You’re as good as your new skills and the perfection of those skills.
“When you’re a rookie, you’re a number. You don’t even have a name.”
✓ Listen to smart people in the new arena. Be around people you admire.
✓ Know there is more to you. You might not get the feedback. Self-examine and self-reflect as much as possible.
“It’s like players who invest time looking at film. Reflect on things you want to achieve each day.”
✓ Maybe you’re not a first-rounder in your new endeavor. Remember that fifth- and sixth-rounders end up making a huge difference.
✓ There are those who might not have the best resume but have the right attributes to make others better who are around them.
✓ Tap into the competitive spirit. It takes spirit to dive into a new manual on how to sell software.
✓ Save when you’re making money. Preserve capital. Think like the Rockefellers and leave a legacy.
✓ Use your brand as equity to leverage your ability to bring eyeballs or relationships. A lot of life is about opening doors.
✓ Harris Barton was not famous and he knew football was not going to last forever. He took stationery from his team and wrote letters to local executives and invited them to lunch. He has the Rolodex of a Steve Young or a Joe Montana. He wanted to have success after he was through playing and assimilate himself into society.
Did you know?
• Lott played 14 NFL seasons (1981-94), 10 with the San Francisco 49ers, who won eight division titles and four Super Bowls. Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• Had the tip of his injured finger amputated in 1985 to avoid missing games.
Ronnie Lott and Steve Young are two NFL Hall-of-Famers included in Advice from the Top: 1001 Bits of Business Wisdom edited by Del Jones. The book focuses on the leadership advice of major CEO's such as Fred Smith of FedEx, but also gets advice from athletes, coaches, entertainers and artists.
Jones also wrote the historical novel The Cremation of Sam McGee loosely based on the poetry of Robert W. Service. The novel is set in the 1898 heyday of yellow journalism and travels from Plumtree to New York to Cuba to San Francisco to Seattle and the Yukon. The narrator is a fabricating newspaper reporter working for William Randolph Hearst during the Spanish-American War and Yukon Gold Rush.
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