Chasing Greatness Blog

NFL Draft Lessons: Finding the Right Fit is Important

Don Yaeger April 28, 2016

Football fans across the nation are getting ready for the NFL draft that starts tonight, waiting as their favorite teams bring in fresh talent. While most of the attention will…

NCAA Championship Day: John Wooden’s Greatest Legacy Wasn’t On The Basketball Court

Don Yaeger April 4, 2016

Basketball fans across the nation will watch the men’s NCAA championship game on Monday but, even while I take in the conclusion of “March Madness,” my mind will be on…

The Great Ones Use Their Rolodex

Don Yaeger March 28, 2016

What makes a great team? Over the past few years, I’ve traveled the country in pursuit of the answers to this question. In that journey, I’ve asked the best sports…

Lessons From A March Madness Cinderella Moment

Don Yaeger March 23, 2016

What an amazing first weekend of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. If anyone in America picked Middle Tennessee over Michigan State, Arkansas-Little Rock over Purdue and Yale over Baylor, I…

See Your Past Challenges Optimistically: The Key To Growing Forward

Don Yaeger March 15, 2016

Adversity shapes all of us. How it does so is completely connected to how positively we look back on the adverse moments of our past. I was reminded of that…

The Great Ones Leave In Spring: An Open Letter To Peyton Manning

Don Yaeger March 7, 2016

Dear Peyton Manning, Thank you. You’re truly one of a kind, and I hate to see you go. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for you, from a…

Why Your All-Star Employee Could Make a Lousy Manager

Don Yaeger February 23, 2016

Recent shakeups within the NBA saw the dismissal of several high profile coaches. One change, though, really stood out to me. Derek Fischer—league-beloved point guard known for his championship-level play…

In Order To Finish First, First You Must Finish: Jimmie Johnson’s Advice On Greatness

Don Yaeger February 17, 2016

This Sunday, the Daytona 500 will serve as the opening for another NASCAR season. And much as he has for most of the last 15 years, Jimmie Johnson will be…

Just Give Me A Chance: Great Leaders Say Yes

Don Yaeger February 11, 2016

Next week marks the 10th anniversary of one of the most exciting (and inspiring) moments in sports. That’s a big statement, I know, but I hope you’ll join me on…

Great Winners Don’t Sleep In Their Trophy Room

Don Yaeger February 9, 2016

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…

3 Keys To Unlocking Your Leadership Potential

Don Yaeger February 1, 2016

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…

4 Keys To Winning It All From A Three-Time NFL Champion

Don Yaeger January 19, 2016

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…

Great Winners Are Desperate For A Chip On Their Shoulder

Don Yaeger January 11, 2016

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…

3 Team-First Lessons From America’s Most Entertaining Sports Bench

Don Yaeger January 4, 2016

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…

5 Lessons From A Navy SEAL To Make Your Resolutions Stick

Don Yaeger December 28, 2015

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…

Celebrate This Season By Appreciating Others – That’s What The Great Ones Do

Don Yaeger December 21, 2015

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…

3 Tips To Close Out The Year Strong From The Best Coach In College Football

Don Yaeger December 14, 2015

‘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…

Lessons In Humility From America’s Favorite Airline

Don Yaeger December 7, 2015

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…

How Being Thankful Will Make You More Profitable

Don Yaeger November 24, 2015

I’ve never understood why there is just one day called Thanksgiving. What if we were committed to being THANKFUL every day? Imagine what our lives–and our workplaces–would look like. My…

3 Lessons From One Of America’s Great Culture Builders

Don Yaeger November 16, 2015

I’ve spent the past four years studying the greatest sports organizations in America—from the San Antonio Spurs to the Kansas City Royals—in a search for the shared characteristics of great…

Leadership For The Long Haul: A Lesson From Thomas Jefferson

Don Yaeger November 3, 2015

As much as I enjoy studying sports and business leadership, I love the opportunity to delve deeply into what some of history’s greatest leaders can teach. They don’t come much…

To Build The Organization Your Team Deserves, Diversify

Don Yaeger October 28, 2015

As the Kansas City Royals face off against the New York Mets in the World Series—with both teams featuring an international roster of talent—I am reminded of how diversity can…

Want To Keep Winning? Keep Your Commitments – Here’s How

Don Yaeger October 21, 2015

Bob Ladouceur, former head coach of the most successful high school football dynasty in American history—once dubbed by ESPN as “the greatest prep football coach of all time” and subject…

Discovering The Humanity Behind Your Heroes

Don Yaeger October 17, 2015

There’s an old saying in sports writing that you should never meet your hero because they’ll always let you down. And in our current world of sports scandals and tarnished…

Chasing Greatness Blog

Weekly leadership lessons learned from the world of sports.

NFL Draft Lessons: Finding the Right Fit is Important

NCAA Championship Day: John Wooden’s Greatest Legacy Wasn’t On The Basketball Court

The Great Ones Use Their Rolodex

Lessons From A March Madness Cinderella Moment

See Your Past Challenges Optimistically: The Key To Growing Forward

The Great Ones Leave In Spring: An Open Letter To Peyton Manning

Why Your All-Star Employee Could Make a Lousy Manager

In Order To Finish First, First You Must Finish: Jimmie Johnson’s Advice On Greatness

Just Give Me A Chance: Great Leaders Say Yes

Great Winners Don’t Sleep In Their Trophy Room

3 Keys To Unlocking Your Leadership Potential

4 Keys To Winning It All From A Three-Time NFL Champion

Great Winners Are Desperate For A Chip On Their Shoulder

3 Team-First Lessons From America’s Most Entertaining Sports Bench

5 Lessons From A Navy SEAL To Make Your Resolutions Stick

Celebrate This Season By Appreciating Others – That’s What The Great Ones Do

3 Tips To Close Out The Year Strong From The Best Coach In College Football

Lessons In Humility From America’s Favorite Airline

How Being Thankful Will Make You More Profitable

3 Lessons From One Of America’s Great Culture Builders

Leadership For The Long Haul: A Lesson From Thomas Jefferson

To Build The Organization Your Team Deserves, Diversify

Want To Keep Winning? Keep Your Commitments – Here’s How

Discovering The Humanity Behind Your Heroes

Contact Don Yaeger