Chasing Greatness Blog

SiriusXM CMO Denise Karkos Always Has 10 More Minutes Left In Her

Don Yaeger February 22, 2023

If playing soccer at Notre Dame taught Denise Karkos anything, it was that she always, always could find 10 more minutes to push herself further. After two hours of practice—and…

Rihanna Rocked Super Bowl LVII, But We Missed The Real Halftime Show

Don Yaeger February 15, 2023

The world was focused on pop star Rihanna, and without question she offered one of the more extraordinary performances ever, one that was watched by millions around the world. But…

LeBron James Makes A Real Point When He Says Records Matter Less In A Losing Effort

Don Yaeger February 7, 2023

On Saturday, LeBron James moved within 36 points of breaking the NBA career scoring record in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 131-126 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. He has every…

Patrick Mahomes To Cincinnati Mayor Pureval, “Thanks For Giving Me My Jabroni!”

Don Yaeger February 1, 2023

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs did far, far more than win a conference championship and the right to go to the Super Bowl in two weeks. No, by beating…

Destiny Favored The Buffalo Bills, But Belief Delivered The Cincinnati Bengals

Don Yaeger January 24, 2023

Sunday’s game pitting the Buffalo Bills against the Cincinnati Bengals was supposed to be the game that banished all of the Bills’ ghosts past, present and future. It was going…

Jacksonville Jaguars Show That No Lead Is Safe, No Defeat Assured Until The Final Whistle

Don Yaeger January 18, 2023

In a Tale of Two Cities, the great English novelist Charles Dickens wrote that “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” and his description of…

Lack Of Entitlement Keys Georgia’s National Championship

Don Yaeger January 10, 2023

Okay, so maybe this year’s College Football National Championship game wasn’t one for the ages. It certainly wasn’t if you felt no particular rooting interest for either the University of…

Never Bet Against David: TCU Faces Georgia In National Championship Game

Don Yaeger January 3, 2023

We don’t normally like to make predictions in this space, but here’s a prediction ahead of next Monday evening’s NCAA National Championship Football game between the defending National Champion Bulldogs…

Avnet’s Superstar CEO Phil Gallagher Believes EQ Trumps IQ Every Day

Don Yaeger December 28, 2022

Phil Gallagher came to believe at a relatively early age that emotional intelligence is a better guide for leadership than IQ and he has made it the hallmark of his…

Whether Or Not He’s The Next Tom Brady, Brock Purdy Is Taking His Chance

Don Yaeger December 13, 2022

San Francisco 49ers third-string quarterback Brock Purdy is living proof that irrelevancy lies in the eyes of the beholder. After both the 49ers’ starting and backup quarterbacks went down with…

Japan Leaves A Legacy Of Leadership On And Off The Pitch

Don Yaeger December 7, 2022

When team USA was beaten 3-1 by the Netherlands in Saturday morning’s knockout round, my favorite team was out of the World Cup. Immediately, I adopted a new favorite team—a…

Great Rivalries Cast The Usual Calculus Of Competition To The Wind

Don Yaeger November 30, 2022

I live in Tallahassee and, admittedly, am a fan of the local university team, Florida State. But covering sports professionally for 30 years has made me cautious when it comes…

Early Duke And Villanova Hoops Progress Show Why We Call It Succession

Don Yaeger November 16, 2022

When Jon Scheyer and Kyle Neptune took over, respectively, the head coaching jobs of men’s basketball programs at Duke and Villanova, they replaced two long-time coaches who had together amassed…

Seahawks Quarterback Geno Smith: When They Write You Off, Don’t Write Back

Don Yaeger November 9, 2022

Leave it to an English major/quarterback to provide this week’s business lesson from the world of sports. The player of note is Geno Smith, who attended West Virginia University and…

Make-A-Wish CEO Richard Davis Says: Set A Direction, Not A Goal

Don Yaeger November 2, 2022

Too often in our careers, many of us get caught up in the title we want to have on our business cards next year, and the year after that. Not…

Former U.S. Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice Encourages You To Build Bridges As A Leader

Don Yaeger February 9, 2022

You may know Dr. Condoleezza Rice because of her role as Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, and Director of Stanford’s Hoover Institution, but did you know she was the…

Ben Roethlisberger Can’t Beat Time But Goes Out A Champion

Don Yaeger January 18, 2022

There were just seconds to go in the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs playoff game Sunday night when the Steelers called their last timeout, hoping to score a touchdown…

No Regrets: Georgia’s Stetson Bennett Shows There Is No Single Path To Greatness

Don Yaeger January 13, 2022

As a native Georgian and Bulldog born and bred, Stetson Bennett turned down playing football at smaller colleges to try his luck at the University of Georgia. “And then I…

Former CEO Of SeaWorld Joel Manby Says Focus On What You Do Well

Don Yaeger January 5, 2022

Joel Manby has always been brutally honest about life and business. Maybe he learned his lesson guarding another tall Michigan native named Earvin “Magic” Johnson in high school and realizing,…

Navy Midshipman Shows How Players Make Plays When It Counts

Don Yaeger December 15, 2021

The United States military has an acronym for certain kinds of mistakes that is called FUBAR, which stands for (F—ed Up Beyond All Recognition). Surely, training in how to deal…

Detroit Lions Change Their Game Plan In Response To The Oxford Shootings

Don Yaeger December 8, 2021

On the Saturday before their game against the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions did not follow the schedule of a typical NFL week. Typically, that day-before-gameday is packed with last-minute…

In The Game Of Professional Integrity, Lincoln Riley And Brian Kelly Opted To Punt

Don Yaeger December 1, 2021

I’ll bet you that right now in some locker room in South Bend, Indiana, or Norman, Oklahoma, a college football player is sitting on a bench with his elbows on…

Wichita State Hoopster Dexter Dennis Showed That Gratitude Can Be A Powerful Team Builder

Don Yaeger November 24, 2021

This week, a young man wrote a “letter” of thanks that has gone viral. The young man is a Wichita State University basketball player named Dexter Dennis and the “thank-you…

How Duke’s Legendary “Coach K” Is Putting the Success into Succession Planning

Don Yaeger November 17, 2021

The 2021 – 2022 NCAA basketball season marks the final season for Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University’s legendary coach, after 46 seasons on the Blue Devil’s bench. During this period, Coach…

Chasing Greatness Blog

Weekly leadership lessons learned from the world of sports.

SiriusXM CMO Denise Karkos Always Has 10 More Minutes Left In Her

Rihanna Rocked Super Bowl LVII, But We Missed The Real Halftime Show

LeBron James Makes A Real Point When He Says Records Matter Less In A Losing Effort

Patrick Mahomes To Cincinnati Mayor Pureval, “Thanks For Giving Me My Jabroni!”

Destiny Favored The Buffalo Bills, But Belief Delivered The Cincinnati Bengals

Jacksonville Jaguars Show That No Lead Is Safe, No Defeat Assured Until The Final Whistle

Lack Of Entitlement Keys Georgia’s National Championship

Never Bet Against David: TCU Faces Georgia In National Championship Game

Avnet’s Superstar CEO Phil Gallagher Believes EQ Trumps IQ Every Day

Whether Or Not He’s The Next Tom Brady, Brock Purdy Is Taking His Chance

Japan Leaves A Legacy Of Leadership On And Off The Pitch

Great Rivalries Cast The Usual Calculus Of Competition To The Wind

Early Duke And Villanova Hoops Progress Show Why We Call It Succession

Seahawks Quarterback Geno Smith: When They Write You Off, Don’t Write Back

Make-A-Wish CEO Richard Davis Says: Set A Direction, Not A Goal

Former U.S. Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice Encourages You To Build Bridges As A Leader

Ben Roethlisberger Can’t Beat Time But Goes Out A Champion

No Regrets: Georgia’s Stetson Bennett Shows There Is No Single Path To Greatness

Former CEO Of SeaWorld Joel Manby Says Focus On What You Do Well

Navy Midshipman Shows How Players Make Plays When It Counts

Detroit Lions Change Their Game Plan In Response To The Oxford Shootings

In The Game Of Professional Integrity, Lincoln Riley And Brian Kelly Opted To Punt

Wichita State Hoopster Dexter Dennis Showed That Gratitude Can Be A Powerful Team Builder

How Duke’s Legendary “Coach K” Is Putting the Success into Succession Planning

Contact Don Yaeger