Chasing Greatness Blog

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…

The Cleveland Browns Just Practiced Addition Through Subtraction – Should You?

Don Yaeger November 10, 2021

It’s lonely at the top. At least directors, and even vice presidents, have peers they can talk to. Your CEO, on the other hand, is all alone. So, it’s small…

College Quarterback McKenzie Milton Couldn’t Pass Up The Chance To Help His Team

Don Yaeger October 27, 2021

You’re a backup quarterback and your team is winning handily. The head coach approaches because he wants you to take over the game, adding to your stats. Instead, you look…

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian Asks: When Dark Skies Are Upon You, Can You See A Path Forward?

Don Yaeger October 20, 2021

Growing up as the oldest of nine children whose parents ran a dental practice out of their home in Poughkeepsie, NY, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian sought refuge on…

Situational Intelligence: When Doing The Unexpected Helps Your Team Exceed Expectations

Don Yaeger October 13, 2021

On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers played the season’s highest-scoring game, ending 47 – 42 in favor of the Chargers. I won’t try to take you play-by-play…

Big Day In The NFL: Records Are Broken But Greatness Lasts Forever

Don Yaeger October 6, 2021

When the NFL Hall of Famer Roger Staubach was at the Naval Academy as a college student, he held every single record he could hold as a quarterback; he even won the Heisman.…

Paying The Proper Respect To The Justin Tucker On Your Team

Don Yaeger September 29, 2021

Maybe it was watching the hometown team getting trounced (again) that put us in an ungenerous mood. I’m referring to the Florida State University Seminoles who play at Doak Campbell…

Why We Must Play Until The Final Whistle

Don Yaeger September 22, 2021

There’s absolutely no doubt whatsoever in my mind that the most difficult part of any endeavor is getting started. But the most important part is finishing. I have tried to…

Answer: “Who Is Aaron Rodgers?”

Don Yaeger September 15, 2021

As I watched the New Orleans Saints play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked lifeless and totally disconnected from his teammates. The lack of cohesion…

What We Found in 9/11, What We’ve Lost

Don Yaeger September 9, 2021

Everyone knows where they were and what they were doing when the two airplanes slammed into the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001. It was 20 years ago,…

The Case For Continuity – A Leg Up In Tampa Bay

Don Yaeger September 1, 2021

With the first hint of fall coming unseasonably early this year, I find myself looking forward to the coming days as college football ramps up, major league baseball begins to…

Real Rivals Don’t Dislike Each Other, They Define Each Other

Don Yaeger August 25, 2021

I read recently that both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have decided to skip the U.S. Open and are effectively shutting down their 2021 seasons. Soon enough, they will fade…

Yes, You Can Grind and Grin at the Same Time… Just Ask Julian Edelman

Don Yaeger August 18, 2021

I miss Julian Edelman, who retired from professional football following the 2020 season after 12 years with the New England Patriots. He was my favorite Patriot player and one of…

Bobby Bowden’s Off-Field Legacy Will Endure Long After His Records Are Broken

Don Yaeger August 11, 2021

If you’ve scanned the news and even if you’re not a sports fan, you’ve seen the headlines announcing Coach Bobby Bowden’s death at age 91. The eulogies are pouring in,…

Three-Time National Championship Coach Urban Meyer Loves A Deep Bench

Don Yaeger August 4, 2021

As the head football of the Florida Gators from 2005 to 2010 and the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2012 to 2018, Urban Meyer won three national championships and established himself…

Four-Time Olympian And CEO Angela Ruggiero Says: Everyone Is Terrified, Be Confident In Your Preparation

Don Yaeger July 28, 2021

When business entrepreneur Angela Ruggiero was 9 years old, she was cut from a boy’s hockey team, despite believing she was as good as the rest of the squad. She…

Tom Brady Has Nothing – And Everything – Left To Prove

Don Yaeger June 30, 2021

The host of the Late Late Show, James Corden, loves to hang out with All-Universe quarterback Tom Brady. A week ago, Corden ran a segment on the show in which…

Fear Didn’t Sink Ben Simmons, Satisfaction Did

Don Yaeger June 23, 2021

When the Philadelphia 76er’s Ben Simmons passed up an open dunk under the basket with 3:29 to play in Game 7 of Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal, some saw it as…

It’s Never Too Early To Get The Sticky Stuff Out Of Our Lives

Don Yaeger June 16, 2021

When I was an associate editor at Sports Illustrated, I was part of the team that covered the steroid scandal that was ruining Major League Baseball as a generation of…

Chasing Greatness Blog

Weekly leadership lessons learned from the world of sports.

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

The Cleveland Browns Just Practiced Addition Through Subtraction – Should You?

College Quarterback McKenzie Milton Couldn’t Pass Up The Chance To Help His Team

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian Asks: When Dark Skies Are Upon You, Can You See A Path Forward?

Situational Intelligence: When Doing The Unexpected Helps Your Team Exceed Expectations

Big Day In The NFL: Records Are Broken But Greatness Lasts Forever

Paying The Proper Respect To The Justin Tucker On Your Team

Why We Must Play Until The Final Whistle

Answer: “Who Is Aaron Rodgers?”

What We Found in 9/11, What We’ve Lost

The Case For Continuity – A Leg Up In Tampa Bay

Real Rivals Don’t Dislike Each Other, They Define Each Other

Yes, You Can Grind and Grin at the Same Time… Just Ask Julian Edelman

Bobby Bowden’s Off-Field Legacy Will Endure Long After His Records Are Broken

Three-Time National Championship Coach Urban Meyer Loves A Deep Bench

Four-Time Olympian And CEO Angela Ruggiero Says: Everyone Is Terrified, Be Confident In Your Preparation

Tom Brady Has Nothing – And Everything – Left To Prove

Fear Didn’t Sink Ben Simmons, Satisfaction Did

It’s Never Too Early To Get The Sticky Stuff Out Of Our Lives

Contact Don Yaeger