I worked with Michael Oher on his New York Times Best-selling book, I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to The Blind Side and Beyond that was published in 2011. On balance, Oher knows that saying he beat the odds is no exaggeration.
On the one hand, he has enjoyed some unexpected highs in his life: a college degree, a happy marriage, two beautiful children, selection in the first round of the NFL draft, and a Super Bowl victory.
However, he has also run up against some pretty daunting walls, including poverty, hunger, homelessness, struggles in school, bullying, brain injury, anxiety, and depression. Now that he has retired from professional sports and out of some of the limelight that his career placed on him, he has dedicated himself to helping other young people avoid, or at least cope, with the turmoil he had to surmount as a child.
Our second book together, When Your Back’s Against the Wall, hit the shelves this week and offers encouragement and instruction on how to get back up—again, and again, and again.
In the podcast, Oher lays down the foundations of such a healing process. These include:
“We all have lots of flaws,” Oher admitted. The secret to leading others is, first, to recognize these flaws and learn to lead yourself. Then, by all means go out there and pour into other people. “I just think you have to have a sense of duty, a sense of something that’s bigger than you,” Oher explained. “For me, it is being there for generations who are really hopeless and don’t have anyone to turn to. That’s the legacy I want to leave.”
"Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
Sign up to receive Don Yaeger’s weekly leadership contributions, and be the first to listen to new Corporate Competitor Podcast episodes.