Dumb Tough

I listen to sports radio.

May not impress some. I get that.

Still, I say it with pride.

Sports is a microcosm of life and every now and again a gem is delivered.

Domonique Foxworth is an articulate and rather intelligent former NFL player. Listening the other day to him explain a term I had never heard prior:

Dumb Tough

The basic definition is when a player does something to appear tough to the detriment of themselves or their team. For example, practicing while injured. Better served to take it easy and get healthy for the next game. Simply not thinking it through.

Thought about this on the rest of my way home. Per usual, began connecting dots on how this relates to recruiting and the business world.

Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that there are no awards for suffering in silence. No one has the time or inclination to commend you for being dumb tough. In fact, the opposite is true. Have seen it in others and fallen victim to it myself. It is a bad look and the stigma stays with you.

The ability to speak up with appropriate emotion in a coherent manner puts you in a better light than grinding your teeth and letting your frustrations fester. Easier said than done. Admitting you need help on a project is not a sign of weakness. It is maturity and understanding of what is best for the team.

Keep it coherent and on point. Best to be direct. Profanity usually is not your friend here. Good eye contact and logic will have more impact than colorful language. That becomes noise after a time and is childish.

Next time you find yourself obsessing over a situation and are unsure if you should speak up, ask yourself -

Am I being dumb tough?

Matt Kaufman works for and with The Mullings Group. We are the premier medical device executive search firm in the world. Matt listens to all types of people, as you never know where useful information will surface. Give Sports radio a chance. Some erudite folks are on there including Domonique Foxworth, Dan LeBetard, Jay Bilas and Bruce Bowen to name a few. By the way, Derek Carr is a straight up beast and using the picture in no way is saying he is dumb tough.