Lessons From Jimmy G

I'm not a football fan. This may surprise some people who know me, because the truth is I'm a 49ers fan - the rest of games, teams, and players are of little interest to me. Born and raised in SF in the 80s when Joe, Jerry, and Dwight were household names. It's no surprise I'm a Jimmy G fan . Jimmy came to the Niners after some tough years and a string of bad coaches and losses. He'd been the back up for the best QB in the NFL and he gave us some great seasons - a trip to the Super bowl , NFC Championships, their 8-0 start in the 2019 season. But a lot of fans never took to Jimmy - maybe it was the early injury, the constant comparisons to Joe and Steve and Kap, or even the fact that we've had a great team surrounding Jimmy - he's never been the star player leading a team of anonymous guys.

Jimmy has always been a team player - would you rather work with one person who is the best at their job and a team that never gets credit or doesn't have other great qualities. There's 32 teams in the NFL - Jimmy arguably?came in?2nd out of those in 2019 and they drafted a top pick with Trey Lance to replace him. In 2020 he came in 3rd or 4th and lost his job to Trey. Yet he welcomed and mentored Trey throughout this process. Last year when the Niners were declared as "Treys team", both Trey and Jimmy handled this awkward transition with a lot of?class on both sides. Awkward transitions happen in the workplace- people get replaced by friends. Offices are competitive places and we'll often find ourselves in direct competition with your team members.

Lesson One: Real team players put the success of the team above their own personal success.

Jimmy looked for a new job. However, and off-season shoulder surgery and a reputation for not being "great" kept him on the 49ers as training camp was starting. Heading into the preseason Jimmy restructured his deal to come back as the back up - his old team seemingly doing him a favor.

Lesson Two: Don't always listen to a reputation of a potential candidate - sometimes you should scoop up that diamond in the rough when they're looking for a job.?

And finally always be ready. Stay in tip top shape for whatever your role is, or what the next role above your is. Yes, moving ahead takes hard work but sometimes it's just being in the right place at the right time. Someone may quit right before a great new project starts or break their ankle in Treys case and there was Jimmy ready to take over and lead the team to head the NFC West. Today this extended beyond Jimmy to Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, who had to step in after another season ending injury plagued the team. He was ready and his teammates rallied around him to win the game.

Lesson Three: Your time to lead a team may pop up at any moment. Stay ready and look for the opportunities

Lesson Four: Even the youngest or most "irrelevant" team member may save the day on a project when you least expect it.

Here's to a speedy recovery to Trey and Jimmy, and best of luck to Brock. Niners fans are rooting for you all.