Name, Image, and Likeness: Marshawn Leaves Tips

Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch, a retired NFL running back for the Bills, Seahawks, and Raiders, may be a marketing genius. After a successful NFL career – 12 years, 10,000+ rushing yards, and Super Bowl XLVIII champion – he is at the start of what looks to be a successful marketing career. Today will be the start of a short series on Marshawn and lessons from him that athletes and businesspeople alike can implement.

We’re talking about a guy who went from answering none of the media questions at Super Bowl XLVIII (2013 season) to garnering marketing deals from companies such as Subway, Frito Lay, and Uber Eats.

Additionally, he has started his own marketing agency – Beast Mode Marketing – which represents players like running back Najee Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers and advises college athletes on name, image and likeness opportunities (NIL). He leaves three clues that can help college athletes earn NIL deals and help businesspeople alike market themselves daily in the workplace.

1. Performance
2. --
3. --

Today, we will focus on clue number 1 – Performance. Marshawn scored 85 touchdowns during his career and had runs such as the “The Beast Quake” that point to his performance capabilities. However, performance goes beyond the field. It seeps into our treatment of others and the lasting impression made on them.

Marshawn is beloved by his teammates. His Seattle Seahawks teammate Doug Baldwin told a story about a rookie wide receiver on the team complementing Marshawn’s backpack, and Marshawn emptied it on the spot and gave it to his teammate. That teammate was Doug Baldwin himself, an undrafted rookie free agent.

Perhaps that gesture by Marshawn validated Doug and made him feel as though he belonged in the NFL and was accepted by his counterparts. It removed any doubt he had about whether or not he was cut out for the NFL. Doug would go on to play 8 seasons in the NFL, winning Super Bowl XLVIII and being a two-time Pro Bowl selection. Maybe the motivation and inspiration sparked by Marshawn’s gesture gave Doug a boost in confidence that catapulted him towards having a successful NFL career.

Hitting our personal benchmarks and goals are important, but we must not forget about our ability to impact others along the way. In a team environment, we need everyone performing at their best. Let’s dive into performance.

Performance ?

In sports, it’s no secret that marketing opportunities generally come to athletes that are top performers. Well, how does someone become a top performer? By focusing on their craft. At the elite level, it’s preparation that separates the top performers from the rest of the pack.

There’s a quote that says: “Everyone has the will to succeed, but not everyone has the will to prepare.” It’s in the preparation that we become successful. An athlete must prepare his mind and body for the battle arena. It might be lap after lap in the swimming pool or sprint after sprint on the track, but whatever it is, repetition is a part of preparation for performance.

And it’s no different in the workplace. We learn new software programs and take training modules to sharpen our skills and enhance our work performance. It takes repetitions of researching data and creating solutions to prepare for a good performance in business meetings. It takes repetitions of presenting ideas and communicating effectively to prepare for performances in boardroom presentations. It takes repetitions of showing genuine interest in others daily to prepare for performances that build authentic relationships.

Generally, the top performers in the workplace are awarded deals such as promotions or contract extensions. And at work, we all bear a name, image, and likeness just like athletes. We have a brand, an impression that’s shared about us in rooms where we aren’t present. This brand is established from rep after rep of performances – i.e., people’s personal encounters with us and our quality of work in the workplace. How we show up everyday matters.

Do we show up to give performances that contain integrity, compassion, and honor? It takes integrity to use the company credit card for only business expenses and not personal expenses. It takes compassion to treat everyone the same at work, treating the cleaning professionals just as pleasant as the CEO. It takes honor to do the work assignments that no one else wants to do and not complain or criticize others.

Performance should never be self-centered. Our performance should be driven to positively impact others. Marshawn’s love for his teammates is evidenced by their love for him. He doesn’t desire to run the ball well solely for himself but for the benefit of his teammates also. When he runs the ball well, he makes the job easier for his quarterback and wide receivers to have success passing the ball.

Like Marshawn, with rep after rep in the workplace on different assignments and interactions with others, let’s prepare ourselves for performances that help coworkers shine in our office. Ask that assistant or cleaning professional in the office how their day is going and what plans they have for the weekend. Put out high quality reports that help our manager shine, though we may never receive any recognition. Who knows what others are battling with and struggling through? Our performances of kindness may be the catalyst to boost others’ self-confidence and motivation/inspiration to work and produce great performances themselves, the same way Doug Baldwin went on to do after his encounter with Marshawn.

In the process, a name, image, and likeness – a brand – about us is being formed that will help land us promotions, bonuses, and contract extensions. There’s a saying in the corporate world: “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” This applies in corporate America and in sports, where it has been said that it’s not the team with the best players that win; it’s the players with the best team that wins.

So, we see that in both the sports arena and the corporate arena it’s not about what you know; it’s about relationships. The best way to rise like Marshawn is by helping others shine from having a selfless approach to our performances. The goal must never be to get the promotion. The goal must always be to be who we were created to be: top performers. As we – college athletes and business professionals – perform by serving and prioritizing others, a powerful brand name is formed that will afford us unforeseen advancement in whatever arena we choose.

Battle well,

Derek