THE STATION EXPRESS: A Junction Between Journey & Destination
JANUARY RECAP:
"When he was a kid, he'd be up at five... take shots 'til eight and make the thing drive. Out after school and back on ice... that was his life, he was gonna play in the big league" TOM COCHRANE
January 18th was an opportunity to celebrate “Hockey Day in Canada” in the majestic Canadian Rockies. From the music of Tom Cochrane and his epic hit Big League to The Tragically Hip and the legendary Stompin' Tom Connors some of our country's best musicians have immortalized our country's love affair with a kids game in song. On a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon in picturesque Canmore, Alberta, Sportsnet did more than its part with the 25th annual event that unites our nation as one. Lots of outdoor fun taking that short road trip with scrappy winger and good friend Michael Curtis who feels it’s always a great day to be a hero.
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?The Peach State of Georgia is still very much on my mind after a mind-blowing fact-finding trip to Savannah. Eye-opening to see first-hand what this highly a-peeling business has in mind for their 2025 World Tour with 18 sold-out appearances at major-league baseball parks and three football stadiums, including the homes of the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Beginning from an empty ball park in 2016, what owners Jesse Cole and his wife Emily Cole have accomplished is nothing short of astounding. In effect, they have created a modern-day legend; a small business that embodies the magic of Disney with the operational efficiency of Amazon. To simply dismiss or look at The Savannah Bananas as the 'Harlen Globetrotters of Baseball' is the quickest way to miss the larger point. One that applies to every single business model on this planet. This small business that started as a minor-league baseball team is running a daily MasterClass on brand strategy, culture, marketing, social media and customer service that you can't learn anywhere else. Attention to detail is off the chart. Philosophy is simple. Fans First. Entertain Always. It permeates every nook and cranny of historic Grayson Stadium and every person who is proud to be on the Bananas team - both on and off the field.
In case you are curious, 96% of American households buy a banana or official merchandise from The Savannah Bananas each and every month! The current Bananas lineup also features a Canadian, Ryan Kellogg, from Whitby, ON, who brings both left-handed pitching prowess and hockey skills to the mound. ?
The Georgia junket also included speaking engagements with six CEO Peer Advisory groups in Atlanta. And it was great to see how the fire still burns in Vistage Worldwide chair Jay M. McDonald. Accompanied by the voices of angels, Jay recounts the impact of the NHL’s Atlanta Flames and how pro hockey is a vivid metaphor for the MVP work he does leading Peer Advisory Groups in the heart of America’s 4th state. ?
If you ever want to connect and grab a coffee with Jay, you can reach him here: https://jaymcdonald.com/
Single Take Stories: Lightning Strikes Stampede City!
?RINKSIDE w/ FRANTZ JEAN, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
After morning skate at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, it was great to catch up with the goaltending coach of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. Frantz Jean has enjoyed a unique vantage point for many years assessing and developing world class talent. Proof is in the pudding and numbers only tell part of the story. With Frantz in his corner, "The Big Cat" Andrei Vasilevskiy has become the fastest goalie in NHL history to reach 300 victories. With four appearances in the Finals and two Stanley Cup rings, Frantz brings a championship perspective to the table with his own business at ProTek Goaltending; an approach to high performance that can be applied by anyone.
Shot in a single take. NO edits, NO filters. NO A.I.
COMMENTATING:
?"Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise” MICHAEL JORDAN
That single quote from ‘His Airness’ perfectly encapsulates what went down at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans as the Kansas City Chiefs dream of a 3-peat dynasty collapsed under the weight of an angry Philadelphia Eagles pass rush.
It’s a lesson that can apply to anyone.
Master the fundamentals. Band-aids or quick fixes never last.
The Eagles under head coach Nick Siriani proved once again why success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals. In the business of pro football, the team that blocks and tackles the best while playing solid defence usually wins. The Chiefs offensive line never figured out how to block those swarming Eagles defenders, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes ran for his life all night, was sacked six times while throwing two interceptions.
Nothin’ fancy from Philly. Solid open field tackling. Toughness. Tenacity. Attention to detail. Doing all the little things the right way.
It’s the same philosophy a coach named Vince Lombardi brough to the sad-sack Green Bay Packers when he took over a head coach in 1959. The Packers were the worst team in football, hadn’t made the playoffs in a decade and were coming off a 1-10-1 season. Hitting rock bottom in the standings only reflected and magnified a larger problem in the locker room where players were pointing fingers with the offense blaming the defence and vice-versa. The small-town, revenue-poor franchise was in such a sorry state that some NFL owners wanted Commissioner Bert Bell to eject the Packers from the league.
Everything changed on January 28, 1959, when 45-year-old Vince Lombardi came in from New York as the new head coach and general manager. A former offensive assistant with West Point and the New York Giants, Lombardi had never been a head coach. Had never been the guy in complete charge of the operation.
When Lombardi traveled to Green Bay in February to sign his 5-year contract, he spelled out his hard-nosed football philosophy. A power offense built around the running game and a relentless focus on the timeless fundamentals of blocking, tackling and superior conditioning. On July 23, 1959, at a training camp dinner. Lombardi told his 56 players: “Gentlemen, you are going to have confidence in me and my system. You are going to make fewer mistakes than your opponents. By working harder, you are going to out-execute, out-block, and out-tackle every opponent. I’ve never been a losing coach and don’t intend to start here”.
The 1959 Packers finished 7–5 and Lombardi was named Coach of the Year. He would eventually lead his team to five NFL Championships in seven years, winning the first two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967. His impact on the sport is viewed by hundreds of millions of people each year and felt by each winning team that earns the Super Bowl trophy named in his honor.
More than anything, the Lombardi Trophy is a symbol for what it means for any team to battle through adversity. Championships do not necessarily get handed to teams with more talent, but they are earned by teams that stick together and execute on the fundamentals. In a world of constant change, fundamentals are more important than ever.
Are there fundamentals in your business and career and life that could benefit from the example set by the Philadelphia Eagles?
LEGENDS IN THE MAKING:
Protect The Keep. ?What does it mean? What does it stand for?
From the land of the ice and snow, where the hot springs glow over 10,000 Lakes, a teenaged boy once made a fateful decision that forever altered the trajectory of his life and career. Headquartered in Minneapolis, husband, father, pilot, former goalie and Minnesota Golden Gopher, Troy Winegarner CFP? of Strong Tower Wealth, is on a mission to “Protect The Keep”. ???
“It’s not how much money you make, but how much you keep and the future generations you keep it for” TROY WINEGARNER
FEBRUARY HAPPENINGS:
?Second month into the 2025 keynote speaking season and what a delight it was to witness once again how the success of any large conference typically hinges on one person who can efficiently herd all the human cats. Watched one of the very best as she corralled people and made them stick to a schedule like no other. Brenda Trask lives, eats and breathes agriculture. Raised on a family dairy farm in Wellington County, she is a driving force, responsible for integrating all brand communications across 10 provinces where SECAN members grow, process, wholesale and retail over 375 varieties (wheat, soybeans, barley, oats, flax, pulses). On February 4, in the southwestern Ontario town of Cambridge, Brenda orchestrated a memorable week of activities designed to create partnerships that promote profitability in Canadian agriculture. A joy to work with, we grabbed a few moments backstage to reflect on how this conference will impact SECAN members.
?ONCE OVER LIGHTLY:
Always good to have a chuckle or two. Or three and four! Like watching Hamilton, Ontario native Martin Short go toe-to-toe with some of the very best in show business, through his outrageous alter ego, Jiminy Glick.
FROM THE MAILROOM:
“It was great having you talk with 3 of my groups. My CEOs were definitely blown away by you and your message. You are amazing Gair and well worth the wait. JEFFREY BAUER, Vistage Worldwide, Hartford, CT
“Incredible workshop on branding, right here at the Cochrane Incubator with Gair Maxwell, author of BIG LITTLE LEGENDS. Revealed how legendary brands go beyond their products - they create unforgettable experiences that pull people in like a BIG MAGNET. One exercise that really stuck with me? Auditing competitors’ websites. It was eye-opening to see how much sameness exists - and how rare it is to find a brand that truly stands out. Thank you, Gair, for challenging us to think differently and for the rock-solid music taste!” ?? LYNDON SMITH, Expansive Edge, Cochrane, AB
LEADERS & LEGENDS:
Can you think of the last time you were in a room filled with people speaking MBA? Protecting their turf? Covering their butt while engaging in lofty bureaucratic discourse? Ensnared in executive ‘groupthink’ far removed from anything that resembles reality. Insisting that any major decision must be supported by volumes of facts, figures, data and numbers, there is zero room for common sense at this table. Which is what makes Michael’s story so astonishing. A singular idea that applies to any company – in any town – in any industry. It matters not if the product itself is a rather ordinary, mundane commodity that is not particularly innovative. Michael’s stunning commercial breakthrough did not occur as a result of linear thinking that dominates logic-based forums like focus groups. His incredible tale is sure to quench your undying thirst for originality. Discover how Liquid Death exposes many uncomfortable truths and why "FOCUS GROUPS NEED TO DIE" on Leaders & Legends.
READ ARTICLE: ??https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/focus-groups-need-die-gair-maxwell-24lcc/?trackingId=w7mrW8pUQRmqDIwIpHiJag%3D%3D
THOUGHT PARTICLES:
Juicy literary morsels from The Monday Morning Memo. Penned by New York Times best-selling author and founder of world-famous Wizard Academy in Austin, TX, Roy H. Williams. Roy's weekly memos have been read by people worldwide since 1994 and he has never missed a Monday!
QUOTABLE:
?“When I have been in Canada, I have never heard a Canadian refer to an American as a ‘foreigner’. He is just an ‘American’. And, in the same way, in the United States, Canadians are not ‘foreigners’, they are ‘Canadians’. On both sides of the line, we are so accustomed to an undefended boundary three thousand miles long that we are inclined perhaps to minimize its vast importance, not only to our own continuing relations but also to the example which it sets to the other nations of the world. In the solution of the grave problems that face the world today, frank dealing, cooperation and a spirit of give and take between nations is more important than ever before” PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
FIVE FASCINATING FACTZ:
?PICTURE THIS:
What does this photograph represent to you?
If you think it was taken by a self-described ‘gently aging Baby Boomer’ who keeps reinventing and reimagining himself - whether he needs to or not – you would be correct! Great work from Ben Griffin of CEOIQ.
?PODCAST PIK:
The Pure Athlete Podcast is well worth watching! Especially when guys shine the spotlight on the Savannah Bananas and do a deeper dive into the potassium fuelled world of Banana Ball creator Jesse Cole !
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
It flutters atop the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill. You can see it over homes, businesses and federal buildings across the country. From the Canadian Armed Forces to the hockey players on Team Canada, we rally as a nation behind a flag that fought its share of battles before it was first raised in 1965.?
Canada’s instantly recognizable Maple Leaf flag celebrated its 60th anniversary on February 15, 2025. It’s hard for most to remember anything else, however, for more than a century the second-biggest country in the world was represented by the Union Jack and the Red Ensign. And then controversy ensued ...
“Under this flag may our youth find new inspiration for loyalty to Canada; for a patriotism based not on any mean or narrow nationalism, but on the deep and equal pride that all Canadians will feel for every part of this good land” LESTER B. PEARSON, Prime Minister of Canada (19963-1968)
MARCH SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS: ?
March 5 – San Francisco, CA
March 11- Raleigh-Durham, NC
March 18 – Houston, TX
March 25 – Jacksonville, FL
March 27 – Tampa, FL
If you are planning an upcoming conference or event and would like to include a keynote or workshop featuring BIG LITTLE LEGENDS, reach out to Chief Efficiency Officer Maria Pegg at [email protected].
Thanks for taking time to reflect and refuel at THE STATION EXPRESS where fellow travelers relish the ride on the destination to exploration. Published on the second Wednesday of every month, we sincerely appreciate when you share THE STATION EXPRESS with others. Also feel free to subscribe to our growing YouTube channel:
Get social and connect on?FACEBOOK, ?LINKED IN?or visit?www.gairmaxwell.com
“Your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come” ZIG ZIGLAR
Innovation Projects Coach, Mentor & Consultant
1 周Thanks Gair Maxwell ! You can't stay away from music !