Talk is Cheap

In 2011, I made the decision to walk-on at Oklahoma State University to play college football. For those unfamiliar with the term "walk-on", this is someone who has received no financial aid (athletic scholarship) and who has made the decision to endure the grueling "tryout" process to make the team. As a walk-on playing Division 1 Football, you endure your own level of adversity. Coaches did not "recruit" you so they therefore do not know you, you don't really fit in (yet) with the scholarship athletes, and you're doing whatever you can to make an impact so you can unequivocally stick out from the "island" you're put on from day one.

Fortunately during my years at OSU, I was able to achieve significant playing time and secure a Big 12 Championship. However, I say this not to boast, but to rather convey the message about what this short article is going to be about; "Talk is Cheap".

The great thing about playing college football is that "talking" doesn't produce results. You can give the greatest pregame speech in the world yet get your ass kicked by your opponent all 4 quarters. And man is that post game press conference fun (cue the sarcasm)! The same story can be shown in the professional world too. Managers can over promise their projections to the Board yet under perform at the end of a quarter.

So how do we bridge the gap? Well from the athlete's perspective, what separates the good from the great are the individuals who exhibit transparency in their actions. Nothing holds more weight than proving your worth to in organization from the results you produce rather than the words you say.

Throughout my professional career these last 8 years, I have had the opportunity to learn from a portfolio of Managers. Some were great while others were.....well let's just say "plain". Nonetheless, the ones that were important were the ones that impacted my path to success. In other words, the Managers who walked what they "preached" provided the most value (Show Me. Don't Tell Me). Because at the end of the day, the way you sugar coat a speech doesn't correlate to a team member being successful or not. However, showing up in the trenches with that team member will.