Why Athletes Make Great Leaders

Sports fans can be a little kooky in how they celebrate their favorite teams and connect with each other. Most of the time, it’s fun without any serious depth. But the athletes connect with each other in a special way—a way that they carry with them the rest of their lives.

That was just one of the things college athlete and former NFL player Lawrence Hatch and I talked about when he was my guest on The Crossman Conversation.

Hatch is an executive vice president and private banking group manager with First Horizon Bank in Orlando. Going from pro football player to a senior bank executive seems like a huge leap, but Hatch says it really wasn’t because he had a plan and was intentional with its execution.

He explained why he left football, returned to the University of Florida to finish his degree, then went to work in the financial field.

“You’re going to come up against obstacles and there are just certain times you can’t retreat,” he said. “You’ve either got to go through it, you have to go around it, but you need to continue to proceed step by step by step. I have the mentality of never quit, continue to press on. And that’s allowed me to be in front of influential individuals who have helped me along.”

While the novelty of being a former pro athlete eventually wears off, what that built into his character stayed with him.

“I utilize the same approach, teamwork, methodology, having a plan but understanding that plan doesn’t always work,” he said. “When you come up against obstacles, you have to pivot, you have to adjust. You have to navigate the environment in real time. It takes an entire team, on the field and off.”

Hatch had a lot of wisdom to share about working as a team and the value of genuine diversity in all aspects of life. And he had some great stories to tell about college and pro football and the legendary players and coaches he encountered along the way.

To hear our conversation, go to:

https://www.theshepherdradio.com/podcasts/the-crossman-conversation/episode/s1e42-lawrence-hatch-former-gator-and-nfl-player-and-current-banking-executive-talks-teamwork-and-true-values/

?

I’ve had the honor and pleasure of interviewing a number of current and former professional athletes.

Here’s the link my conversation with pro football player Jeff Driskel, quarterback for the Houston Texans:

https://www.theshepherdradio.com/podcasts/the-crossman-conversation/episode/s1e011-nfl-qb-jeff-driskel-is-johns-guest-and-talks-about-the-importance-of-his-upbringing-and-an-early-mentor-on-his-team/

Here’s the link to my conversation with former NFL player, Wall Street executive, and author Derek Penn:

https://www.theshepherdradio.com/podcasts/the-crossman-conversation/episode/s1e10-former-nfl-player-and-wall-street-executive-derek-penn-discusses-important-race-issues-that-still-need-changing/

?

John Crossman is the founder of Crossman Career Builders, the host of The Crossman Conversation, and the author of Career Killers Career Builders. Check out Crossman Career Builders on YouTube. Connect with John on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.