Daron Roberts: Former NFL Coach & Founding Director, Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation @ UT
On today's show, I have Daron Roberts who is a Former NFL Coach and now the Founding Director of the Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation at University of Texas.
Guys, this episode is jam PACKED full of quotes, I nearly had 2 pages! Daron is one of the most inspirational people I've ever met and I know you'll feel motivated and encouraged to pursue your dreams after listening to this episode.
If you aren't familiar with Daron, you are in for a real treat because Daron's story is one you won't want to miss. Daron went from being a Harvard Law School graduate, to NFL football coach, to now a founding director at the University of Texas.
We discuss how he made these career changes and advice he'd give to anyone else seeking a career change, perfectionism and why it shouldn't hold you back, why it's important to set boundaries and the questions he asks himself before he says yes, what it was really like to be an NFL football coach, what he wishes people knew about being an NFL coach and so much more.
Excited for you to tune in and hope you enjoy!
Daron Roberts | Former NFL Coach & Founding Director, Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation @ UT
Show Notes
In today's episode, you'll find out:
- How Daron went from being a Harvard Law School graduate to working as an NFL coach.
- The routines from his NFL days that have carried over into his career now.
- The pressures and stressful parts of being an NFL coach.
- One moment that he's most proud of from his NFL career.
- Advice he'd give to someone who wants to completely change career paths like he did.
- One thing he wished people knew about what it's like to be an NFL coach.
- Misconceptions people have about NFL coaches.
- How to set boundaries in your life and the questions you should ask yourself before saying yes.
- Why he thinks perfectionism holds most people back.
Daron K. Roberts is a former NFL and college coach who serves as founding director of the Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation (CSLi) at the University of Texas. CSLi is the first university-based institute dedicated to developing leadership and character curricula for high school and collegiate athletes. He is the best-selling author of “Call an Audible: Let My Pivot from Harvard Law to NFL Coach Inspire Your Transition“. The book was named one of Sports Illustrated’s, “Best Sports Business Books of 2017“.
Roberts has a proven track record in improving management systems and developing leadership strategy for managers in both the private and public sectors. He has been featured in ESPN the Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek and Sports Illustrated. A lecturer at the University of Texas, Roberts focuses on issues of governance and innovation in the sports arena. He teaches two upper-division honors courses – Leadership Strategy in Sports and Disruptive Innovation in Sports. He also developed a course – A Gameplan for Winning at Life – that is taught to all incoming freshmen student-athletes at the University of Texas. During the course of each academic year, Roberts teaches over 300 students.
Roberts is a contributor to Forbes.com, and his articles have appeared in The Dallas Morning News, Fortune, Houston Chronicle, Texas CEO Magazine and Time.
Key takeaways from this episode
"I wrote a letter to all 32 NFL football teams asking for an internship, anything I could get. I got 31 rejections." - Daron Roberts
"Often at times, even as adults, we talk to our parents like we need their approval and support." - Daron Roberts
"I think often at times we build these fake expiration dates in our minds." - Daron Roberts
"No matter what you've done up until this point in your life, it can't be undone." - Daron Roberts
"When I first started as an NFL coach, I slept at the office." - Daron Roberts
"I ask myself every morning: What are the things we need to do today that will give me a win for that entire day." - Daron Roberts
[bctt tweet="One thing about the NFL is that your work product is on display for millions of people on Sunday at 1pm. - @CoachDKR" via="no"]
"The only thing I miss about being an NFL coach is that you constantly know exactly where you stand in terms of your professional output." - Daron Roberts
"I've really lowered my stress level in an intentional way because I've learned that no one cares about your time as much as you do." - Daron Roberts
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