From Locker Room to Boardroom: Creating a Culture of Success
Today’s guest columnist is Bo Jackson.
As a former athlete and current entrepreneur, I know firsthand the role culture plays in elevating individuals and organizations to the next level.
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How do you get people to buy in? How do you create an environment that challenges and motivates people to be their best? How do you harness talent and channel passion in the right direction? Coaches, players, teams and business leaders ask these questions every day.
The keys to success? A strong, dependable culture centered on principles and practices that create an atmosphere where everyone is driven to reach their full potential.
In my own journey, I attribute much of my success to being part of organizations that were built on foundations of mentorship, communication and opportunity. That’s why I devote a significant amount of my time now to working with teams, athletes and leaders, sharing insights on how to create cultures that foster positivity, inclusion and teamwork, and empowering individuals to reach their full potential.
Growing up, everyone labeled me as someone who would end up in jail or the cemetery by the time I turned 21, so I made a conscious decision to prove them wrong and make something of my life. This drove me to focus on my athletic accomplishments, choose my friends wisely, and, with the guidance of my coaches and support of my teammates, work hard to stay on a straight path—the right path. The selflessness from my mentors—particularly my mom, my grandfather, Coach Pat Dye and my business partner Richard Brown—who invested extra time and support for someone like me, helped fuel my ambition to achieve greatness. Without their mentorship, I would not be where I am today. They taught me responsibility, accountability and the importance of being a team player.
Another thing that I learned from my mentors that I carry with me to this day is the power of your words. The best advice I received in my youth was to think before I act or speak. I learned this early on in my college years when I feared making poor decisions and disappointing my community—especially my hard-working mom, who juggled as many as three jobs to provide for me and my nine siblings. Taking the time to be thoughtful with our words allows us to positively impact the lives of those around us. Following my career as a professional athlete, I’ve made it a priority to pass on this wisdom to the next generation of players and leaders. Whether in the locker room, the dugout or the board room, I engage with teams and organizations, striving to support their personal growth. The younger generations, accustomed to instant communication, often forget that their words carry weight. I aim to be a positive influence in instilling the same values my mentors instilled in me.
That’s why I started Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports (BJES) in Chicago, to advance the state of professionalism in budding athletes by helping up-and-comers improve their skills both on and off their field of play. My goal is to plant a seed in the next generation and teach them the importance of team-building, selflessness and staying hungry. If we have enough mentors educating current players, we’ll cultivate a bumper crop full of significantly talented athletes who will impact society both on and off the field.
I firmly believe that a culture built on earned opportunity motivates people to excel and perform at their highest levels. When we take time to lift each other up and create avenues for others to succeed, we positively influence the lives of those around us. An organization I’m proud to be a part of is the National Rugby Football League. As an owner and advisor in the NRFL, I set out to help build a platform that sets a strong foundation of opportunity for current, future and former professional athletes. The NRFL offers a proven system for transitioning elite athletes who are released from the NFL to become the best rugby players globally—offering a new opportunity and pathway for more athletes to get involved in professional sports. Moreover, the league’s unique business model serves as a launching pad for former athletes of all backgrounds to become entrepreneurs, investors and business owners.
Building a solid foundational culture is the key to an organization’s success, and the values instilled within that culture benefit not only athletes on teams, but also companies and society as a whole. It’s been a privilege to be part of something bigger than the game in the years following my professional playing career. In my life, I strive to follow these principles to motivate others to establish cultures that inspire us to do what is right rather than what is easy.
Vincent “Bo” Jackson, Heisman Trophy winner and former two-sport professional athlete, has over three decades of experience as a businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Since 1992, he has launched a multitude of businesses including Bo Jackson Enterprises Inc., Bo Jackson Elite Sports Complex, VEJ Holdings and Jackson & Partners LLC. Jackson currently sits on the Board of Advisors of the National Rugby Football League (NRFL).
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