Leadership Lessons From The Football Field: Build Teams, Not Followings

In a time when many leaders chase influence or scale for its own sake, I’ve learned that the most effective leaders aren’t the ones chasing visibility—they’re the ones working consistently behind the scenes to build systems, elevate others and stay aligned with their core values. Whether a company has four units or 400 units, the best leadership will always start with service, not spotlight.

Before launching D1 Training, I was a fullback at the University of Tennessee and signed with the Denver Broncos. When a career-ending injury quickly closed that chapter of my life, I failed to find a gym that matched the intensity and structure of a Division I athletics program. That gap led to the founding of D1 Training, and today we have over 150 locations nationwide. While pivoting from my lifelong dreams wasn’t easy, transitioning into business ownership allowed me to tap into many lessons and leadership skills gleaned from my time as an athlete.

Coming from a background in sports, the parallels between the locker room and the boardroom are uncanny. In both universes, success hinges on work ethic and a winning mindset. You can’t win on the field or in the C-Suite on talent alone. Through football, failure and franchise building, I’ve found that the key to a winning playbook is empowering your team with the tools and resources they need.

Grounding Yourself in Grit and Humility

When I launched D1 Training, I wasn’t the CEO in a corner office. I took on every role—from cleaning toilets to collecting bills. Taking on the hard jobs and building sweat equity set the tone for the culture that we have today.

You can’t ask your team to sacrifice, hustle or do things the right way if you’re not willing to do it yourself. It’s important to me as a leader that my team knows how crucial every role within our brand is, and setting that example as a founder has led to franchisees taking a more hands-on approach to their individual leadership.

Lessons from Football

In football, everyone has an individual job that they need to master for the team to come together seamlessly. However, plays rarely go as planned, and quick adaptability is crucial. In business, mastering your role and executing it with precision is essential for efficient operations, but being flexible is just as, if not more, important. The ability to pivot quickly and make smart decisions on the fly is what helps build a resilient, durable business model.

One of the most important lessons I’ve translated throughout my career is to celebrate team wins. Great leaders shine the spotlight on others, and recognition and celebration fuel morale. When an entire team can rally behind a common goal, uplift one another and celebrate achieving that goal, that sense of camaraderie is invaluable.

Servant Leadership is Sustainable Leadership

In building a business that lasts, leaders need to entrust their teams to take on new responsibilities. Growth means giving up control and offering new opportunities to team members, empowering them to lead in their own right. This requires humility, patience and a long-term mindset, as well as an honest belief in the teams you’ve built.

Leadership as a service isn’t just a philosophy—it’s a practice that shows up in everything you do, especially what you do when nobody’s watching. In sports, the best leaders don’t chase the fame, they chase the wins. The same is true in business, leaders who yield long-term success aren’t chasing influence—they’re building teams, earning trust and leading from the front, not the top.