Hall Of Fame Sportscaster Lesley Visser Never Saves Her Best For Last
When Lesley Visser was a young beat writer on the Boston Globe sports page, she looked in envy at the other writers who got to cover the big, glamorous events while she covered, well, let’s call them the more obscure and less glamorous events. “I remember the assignment very well,” she said in a recent episode of Corporate Competitor Podcast. “I got an assignment to cover a badminton tournament.” Not exactly the kind of assignment you dream about as an aspiring writer.
But Visser tackled the project with everything she had and, after it was published, got a journalist’s ultimate praise from her editor. “I got a note from my editor telling me I ‘wrote the heck out of the badminton piece!’” said Visser. “After all these years, it remains the highlight of my professional career.”
Eventually, this kind of approach to her work won her the glamorous jobs as well. Among her list of firsts, which included being the first woman inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, she became the first sportscaster – male or female – to have worked on the network broadcast of The Final Four, The Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals, The Triple Crown, the U.S. Open and the Olympics.
Visser says she owes her extraordinary career success to following one simple maxim, picked up from the great baseball slugger “Joltin” Joe DiMaggio, who once noted that his approach to the game was to treat every at bat as a quality at bat. That’s a good rule of thumb for a batter or a business leader, and it’s one Visser applied throughout her career.
The accomplished podcast host of In Conversation with Lesley Visser, Visser was named as one of GQ’s “five ideal dinner guests,” an honor which reflects her expert listening skills as well as storytelling prowess and remarkable experiences.
In the podcast, the range of Visser’s storytelling talents are in evidence as she offers new perspectives on the leadership qualities she saw demonstrated by a host of friends from sports, entertainment and broadcasting, including:
It may seem counter-intuitive, but Visser shows what can happen when you view success not as the quest for a one-off grand slam home run but as a body of work distinguable mostly by quality at bats. Joltin’ Joe would be proud, and you’ll be entertained and educated by this episode of Corporate Competitor Podcast.
Check out the full Corporate Competitor Podcast interview archive and subscribe to new episodes.
Chief Executive Group exists to improve the performance of U.S. CEOs, senior executives and public-company directors, helping you grow your companies, build your communities and strengthen society. Learn more at chiefexecutivegroup.com.
0
1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
