Aspire in the World Fellows Book - 2025

73 ASPIRE IN THE WORLD FELLOWS 11TH ASPIRE ACADEMY GLOBAL SUMMIT STARCHAT (05) Ron Jaworski STAR CHAT I spent 17 years as a National Football League quarterback: 10 years here in Philadelphia, four years in Los Angeles, two years in Miami, and a year in Kansas City. Seventeen years of my lifewere committed to excellence as a professional football player. I learned so many incredible lessons from playing the game that it eventually led to a job at ESPN. The minute that light comes on, 20 million people see you, so you had better be prepared. I’ve been very fortunate to parlay my career as a player and broadcaster into success in business as well. Many of you in this audience are coaches or have been involved with coaches. In my opinion, it’s the most important factor. I think the quarterback, by the nature of the position touching the ball on every play, is expected to be a leader. But there are also 52 other guys on the team. There are 53 players on an NFL game-day roster. I believe true leadership must come from within. There are guys who scream and holler but say nothing. There are different ways to lead. The real, true leaders, those who achieve greatness, draw leadership from their own belly, from their own heart, and from their own mind. If you can’t lead yourself, you can’t lead anyone else. I call the real leaders “tempo setters.” When I was doing Monday Night Football, I would visit two teams each week, spend time on their practice field, and sit with great leaders of men like Bill Belichick. When you pick their brains and talk to them, you realize what comes first and foremost is the ability to lead people. On that subject of leadership: as a quarterback, you were like a field general. Were you the main leader? In soccer, leadership may be more distributed, with multiple leaders on the team. We always talk about talent, speed, size, quickness, but coaching matters most. Coaching, to me, is about leadership. It could be football, soccer, rugby, or even ping pong. Ultimately, it’s about leadership. You have to be able to lead other people. The real question is: How can you get a player to maximize his talent? One thing Doug Pederson clearly had was leadership. The number one thing I look for in athletes, particularly on the coaching and administrative side is: Can you be a leader? Can you lead men or women? Can you motivate people to get the most out of their talent? It’s not always about yelling and screaming. It’s about coaching and leadership. Whenever I talk to people in this profession, I stress leadership. Leadership is the most important ingredient you look for if you want success. Absolutely. There is no doubt you can coach leadership. When I came to Philadelphia in 1977 after four years with the Los Angeles Rams, I thought I was a pretty good leader. But Dick Vermeil, who brought me from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, believed the quarterback must be a leader and must take charge. Do you know what he did? He sent me to the Naval Academy leadership school right here in the Philadelphia area. At the U.S. Naval Academy, they taught me leadership skills. Many people are not born with leadership skills. Some are natural-born leaders, but many must develop those skills. Can You Coach and Teach Leadership?