the speaker

Drew Pearson
The power of teamwork
Winter 2010-11

Since retiring from professional football, Drew has become a successful businessman, author, sportscaster and speaker.

THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER at a recent MPIDFW Chapter meeting at Cowboy Stadium provided an eloquent and passionate presentation about the power of teamwork. He is an expert on the subject not because of what’s he’s read but because what’s he’s achieved. And, he learned from the best.

The speaker was Mr. Drew Pearson – “Mr. Clutch.” The original number 88, Drew was a member of the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 – 1983, a three-time All Pro, a Superbowl champion, and is perhaps best known for one of the most famous plays in NFL history, the “Hail Mary” reception from Roger Staubach in a 1975 playoff game against
the Minnesota Vikings.

Since retiring from professional football, Drew has become a successful businessman, author, sportscaster and speaker. MPG* recently talked with Drew at the new Hurst Conference Center about his career and about the power of teamwork.

MPG: During your remarks at the MPI meeting, your high regards for Coach Tom Landry were evident.  You always referred to him as “The Great Tom Landry.”  Tell us a few things you learned from him.

Drew:  The one main thing Coach Landry stressed with us was “teamwork.”  He always said your individual stats are important but only in the confines of the team.  Therefore, it was easy for us as teammates to make individual sacrifices.

There is no question in my mind that I could have caught more than 489 passes in my career but I was willing to make that sacrifice.  I knew if Tony Hill catches some passes, it will make it better for me over here.  If Dorsett’s doing well, if Billy Jo’s doing well, it’s going to make it better for me.  Landry told us that if you want to have individual success, you have to be part of a great team.  When the team is successful, you each benefit individually.

Has this helped with your post-football success?

The main reason people want to associate with you individually when you are out of the game is because of the success you enjoyed collectively as a team.

It’s been 27 years since I played football and people still want to associate themselves with Drew Pearson.  Because of our team’s success people want to get your autograph, get your picture made with them and see your Superbowl ring.  I’ve had people tell me, “good luck this season,” thinking I’m still playing and I’ll be 60 in January.  God forbid if somebody hit me now.

Dez Bryant (the current #88) and I recently did an autograph session together.  We were sitting at the same table signing stuff and I said, “Dez, put your pen down and look at me.  You’re a rookie who just got drafted and this is the position you want to be in 27 years after you retire.  You want people to still want your autograph.” 

He asked, “Drew, how do I do that?”

“You’ve got to do two things.  You have to have your individual success and you have to do things the right way in a team environment.  That’s how you create longevity after the game.  It’s the consistency of winning that people want to associate with.”

Now, take off your football helmet and put on your business hat.  What is your best advice about the power of teamwork in the business world?

It’s the same thing as the sport’s world.  You must find the right people to make your team successful.  That’s what Coach Landry did.  He found the right people. 

How did he know they were the right people?

They see your athletic ability but they also check your character level, your intelligence level and what role you played on your college team.  I was captain on my college team in Tulsa and Coach Landry wanted a leader

as well as a man of good character.

Just as in business, you don’t hit it every time.  In sports, you draft all these players every year and then end up cutting them because it’s not what they want.  When you are building your business and trying to find the right people to help that business be successful, you go through that same process. 

It’s a process of elimination.  Sometimes you hit it.  You find that Drew Pearson. The Cliff Harris’s, the Roger Staubach’s, the Calvin Hill’s, the Leroy Jordan’s. 

But sometimes you don’t and you have to recognize that.  You can’t let the one who doesn’t fit waylay your success.  If you do, you’ve got a problem.  We call those people “destructive achievers.”  They want to be a part of the company but they’re not there for the good of the company.  They only care about their own success, not the team’s success.

You know this when you challenge them in a team-type atmosphere and you see how they respond.  When things are going great, he’s your best teammate but as soon as you have any adversity, he’s the first one to be negative.  In football, we call them “locker room lawyers.”  They’ve got a problem and they want everyone to have the problem. 

You must weed out the destructive achievers.  Coach Landry got rid of the locker room lawyers as soon as he could no matter how talented they were because they were disruptive to the success of the team. 

Let’s talk about your role as a professional speaker.  How does a speaker serve as part of a winning team at meetings and conventions?

The value I bring to an event as a speaker is the fact that I’m a former athlete who had success on the football field and translated it to success in the business world.  I talk about how those things can work together. 

Corporate America is looking for speakers who’ve had real life experiences.  Stories about a Thanksgiving day game in 1974 when reserve quarterback Clint Longley comes in because Roger Staubach has been knocked out and tosses me a few last minute TD passes or stories about the frozen tundra of Metropolitan Stadium.  The audience is saying, “Hey, I remember that.” They think about what they were doing at that time.  They connect. 

Creating a memorable event requires great teamwork.  Having someone on your team who understands winning – something I learned well from Coach Landry – can help put your meeting over the goal line and have your attendees screaming, “Hail Mary!”

To learn more about hiring Drew Pearson as a speaker contact Betty Garrett, www.garrettspeakers.com   

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