At the 2018 NFL Combine, I got the opportunity to meet with a number of now top NFL head coaches — Kevin Stefanski, Zac Taylor, and Kevin O'Connell, who actually worked me out personally.

The problem was, I didn’t bring the same level of enthusiasm or intention to those meetings and interactions as I did when meeting with current NFL head coaches at the time like Mike Tomlin, Mike Vrabel, or Adam Gase.

I didn’t treat them with disrespect, but if I’m honest with myself, I didn’t fully give them my best because they weren’t the coordinator or the head coach at the time — they weren’t in the “big chair.”

Then they got hired into the “big chair.”

And when I found myself on the outside looking in at the NFL, I couldn’t call upon those relationships because I hadn’t approached those interactions with the level of intentionality I should have.

The reason I bring this up is because I see people make this same mistake all the time — whether it’s players trying to get recruited, coaches trying to climb the ladder, or business professionals chasing the next promotion.

The high school player who gets contacted by a GA or analyst doesn’t get nearly as excited as they would if it came from a position coach. But the reality is that GA or analyst might be sitting in the “big chair” during that player’s career. Depending on how you treated them and how you handled those interactions, it could pay massive dividends — especially in today’s NIL and transfer portal landscape where movement happens constantly.

With coaches, it’s the people at the AFCA convention logo-chasing and trying to rub elbows with the “big wigs,” meanwhile overlooking the people who may soon be the ones leading programs.

And in business, it’s the person who gives their boss all their energy and attention while barely acknowledging colleagues, assistants, or people in other departments who aren’t currently in power.

Bottom line: you never know who’s going to rise to the top.

How you treat people matters.
The energy and effort you bring to every interaction matters.

So stop trying to gauge who you need to impress, who you need to be “in” with, or when you should “turn it on.”

• Do great work.
• Treat everybody with respect.
• Give people your full attention and intention regardless of title or status.

In the long run, the cards tend to fall in favor of people who consistently show up the right way.

Easy Easy,

-Luke Falk

See you next Monday!