S03E63 Its a Hard Knock Life - Three Leadership Lessons from the NY Jets

Plus , if you saw Monday Night's game versus the Bills , it would be an understatement to say the Jets have a tough road this year without Aaron Rodgers , who suffered a devastating season ending or even possibly career ending Achilles injury .

Regardless of what adversity the Jets will be facing this year , I will still be all in on the Jets , and that's because this was the first time I've ever watched the NFL show Hard Knocks , an extremely popular reality sports documentary show that for the past 20 years , has followed NFL pro football teams during training camp .

This year they were at the Jets training camp .

Now you may scoff and say that Hard Knocks is a PR snow job designed to make NFL teams look good , but from what I saw this year , there was enough in the human story lines , as well as the leadership and heart demonstrated by the coaches and the players , that drew me in and made me want to see them succeed , even if they are now facing nearly insurmountable

odds , if you talk to the long-suffering Jets fans right now . But regardless of their upcoming year , there were three major leadership lessons that I took away from the Jets all gas , no breaks philosophy that I myself will be incorporating in my life in the future , even if the Jets prospects for this season look bleak .

The first leadership lesson that the Jets coaches emphasized was the personal responsibility to do more . You would think , when working with professional athletes , that motivation would be automatic . These are elite individuals being paid a great deal of money to perform . You would think there would be no lack of personal motivation for them to strive to do their best .

But much of what head coach Robert Salla talked about , especially at the beginning during team meetings , was to challenge each individual to do more than just what was asked of them . He said what are you doing to find that little bit more to get us closer to being a great effing team ? You finish practice now what . You finish meetings now what .

You finish lifting now what ? Now ? This does sound like something you might ask a high school or a college team , not a group of seasoned professionals , but the motivational challenges posed by the coaching staff were to ask these athletes what else they could do that would exceed expectations .

And that is something that I could post to myself every day , as well as others that I work with as well . What else could I do better , more than just what is asked of me ? In any situation , should I just be satisfied with just checking off the box ?

Even for someone like me who's been working as a plastic surgeon for 18 years , that is something that I need to be asking myself every day . After everything I do , I finish the task . Now what I know I can do better . The next leadership lesson from Hard Knocks is something that the ill-fated Aaron Rogers said to the other quarterbacks in Huddle .

He said this camp is a long camp . Let's enjoy the little things every single day . Get time to laugh a little bit , find a conversation at lunchtime with somebody new . Don't always sit with the same group . Get to know your teammates a little bit . That's part of the leadership role . Let's just enjoy the little moments .

It goes by fast and you get to be really old and gray and savoring every little moment . So savor them right now . Those are some great words . Now I know that there are many Aaron Rogers haters out there , especially if you're a Minnesota Vikings fan . He is a veteran QB who , at the age of 39 , is regarded as one of the greats .

He played 17 years for Green Bay , winning the Super Bowl in 2010 , and he was a four-time MVP . He signed with the Jets this year and anticipation had skyrocketed as the Jets had many other pieces of what seemed to be an amazing team , including one of the best defenses in the league and young , super talented skill position players .

Now Aaron Rogers has been outspoken at times , including his views on COVID vaccination as well as the use of psychedelic drugs , but there's no doubt that he is one of the all-time great quarterbacks and his words to the other QBs for someone who has been playing professional football for 18 years really resonated with me .

For him to say enjoy the little things every day , to reach out to others , to step outside your comfort zone and get to know your teammates .

For a long time veteran , to say that that means a lot and finding joy in your life every day , even during something as onerous as training camp , in which many established QBs may not even participate or , if they do , only half-heartedly , is meaningful to me , it means whatever task you set yourself at hand to do , eat what you can from it , because , even if

it is tedious and boring , there may not be so many of these left . I may feel like a grizzled veteran at my job in life , but I can take these words to heart and I can benefit from it" , and the fact that Aaron Rodger sustained a serious injury on Monday makes his words even more poignant .

You never know when what you love to do will suddenly be taken away from you . The last lesson on leadership from Hard Knocks is a great message from Coach Salah that he said in a team meeting , and the wisdom contained in this is enough , in my opinion , that it bears repeating in full .

It's about categorizing players and people in life , and my apologies to the coach , as he delivers it much better than I will , and it's probably worth finding this video piece and seeing him actually say it . Coach Salah said these four levels of competing represent a mindset that we all have complete control over .

External factors like playing ability and injuries have no bearing on what level we stand . He said you've got commanders , you've got competitors , you've got contenders and you've got survivors . I promise you , everyone in this room falls into one of these categories . At the bottom are your survivors . A survivor is someone who does just enough to get by .

He coasts through his day and does not maximize his mental capabilities . This group loves taking the easy way out . They love it and they are so miserable that they will do everything they can to bring you along with them . The sad part is , every organization has at least one and I promise you you can't hide . The next level are contenders .

A contender is someone who is motivated by external factors like playing time , money , fame or the person he is going against . He will only reach his potential if the external motivators are threatened . The third level , the one we seek , is a group of competitors . A competitor is someone who is internally motivated to be his best , regardless of the situation .

His place on the depth chart does not matter , money doesn't matter , fame does not matter . He is always trying to absolutely be his best . He can't be swayed because he's already maxing out his potential . This dude is trying to PR every day of his life .

He's got a championship mindset and when you have a championship mindset , you embarrass the shitty ones and you make the great ones look normal . The final one is the commander . He basically has all the traits of a competitor , with one exception he brings people with him . Sala then asks his team which one are you ? You can't hide who you are .

Wow , those are inspirational words that really made me think . What level am I at , honestly ? What level are the people around me at ? Who have I surrounded myself with ? I believe that there have been days and periods in my life where , no doubt , I have been at least at the lowest levels .

I know and I can recall times where I have been merely a survivor or a contender . But there have also been times hopefully more often recently where I've worked to be a competitor . Now I don't know if my strengths lie as much in being a commander , but it is something I aspire to and will continue to work on .

I know some commanders in my life and they are truly able to inspire those around them to do their best . Now maybe the Jets no longer have the external motivation of others believing they can contend for a Super Bowl this year .

But if these circumstances would stop a contender from trying to succeed on a daily basis , a competitor would shrug off and continue to work at just as hard as if they believed a Super Bowl was within their grasp , by framing my daily work and looking at those around me within these four levels , regardless of the level of adversity , is something that is

inspirational and makes me want to step up and do better . So now the first game of the season is done and the heartbreak is palpable for Jets fans , for a team whose only Super Bowl trip and win was back in 1968 , over 50 years ago , and their last playoff appearance was in 2010, .

To see Aaron Rodgers get injured on the fourth play of the game after the buildup of training camp was absolutely devastating . And yet the Jets did manage to win the game , with some stellar performances in the second half and the admittedly horrific play of Bill's quarterback , josh Allen .

But for the rest of the year , one can either say same old Jets , hang your head and write the season off , or face this admittedly tremendous challenge head on and cheer for a team with a monumental amount of talent and heart and see what comes next .

I really loved watching the preseason show with Garrett Wilson , sauce gardener Xavier Gibson and the story of all these Jets players giving their maximum effort , and I am invested in seeing them continue to succeed , despite whatever odds they may face this year .

The beauty of sports for me has always been the human side and the inspirational performances that are captured both on and off the field . So , as they say in JetLife Stadium , j-e-t-s Jets , jets , jets , and hey , that still sounds pretty good to me . I hope you have a sports team with whom you're invested in their success , win or lose .

Who's your ride and die ? Let me know , except if you're a Cowboys fan who the Jets play . Next week you people can go pound sand . My weekly thankful is hot water , more specifically , showering in hot water . Lately I have been inundated with people around me doing cold plunges , buying ice by the bag full and dunking themselves in 40 degree tubs .

Every week there is someone at the gym extolling the virtues of cold baths , how awesome and pain free they feel after submerging themselves in ice cold water , and kudos to them . I'm sure there are amazing benefits from freezing your nethers in a glacial pool , but I am here to say that I will have none of it , at least for now .

The true indication that humans became civilized and moved on from barbaric times is the ability to heat water and wash in it , and I have no intention of giving up hot water and suffering like a caveman . For me , there's nothing more luxurious than taking a hot shower in the morning .

Most of my best ideas have come from inspiration while standing in the hot shower , and it's the only time of day where I have five minutes to truly relax , take some slow , deep breaths and to find my moments of zen before I have to face the world . And I like that water hot like almost scalding hot .

Open up those pores , maximize your calm and embrace the warmth of the spray . Bless your hearts . If you like the cold , I'll continue to enjoy the hot .

Are you a cold plunge aficionado ? I don't really need to hear from you because I already hear plenty from the people around me , but if you really want to try to convince me to try it too , feel free . And let me know One last thing thanks to all those who sent me their favorite CBD products after hearing me talk about CBD last week .

I will be trying all of them and maybe in the future I'll devote some time to what my experiences were with them . And , as always , dm me at Botox and Burpees podcast on Instagram or leave a comment at youtubecom . Slash at sign Botox and Burpees . Thank you , there we go .