Stu Crum - Applying lessons from sport to leadership

Resilience Unravelled

In this episode of Unravelled Stu Crum talks about how after an injury interrupted three-year career in the NFL and USFL, transitioned to a highly successful career in business. Stu realised early in his athletic career that his athletic abilities would not last forever and he needed to plan for life after sports. He focused on his studies and after graduation, he joined Texaco and quickly climbed the ranks due to his operational focus, leadership skills, and intentionality.

Stu attributes his success in leadership to the lessons he learned from sport and how he applied them to his business career. He also explores the importance of perspective in life and the role of intentionality in achieving success in various areas.

Main topics

• How Stu’s experience as a kicker taught him about perseverance, resilience, and leadership
• Why people who reach a professional level in sports or the performing arts may feel lost or without the same rush as before when they decide to stop
• Learning from failures and the significance of perspective in sports and life
• The importance of perspective in life and how it is developed over time
• Why losing perspective, particularly in today's social media-driven world, is dangerous and can lead to making bad decisions and a false sense of reality
• The evolution of the CEO role and the importance of being a generalist with a deep understanding of various functional areas
• Having a sense of purpose, making conscious choices, and being accountable for the consequences
• The concept of intentionality including purpose, priorities, distractions, harmony, self-reflection, responsibility, grit, and a smile

Action items

You can find out more about Stu at www.stucrum.com. His book is "Aim for the Uprights: The Intentional Playbook for Success in Faith, Family, and Business," which offers a playbook for success based on his personal experiences.