057 Leigh Steinberg - Winning in Sports and in Life with Integrity

Understanding the Human Condition

In this episode, Dr. Flowers and Robin welcome to the show American sports agent and the inspiration for the titular character, Jerry Maguire, Leigh Steinberg. Leigh has represented over 150 professional athletes in football, baseball, basketball, boxing, and Olympic sports. He has represented the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft a record eight times, a milestone unmatched within the sports industry. His client list has included Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Leinart, Ricky Williams, Howie Long, Dusty Baker, Oscar de la Hoya, and John Starks, to name just a few.

Today, Leigh takes Dr. Flowers and Robin through his illustrious career, touching on some of the peaks and valleys as well as what has kept him motivated throughout the years. They discuss the art of active listening, the concept of winning with integrity and the importance of having a plan and sticking to it consistently. Leigh opens up about his own struggles with addiction as well as the work he’s done to help other athletes suffering from addictions of their own. Finally, Leigh speaks to a crisis of conscience he experienced mid-way through his career and what he did to ensure his work aligned with his values.

Key Takeaways

01:29 – Leigh Steinberg shares his connection to the film, Jerry Maguire

04:53 – Robin shares a quick rundown of Leigh’s accomplishments

06:14 – Leigh expounds on the topics of his two books, Winning with Integrity and The Agent

09:08 – The art of active listening

11:58 – Core values and lessons Leigh learned from his father

14:35 – The highest and lowest points of Leigh’s professional career

16:32 – The secret to Leigh’s successful sobriety

17:35 – Leigh’s work in Traumatic Brain Injury and brain health

20:39 – Leigh speaks to his own struggles with addiction and how he helps athletes suffering from addiction

24:34 – Leigh shares his daily habits and routines

26:54 – Leigh discusses his experience with Stem Cell implants

28:58 – Advice Leigh would give to young men and women looking to pursue a career in sports agentry or other sports-related professions

32:20 – Leigh weighs in on the incredible success of Nick Saban

32:53 – Dr. Flowers and Robin thank Leigh for joining the show and let listeners know where to follow him

Tweetable Quotes

“Winning with Integrity is a book designed to help people negotiate in their own lives. And it’s the twelve principles of negotiating. And it speaks to the fact that, if you can listen - if you have the ability to draw out in another human being and understand their deepest anxieties and fears and their greatest hopes and dreams - and put yourself in the other person’s heart and mind, then you can create a deal, you can set a relationship, you can navigate through life gracefully.” (06:27)

“My brothers and I were hardwired to believe that there were two critical values other than spiritual ones. And the first was to treasure relationships, especially family. The second was to make a meaningful difference in the world and target problems and help people who couldn’t help themselves.” (12:11)

“Back in the early 90s I had held the first Concussion Conference. I brought together Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Warren Moon, Drew Bledsoe and a series of football players and talked with them about the dangers of concussions and try to raise awareness and think about prevention and ways to cut down on the number.” (18:12)

“But the key is this, for a young person you need to find a way to distinguish yourself from other people. You need to do an internship or something unique. And so, to do that you need to put yourself in the heart and mind of the General Manager, the Owner, the Agent - whoever it is you’re going to work for - and figure out how you’re gonna enhance their life and make their life better.” (30:42)

“The key to winning in sports is having a plan and executing it and being stable with it.” (32:43)

Resources Mentioned

JFlowers Health Institute – https://jflowershealth.com/

JFlowers Health Institute Contact – [phone]

Subscribe on your favorite player: https://understanding-the-human-condition.captivate.fm/listen

Leigh’s Website – https://steinbergsports.com/en/

Leigh’s Books:

The Agent –

https://www.amazon.com/Agent-40-Year-Career-Making-Changing/dp/125006774X/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=125006774X&psc=1

Winning with Integrity –

https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Integrity-Getting-Without-Selling/dp/0812932439

🎙️🎙️🎙️

Podcast Production & Marketing by FullCast

8surzndVrAq8F0azvLnu

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy