Tom Tropp
Tom Tropp is the Vice President of Corporate Ethics for Arthur Gallagher Insurance Company. Tom, who admitted to not being an athlete, but having spent a "great deal of time" studying successful teams, share dad a very poignant talk with the Forester upperclassmen in Meyer Auditorium. Tom offered great advice on the "how to" side of the business world. He also referenced a strong list of five things that he felt every man in the room needed to embrace as part of their self awareness.
1. Be Mildly Paranoid. This serves as a strong reminder that your competition (both on the field and in the business world) is real. They want what you have, and they will try to get it at great cost.
2. Have A Sense Of Urgency. A strong reminder that "now" matters. There is no reason to put things off, and often times, if you put things off your competition will not. If this happens, see #1.
3. Practice self discipline. This is something that football players assume, and need to translate into other areas of their lives.
4. Develop a strong faith. Regardless of your beliefs, work at it, make it strong, and own it.
5. Find a mentor. This topic proved to be the most "talked about" by the players in the room. They inquired about what to look for in a mentor, when to look for a mentor, and how to select/approach someone to serve as their mentor.
Tom shared great stories of his time in the business world, but also anecdotes from professional sports, and left the men in the room thinking critically about a great many things.
Steve Alley
The Foresters final speaker for the 2014 preseason was 2x NCAA National Champion Hockey player, Steve Alley. Alley, a 1976 Olympian, and graduate of the University of Wisconsin, continued his hockey career in the NHL after playing collegiately. Alley, a former broker with Morgan Stanley, currently serves as the President of the Alley Company, a private equity and investment firm. This was Alley's 2nd time in front of the Forester Football team, having spoke to them in 2009. Alley's talk with the team centered around the skills that they could learn as well as bring to the team, that would carry over into the business world.
One chord that struck with several players and coaches was Alley's goal to see individuals as "Every-Dayers." Consistent performers, consistent effort, consistent result achievers, are the most desirable individuals to someone who is hiring, promoting, or coaching. Alley, also shared characteristics of a competitive side that spoke, not only to his time as an athlete, but also observations he made watching his daughters compete. Two of Alley's daughters were on the National championship lacrosse teams at Northwestern University, while his third daughter played at Boston College. Discipline, and a desire to win, were a focus of the final portion of his talk.
Alley speaking to the team.
