Hand-painted in blue letters on a 36″ x 48″ sign located in a stairwell between the Notre Dame locker room and the tunnel leading out to the football field is a sign that reads, “Play Like A Champion Today.”
Head football coach Lou Holtz asked for it to be painted and hung there so that all players would touch it on the way out to the field. Â It is one of the most meaningful traditions at The University of Notre Dame.
Coach Holtz said,
“I’m going to put it in the same place [as it used to be] and everybody is going to hit it on the way out to the field to remind them of all the sacrifices they have made, their families have made and other people have made for them to be there.”
It also serves as a reminder of how important it is to play like a professional.
Traditions like Play Like A Champion Today are meaningful to me because I’m from South Bend, home of the Fighting Irish, and grew up around Notre Dame football.
I’ve been thinking about this phrase lately, and how it pertains to what you and I do every day in our respective fields.
Aren’t we called upon to play like champions every day?
Just like Notre Dame football players are called upon to play like champions for their school, their team, their fans, and their families, we are called upon to play like champions on behalf of our firms, companies, colleagues, clients, and families.
Among other characteristics, playing like a champion means:
- Conducting ourselves professionally…toward our clients, our potential clients, our colleagues, our service providers, those we manage, those to whom we report, and all we come in contact with
- Acting with integrity….by being honest and trustworthy when we do business
- Making informed decisions....by researching, learning, listening to others, looking all around us for signs, changes, and developments, then acting accordingly
- Playing to our strengths….and exhibiting them when the time is right
- Strengthening our weaknesses… when we recognize we need them to support our clients.
Take a moment. Â Picture champions you know, in any field of play, on the court or off, in the boardroom or not, part of the partnership or not, and picture what makes them a champion in your mind.
Now, please take another moment and share those characteristics here with all of us.
What does it mean to you to Play Like A Champion Today?
About Nancy Myrland
Nancy Myrland is a Marketing and Business Development Advisor, specializing in Content, Social & Digital Media. She helps lawyers grow their practices by integrating the most important marketing practices to build their reputations and relationships, which in turn leads to the growth of their practices.
Highly regarded internationally as a top independent* LinkedIn consultant, Nancy is a highly respected LinkedIn trainer and content marketing specialist. She helps lawyers, law firms, and legal marketers learn and implement content, social, and digital media strategies that cut through the clutter, making them more relevant to their current and potential clients.
She is also a personal branding speaker, trainer, and advisor, helping legal and business professionals understand the importance and the impact of defining and reinforcing their personal brands.
Nancy is also the founder of The Linked Course*, a hybrid self-study and online course about LinkedIn, where she personally guides lawyers through the sequential creation of their LinkedIn profile and presence.*
As an early and consistent adopter of social and digital media and technology, she also assists firms with blogging, podcasting, video marketing, voice marketing, livestreaming, and AI discernment. Nancy also works with numerous firms and lawyers on Zoom and virtual presentation training and coaching to help them excel when presenting online.
She also helps lead select law firms through their online social and digital media strategy when handling high-stakes, high-profile cases and executive orders.
Long story short, Nancy is an integrated marketing specialist, spending her time helping lawyers and legal marketers with:
- LinkedIn Profile and Presence
- Podcast Launches and Consulting
- Content Marketing Strategy
- Marketing and Business Development Plans
- AI Discernment
- Personal Branding, and
- Zoom and Virtual Presentation Training and Coaching
*Nancy is not an employee or consultant hired by LinkedIn, although she was named a LinkedIn Top Voice on the platform in 2024! Top Voices is an invitation-only program featuring a global group of experts on LinkedIn covering a range of topics across the professional world, helping members uncover valuable knowledge relevant to them. Top Voices was previously known as the Influencer program before October 2022. Top Voices are vetted to ensure that they meet high trust standards, are consistently active on the platform, and share valuable expertise through content that demonstrates their unique, original contributions to a topic.