COACHES CORNER


Being ‘ALL IN’ takes strong level of devotion, dedication


The best athletes or the most successful people in the world all have one thing in common: a total commitment to success


By Steve Fraser, past U.S. National Greco-Roman Coach What does being “ALL IN” really mean? In my mind, it means being totally dedicated and committed


to the task and thus the goal. Giving every ounce of everything that one has in their body and human fabric is what ALL IN means. Let’s face it, the best athletes or most successful people in the world all have one thing in common. They are ALL IN!


Committed, devoted, steadfast, unswerving, dedicated, fanati- cal, obsessive, passionate are all core words that represent the main ingredient when it comes to creating one’s success. Committed, devoted and dedicated to the effort is paramount, plus being steadfast and unswerving when adversity hits. Fanatical and obsessive in one’s preparation will move one ahead of the pack. And of course, PASSIONATE! One must love what he/she is doing and must be passionate about what they are trying to accomplish.


It is hard to practice all of the above core words if one doesn’t have the deep love and desire to accomplish the goal. For most of us, wrestling is a choice, and we self-manage our careers. We do listen to coaches and we seek out knowledge from experts and other resources. However, we are in control of our actions and our overall careers. We control whether or not we put in the extra miles or do the extra work. We control who and what we listen to. We determine what we eat and how we live our personal lives. Unlike if we worked for a company or someone else, we run our own “business” of wrestler/athlete.


One thing I learned from being in the corporate world for 10 years was that RESULTS matter. No excuses, no complaining, no hiding! Your results matter and are being reviewed and analyzed by the top executives in the company. After winning my Olympic gold medal in 1984 and retiring from wrestling, I went to work for pizza mogul Thomas S. Monahan who founded Domino’s Pizza in 1960 in Ypsilanti, Michigan.


I learned very quickly during my time there how the corporate world worked.


It didn’t matter who you were, or what your name was, or what previous credentials you may have had, or who you were


34 USA Wrestler friends with.


The bottom line was this – what were your “RESULTS” today? If you could produce results for the company in your specific area of responsibility, then you were safe. If you produced little or no real results, then you were at risk. I knew very well that it did not mat- ter how close I was with particular bosses, or how strong of a friend- ship I had with my superiors, or how many hours I worked… if I produced NO results than, BANG!, I would be fired.


Steve Fraser


Sound harsh? It may sound harsh, but understand one thing… in my experience, in the cor- porate world it is “produce” or “step aside.” There are tons of young, enthusiastic upstarts that are hungry to climb the corpo- rate ladder. Many corporations pay their operations people good money to produce. Many give their employees some growth time.


But I would say the grace period in most cases is shorter rather than longer. It is “life in the fast lane,” as I like to refer to it.


During my 10 years with the Domino’s organization, I was involved with many aspects of the company. My responsibilities included everything from recruiting, to training, to public rela- tions, and to store operations. Just prior to coming back to the wrestling world, I established and directed Dominos Pizza's most elite corporate stores. These stores were called the Flagship Academy Stores. Even after 10 years with fairly nice success in the various areas of my focus, I knew if I did not perform as the company expected, I would be let go.This was the best training that I could have ever received.


No excuses - just get the job done. You had no choice but to be “ALL IN.” That “ALL IN” attitude is the key to creating a lifestyle and


reputation that funnels one to the top of their field. There is little room for half-hearted effort and less than total commitment at the top. This is why many wrestlers become very successful in business.


Most wrestlers have that “ALL IN” mentality that can be called relentless.


I encourage all of us to be ALL IN, living life with abandon and wrestling with abandon! Let’s take hold of our careers in a way where we jump in with both feet, never looking back, just looking forward at the current mountain we want to climb.


Remember what I wrote in my last column; “You do know that none of us are getting out of here alive anyway, right?” Choose ALL IN! As always... Enjoy the Battle & Expect to Win!


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