Episode 20: Jeff Kemp: Facing Your Blitzes

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In this episode of The Manage Your Message Podcast, host Jim Karrh interviews Jeff Kemp, a speaker and adviser who gained much of his insight and experience from being raised by an NFL quarterback/political icon and then becoming an NFL quarterback for 11 years himself. Jeff Kemp loves to help people and businesses to better understand and implement leadership, humility, teamwork, and clarity in their messaging. He is the author of Facing the Blitz: Three Strategies for Turning Trials Into Triumphs. He moved to Little Rock to work with an organization called FamilyLife, and he actually became Jim Karrh’s neighbor!

Jim begins by asking Jeff what it was like to grow up with a famous father like Jack Kemp. Jack taught and expected his son to be a leader, which young Jeff took to heart (and often placed more pressure on himself than his father would have wanted). His father didn’t equate leadership with Jeff’s ranking on the roster, but rather demonstrated his view of leadership through his teamwork mentality and treatment of all people with dignity.

Through his own experiences as a football player, Jeff also learned the value of having people who speak truth to you and the value of owning mistakes/taking responsibility. Through his time playing for coach Bill Walsh, he saw in action that in professional teams, in marriages – wherever a team is operating – it is best for the team for each member to act as an investor rather than a consumer. That means appreciating the sacrifices and contributions of others rather than only looking at one’s own role in the team. This approach, along with a clear sense of the big picture of what the team is doing and the motivation behind it, will help to create a sense of trust and teamwork.

Jim asks Jeff about the lessons he conveys through his book, Facing the Blitz. Jeff says that listeners need to know “blitzes,” taken as a metaphor for crises, are coming. These crises come with pressure but also with important opportunities. Among the areas where blitzes tend to appear in business today is excessive busyness; this threatens to undermine conversations and relationships. Even when the business appears successful, an overly busy entrepreneur can lose the hearts of colleagues and family members. One way in which Jeff coaches leaders and organizations to find the opportunity in blitzes is through what he calls the Champion’s Huddle.

Links:

Learn more about Jim Karrh: https://jimkarrh.com/

Follow Jim on Twitter @JimKarrh

Connect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkarrh

You can also email Jim at jim@kimkarrh.com to see how Jim can support you and your business!

Listen and subscribe to the Manage Your Message podcast: https://jimkarrh.com/podcast/

Find Jeff Kemp’s book, Facing the Blitz: http://facingtheblitz.com/

Learn about the Jeff Kemp Team: http://jeffkempteam.com/

Email Jeff: Jeff@jeffkempteam.com