Blog | Nathan Whitaker

Lessening Super Bowl Distractions

by Nathan Whitaker | Feb 2, 2023 | Blog, football, leadership, Resilience, teambuilding, teamwork

Such an exciting times for members of the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles! Last Sunday both qualified for the Super Bowl, and they are heading to Glendale, Arizona for the game. We went through the same thing twenty years ago when I was in the scouting...

Fired Into the Great Wide Open

by Nathan Whitaker | Jan 17, 2023 | Blog, football, relationships, Resilience

This week in 2004, I was fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bruce Allen had just replaced Rich McKay as General Manager, and I was a “McKay Guy,” weary from two years of internal battles between head coach Jon Gruden and Rich (as well as the rest of us in...

Twists and Turns of the UNCommon Variety

by Nathan Whitaker | Aug 20, 2022 | Blog, football, leadership, relationships, teamwork

I’m sure my Duke Football teammates will think I’m nuts. (I probably am, but I’d argue for other reasons.) A week ago, I found myself on the practice field at the University of North Carolina, where my daughter is starting graduate school. We visited...

I Thought It Was Only Ice Cream

by Nathan Whitaker | Apr 12, 2022 | Blog, leadership, teambuilding, teamwork

I thought we were just getting ice cream. I certainly didn’t think I’d be getting a reminder in mission, vision and values. Our youngest daughter had rowed in the state sculling competition earlier that day, so here we were, figuring we’d chase...

You Can’t Aim It

by Nathan Whitaker | Apr 5, 2022 | Blog, Resilience

A friend often reminds me of that truism, one that was taught to me when I was still playing baseball myself. When I pitched, I was taught to “throw it, don’t aim it,” which sounds a little strange on its face. The concept is simple and makes sense:...

Spring Cleaning Our Alignment

by Nathan Whitaker | Feb 28, 2022 | Blog, leadership, teambuilding, teamwork, Uncategorized

There’s a beautiful oak tree in the median in front of our house. It’s an old live oak with branches that meander and cause us to sweat a bit during hurricane season. So far, the only issues we’ve had with it have been out front cleaning up its leaves. Early each year...