'Leading the Way' Podcast: Steve Hatchell, CEO, National Football Foundation

With football season about to kick off, Steve Hatchell, CEO of the National Football Foundation, joins hosts Scott Murray and Angel Carlton for the latest edition of the business podcast series Leading the Way (now available on iTunes - simply search for "i4cp"). Highlighting the many parallels between football and business, Steve addresses the critical issues football organizations are facing today and what they’re doing to overcome them.  He gives us a glance at the future of the game and how being successful on the field leads to success in life.

About Steve Hatchell

Steve oversees a nationwide organization with 121 chapters in 47 states with more than 12,000 members who host more than 1,000 local annual events. During his tenure, the NFF has experienced remarkable growth, and his leadership has played a critical role in the opening of the state-of-the-art $68.5 million College Football Hall of Fame in the heart of Atlanta. He has also spearheaded the launch of the NFF Leadership Hall of Fame, which has helped raise and distribute millions of dollars for the NFF scholarship programs.

Key soundbites

• On becoming a leader– “I quickly learned I didn’t have all the answers.  I quickly learned that I didn’t have the experience.  But I could learn those things if I had an open mind.  It all starts with having an open mind and the ability to expand your horizons.”
• On diversity & inclusion – “It’s up to you to read the barcode of that person on your team , read that person properly, and say, ‘okay, if we’re going to get along and do this good thing…we’ve got to know each other and share those values as we go down the road.’”
• Advice to the next generation – “If you want to be the head of a corporation, if you want to be a commissioner, if you want to be something special in life then you have to realize sometimes you have to take two steps to the right.  Sometimes it’s a step to the left.  But always focus on where you’re going.”
• On team accountability – “You learn in football to be part of the team.  You learn what it is to overcome adversity.  You learn that if you don’t do your job, you have to let somebody down and you better be prepared mentally.”

About Leading the Way

Leading the Way is a weekly radio and podcast series that highlights influential business leaders and leading people practices from i4cp. Hosted by Emmy-award winning radio host Scott Murray and i4cp's Angel Carlton, the show feature interviews with respected business leaders, from Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt to "Shark Tank" investor Mark Cuban.

The show airs live each Sunday at 4pm CT on KLIF 570 in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and debuts on the i4cp website the following week.