Three Lessons from Brock Purdy

Almost one year ago, I wrote a blog titled, Brock Purdy: Mr. Irrelevant on the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Brock Purdy, soon after he lost the NFC Championship game to the Philadelphia Eagles in January 2023. The article chronicled his gut-wrenching, brutal arm injury ending his team’s chances to win the penultimate game of the NFL season.

I predicted he would fully recover and make it to the Super Bowl this year.

He did. The game is tomorrow.

Not only did Mr. Purdy bring his team to the Super Bowl this year, but he won virtually every statistical category a quarterback can win in the NFL this year. 

In fact, it was announced yesterday that he won the prestigious FEDEX Air Award for NFL Player of the Year. 

Purdy was first in Quarterback Rating (QBR) and first in yards per attempt.  He also broke 49er legend and Hall of Famer, Joe Montana’s franchise record for passer rating (113.0).  He is a finalist for the NFL MVP Award to be announced soon.

The Super Bowl game is the NFL’s crowning achievement and will be played this Sunday in Las Vegas against the highly touted, Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahommes and Travis Kelce…with Taylor Swift looking on.

So how did Brock Purdy make this improbable comeback to lead his team to America’s biggest sporting event of the year?  And what can we learn from this?

Grit:  The injury Brock Purdy suffered in last year’s NFL Championship game was so serious many thought he would never be able to throw a football again. 

Soon after his surgery, he dedicated every minute of every day to his rehabilitation and physical therapy.  He kept an open mind, and hired the best experts in the medical field to direct his recovery efforts.  He even monitored his sleep every night to make sure he got the precise amount of sleep necessary to heal his body. 

In short, he became laser-focused on getting back to the championship game.  Nothing got in his way.  To the surprise of everyone, he was back on the football field in July 2023 throwing a football again.  Miraculous.

In my recruiting business, I look for these same kinds of people.  The workers who are laser-focused on the task at hand.  The ones who consistently give it all they have and go above and beyond the call of duty in their jobs.  These are same people, who, like Brock Purdy, rise to senior leadership roles in their organizations.  The quarterback, if you will, of their team.

Team Player:  Unlike most super-stars in the sports and entertainment industry, Brock Purdy is the ultimate team player.  In his post-game press conferences, he always takes the blame for the bad plays others make, but assigns praise to others for all the good things that happened on the field that day.  It is inspirational to watch this man’s unselfish manner. 

It reminds me of some of the truly great sales producers I come across from time to time working in an insurance agency.  The rain-making sales guy makes a big sale, but instead of basking in the limelight, he makes it a point that it was a collective effort of the account managers and other support personnel who helped him close the deal. Some even share their commissions with their account management colleagues. The end result is a very successful sales organization comprised of people all seeking the same thing: to win.

Power, Status, and Money:  The one attribute of Brock Purdy that really impresses me is how self-aware and comfortable he is in his own skin.  And it’s genuine.

He worries about only what he can control and is not concerned with what others think of him nor is he wrapped up in the trappings of success.  Brock is very humble.  He is a man of Faith. He’s his own man.

I have worked with billionaires and Captain's of Business in the past. Most of them are miserable.

Brock carries himself on and off the field is truly inspiring and a role model that we can all get behind. 

How refreshing Brock Purdy is in today’s society.

Thank you, Brock Purdy.

We wish you luck on Sunday!