Our Thinking

 Both on the football field and in business, I’ve been fortunate enough to be around some incredible leaders. There was Bud Grant, but also coaches like Vince Lombardi and Don Shula. Outside of football, I got to learn from business geniuses like Sam Walton, Steve Jobs, and Bernie Marcus.  They were all very different,…

 In February 2020, nearly everyone on the Tarkenton team was working in one place. We all came into the office five days a week, from the start of the day to the end. Little did we know that just a few weeks later, that would change – and that shift has continued to this…

 Whenever I’m going about my daily life looking to do business with someone, one of the most important qualities (maybe the most important quality) that I look for is what kind of service they provide. It doesn’t matter whether I’m looking for new shoes, a nice dinner, or the latest gadget: my experience as…

One of my early businesses was in the advertising industry. I came up with the idea after a long flight, and quickly succeeded in finding partners and customers to make it a reality. We would sell ads to print on airplane ticket jackets. The fundamental advertising principle we were following was to show up where…

 I’ve never believed in “selling.” I’ve never been one for all the hard-hitting aggressive sales strategies: the hard sell, arm-twisting that we’re all too familiar with. What do I believe in, then? I believe in relationships built on trust. We’re more likely to do business with people we know, like, and trust. So my…

 After my 18 years in the NFL, I’m no stranger to game plans changing. Every game that I played, we had a specific plan based on our opponent and what we wanted to do each week. But the adjustments weren’t just game to game – once we kicked off, we adjusted things quarter to…

 People often associate me and my football career with scrambling. But what people might not realize is that’s not how I played in high school or college; I developed that style when I arrived in the NFL, and it came from a very specific need. In my rookie season, the inaugural season for the…

I learned very early in my life that I don’t know everything. When I want to learn about something, I seek out someone who is a real expert, I ask questions, and I listen. It’s a simple formula that’s proven successful.  During my NFL days, I tried my best to be a sponge for learning—and…

 In the 2000 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots decided to select a quarterback in the 6th round. That late in the draft, they weren’t looking for a starter; they already had former #1 pick Drew Bledsoe. They didn’t even need a backup; they had two other quarterbacks on the roster, too. But head…

One of my favorite parts of being an NFL quarterback was getting to install the offense every year during training camp. Football is a constant chess match between offenses and defenses, and there were some truly exceptional defenses during that era, so it was a real challenge to find ways to beat them.  During my…