The Reps Still Matter — Even More For Veterans

The Drift: Urgency to Comfortable

The summer of 2006 changed everything.

I walked into my first NFL training camp as a late-round draft pick, and every rep felt like a lottery ticket. Every snap, every drill, every walkthrough carried the weight of my future. I never knew if I’d get another chance.

That urgency sharpened everything.

I studied harder. I moved faster. I absorbed details most guys overlooked. When you’re not guaranteed the next rep, you treat the one in front of you like it can change everything.

But over time, success has a way of making the impossible feel routine.

You secure your spot, build trust, and suddenly you can decide which reps matter most. You still prepare. You still perform. But you ration your energy—stepping out on plays you’ve run a hundred times so someone else can get depth.

That comfort is earned, but it’s not free. Because the moment the environment changes, the reps you once mastered may no longer apply. And the comfort zone you built to protect yourself starts working against you.

When the Game Changes Without Warning

That’s where we are now in business — whether your in leadership, sales, or investing, etc. The ground is moving under our feet. What worked—even just a few years ago—no longer guarantees traction.

Shifts are coming faster, sharper, and with fewer warning signs.

One quarter you’re competing on cost. The next you’re competing on speed. The quarter after that you’re competing on trust in an AI-driven market where scale can be built in days.

• Markets are volatile — price swings, tariffs, and geopolitical shifts can rewrite forecasts overnight.

• Technology is collapsing timelines — AI is reshaping workflows, compressing months of execution into days, and redefining the skills that still hold value.

• Capital is moving differently — investor priorities, deal flow, and valuation models are shifting faster than most playbooks can update.

And none of these forces move in isolation—they stack, they collide, and they ripple through industries in unpredictable ways.

Your role may not have changed. But the environment around you has. And that means the reps you’ve relied on are no longer a guarantee—they’re a test of whether you can step back into rookie mode and earn them all over again.

The Rookie Mindset

A rookie mindset treats every rep as if it could change the outcome.

Curiosity keeps you open. Discipline keeps you sharp. Together, they create separation.

It’s not about nostalgia for how you used to grind. It’s about discipline in an environment that rewards speed, adaptability, and perspective.

That mindset shows up when you:

• Value every rep, even the ones you think you’ve mastered

• Ask questions that challenge your own assumptions

• Unlearn habits that no longer fit the context

• Apply your experience in ways the current game demands—not the way the old one rewarded

My CVP Reset

I am relearn this lesson firsthand as I build CVP.

When I stepped away from venture work in 2020-2021, the sports investment space still felt like a narrow lane.

Startups were the main way in. Sports betting was the only lane producing real exits. Youth sports was still figuring out digital. League and team valuations were steady, not surging.

Then the landscape shifted—fast…

• Private equity started buying into every major league

• Alternative investments went mainstream

• Sports media deals pushed valuations to historic highs

• Emerging leagues positioned themselves to catch the overflow

If I came back running my old playbook, I’d be behind before I even hit the field. So I went back into rookie mode—scouting the new terrain, stress-testing assumptions, and creating my own reps when I couldn’t find them.

In this business environment, what still “works” can quietly become the thing holding you back.

Situational Awareness as Separation

Experience alone doesn’t guarantee growth—it just fills the memory bank.

The value comes when you convert experience into situational awareness: the ability to filter, test, and apply in real time. That process looks like this:

1. Internal: You’ve evolved. Which experiences are true assets in this moment, and which ones create blind spots?

2. External: The environment has shifted. How does that change your role, your leverage, or even your relevance?

3. Applied: Test your insights. Validate them. Adjust quickly before the next shift forces you to.

The rookie mindset accelerates this cycle. The more you run it, the faster you move from information → insight → anticipation.

And in today’s market, anticipation isn’t optional. It’s the separator.

Create the Reps. Earn It Again.

Sometimes, the game won’t hand you the reps you need. You have to create them.

That might mean volunteering for the project outside your lane, breaking your own process just to rebuild it cleaner, or putting yourself in rooms where you’re not the most fluent voice.

The reps you manufacture under pressure often become the ones that set you apart when it matters most. And they carry a deeper lesson: you don’t need to erase your past playbook, but you do need to rewrite the parts that no longer fit the game you’re in.

That’s what a rookie mindset really is—choosing to earn it all over again, even when you don’t “have to.” Especially when you don’t have to.

Ready to take the next step?

Whether you're pivoting careers, scaling your business, or redefining your next chapter, I help growth-minded professionals and organizations turn potential into sustainable success.

🚀 Learn more about my Thinking Partnership program →
Work with me 1:1 to uncover blind spots, build clarity, and create a personalized game plan that positions you for uncommon performance.

🛠️ Book me as a speaker or facilitator for your organization →
Looking to energize your team or leadership group? Book me for a custom session that delivers real results that move the needle.