#07: Thoughts on Leadership: Texas Travels

By Gino Blefari

This week, I was in Dallas for the launch of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices PenFed Realty Texas.

As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas, and this event was no exception. Held at the 80,000-seat, 2.3-million-sq.-ft. AT&T Stadium, the event was an incredible opportunity to meet new agents and celebrate an important milestone for the PenFed Realty Texas team.

I have to say, even as a season ticket holder at the brand-new Levi’s® Stadium, where my San Francisco 49ers play, I was impressed by the grandeur and awe-inspiring design of AT&T Stadium, home to the Dallas Cowboys. From one of the 350+ suites, I looked down at the field and it made me think back more than three decades ago, when Tom Landry’s Cowboys played at Candlestick Park, scene of one of the most dramatic conference championship games in NFL history …

Let me set the stage: It’s Jan. 10, 1982, fourth quarter, 58 seconds left and the 49ers faced third down and 3 at the Cowboys’ 6 yard line. Dallas led 27-21. Coach Landry was six yards away from his sixth Super Bowl and, of course, the upstart 49ers were six yards away from Pontiac, MI, where Super Bowl XVI would be played. In the words of Broadcaster Vin Scully:

“[Quarterback Joe] Montana … Looking … Looking … Throwing into the end zone … Clark caught it! It’s a madhouse at Candlestick …”

Wide Receiver Dwight Clark, an obscure 10^th-round draft pick in the 1979 draft—the 249^th player chosen—went on to become Sports Illustrated NFL Player of the Year in 1982. “The Catch” gave him the confidence to overcome all odds and win five Super Bowl championships with the 49ers, two as a player and three with management.

Yes, it might seem a little strange to be thinking of such a classically San Francisco moment and athlete when standing in the very place the Dallas Cowboys call home, but here’s the message: Whether it’s winning the pivotal game, making a super-human catch or achieving in business, realizing you have the potential to succeed is oftentimes all you need to make it happen.

GINO BLEFARI is incoming CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.