Who’s Your Healthcare Quarterback?

You may not be the least bit interested in the NFL (or in sports at all). But sometimes, a sports metaphor is helpful in understanding something that’s important to each and every one of us. And if you’re just kicking off a health-related battle (pun intended) then stay with me as I explain your need for a “Healthcare Quarterback.”

Understanding the Quarterback’s Role

This week the NFL’s 32 teams kicked off their training camps as they begin preparation for the upcoming 2019 season. Every NFL team roster has 53 players on it. But there’s one position that has the greatest impact on the overall performance of the team: the quarterback. One of the primary goals coming out of training camp is for a team to have answered this important question: “Who is the Quarterback?”

So how does an NFL team evaluate quarterback talent? According to college and NFL talent evaluator Chris Landry, pro-quarterback prospects must have a combination of physical abilities and key intangibles. They include:

• Having total dedication to football
• Not being an excuse maker or seeker
• Inspiring confidence of his teammates
• Thoroughly understanding pro-style defenses how to beat these schemes
• Having the ability to read and react quickly and stay cool in the pocket
• Having the ability to remain calm and collected to changes in health or treatment status

In short, a quarterback is the team leader. He’s the person everyone will turn to in times of crisis. His success (or failure) will determine the team’s performance in the upcoming season.

Why You Need a Healthcare Quarterback

If you dealing with a major health issue (i.e., cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s etc.), you will likely have a team of people working to help you win the battle. But just like in football, there’s a need for one person to take the lead and be the decision maker throughout the process. That one person will have the greatest impact on your treatment and prognosis. In other words, you need a healthcare quarterback.

If you are thinking that your family doctor or oncologist will fill that role for you, you are in for a rude awakening. Healthcare services today are delivered in a manner similar to how a boutique-style business serves their customers; typically serving their niche market customer set only and not venturing far (if at all) from this familiar zone. Healthcare specialists provide services to their patients in their functional discipline –heart, pulmonary, oncology, anesthesia etc. – but there isn’t any one doctor that will act as your quarterback and navigate you through the healthcare bureaucracy.

How Do You Choose a Healthcare Quarterback

So, now that we know we need a healthcare quarterback, it’s time to start thinking about what characteristics this individual should possess.

Building on the characteristics of a successful quarterback in the NFL, you should look for someone that:

• Has the time and energy to dedicate to battling the condition
• Is organized, intelligent and decisive
• Inspires confidence in the healthcare team members
• Has the ability to understand complex medical procedures and jargon and how it relates to battling the condition

Before you make your decision, though, I have two additional pieces of advice.

1. Don’t exclude yourself from the list of healthcare quarterbacks.

In Know Your Enemy, the 1st edition, I wrote…

”Regarding my mother Maxine’s and wife Alyson’s battles with cancer, we learned early on that Max and Alyson, and not family members, were the real Generals [or for the purposes of this blog, the quarterbacks] controlling the battle. As such, we had to constantly reign in our personal desires and remember to live each day in the moment to stay in sync with Max’s and Alyson’s physical, emotional, and mental energies. This enlightened approach allowed us to reduce the anxiety and stress associated with a leadership void as well as delegate tasks to our troops in a more efficient manner.”

2. I highly advise against a two-quarterback system.

I could bore you with countless stories of failed attempts by college and NFL teams to implement a two-Quarterback system but this quote from John Madden, former American football and Super Bowl winning head coach, 2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and NFL sportscaster, states it best: “If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.”

Just like every football team needs a quarterback, your upcoming medical battle needs a person to take charge, make decisions, and keep everyone calm and in line during the most difficult moments.

In the NFL, it’s all about winning and losing, and often the quarterback’s play is the deciding factor in the outcome of a game. For your upcoming medical battle, the stakes are even higher. We’re not talking about a game, we’re talking about your life. You need to have complete confidence that the person you select as your healthcare QB is game-day ready and can take charge, make decisions, and lead your healthcare team to victory! So choose wisely.

It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over: 3 Truths About Remission

I woke up this morning thinking it was time to write another blog post. Just as that thought passed through my mind, two other phrases came to me: Yogi Berra’s famous “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over,” followed by the term “remission.” Why? Because they have a simpatico relationship.

This is an important topic as it relates to remission, but one that I didn’t cover in my book. Let me explain…

Is Remission the End of a Cancer Battle?

If you are a cancer patient or family member, every ounce of your being is probably hoping, praying and busting your tail to one day hear your doctor say… “I have good news. Your most recent test results indicate that your cancer is in remission.”

Remission, to those battling cancer, represents the end, the finish line and a cause for celebration. Or does it?

When I hear the word remission, I have a slightly different mindset and think of the phrase that Yogi Berra made famous… ”It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over.”

What do I mean by this?

It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

Remission Truth #1: Remission does represent the end of something: the end of the current treatment regimen.

Remission represents the successful completion of your treatment regimen and you should feel good about your effort and outcome. You must, however, never let your guard down in this battle against cancer and accept that additional scans and/or strategic treatment(s), may be required in the future depending on the cancer type.

Remission Truth #2: Remission does represent the finish line, the finish line for this phase of your cancer journey.

Remission represents the finish line for this phase of your cancer journey but doesn’t mean you should automatically go back to the life you had pre-diagnosis. After you give yourself some time to celebrate and re-charge your battery, you will also want to re-assess any lifestyle issues that may have been contributing factors to your cancer diagnosis – personal health issues, financial issues, stress-related issues, dysfunctional relationships, bad eating habits, etc. Since you are starting this next phase of your life with virtually a clean slate, now may be a good time to start the regular exercise program or get serious about losing the 10+ pounds you’ve been talking about. Or consider quitting the dead-end job or leaving the relationship that no longer brings you joy and happiness.

Remission Truth #3: Remission does represent a cause for celebration, a cause for celebrating life!

Yes, remission represents a significant accomplishment and cause for celebration with your cancer support team. You will also want to start living your life without everything being solely about cancer or its treatment. You had to put your life on hold temporarily to fight this formidable health opponent; now it’s time to begin making time for loved ones, or for doing things for yourself that you have always wanted to do. What are you waiting for?

So Is It Ever Over?

If you’re in remission, congratulations. You have won the battle. So show off your battle scars and be proud of what you’ve accomplished. Live life on your terms but also remember to never stop fighting!

Will Power: The Key to Self Determination

The human body is a highly complex and amazing piece of machinery that is seldom exercised to its fullest capacity. Additionally, the human body has a unique ability to transform itself, at any age. The secret to harnessing this awesomeness? Will power. And by that, I mean my friend, Will Mowrey, and his power principles. Let me explain.

The Story of Will Mowrey

Will Mowrey, one of my band of brothers, is truly an elite athlete -and an inspiration to us all, as he nears double nickels.  Here’s a little background on Will.

At 18, Will was competing as a power lifter on a national level. At his peak performance, he was 5’10,” weighed 258 lbs. and could max bench 500 lbs., squat 700 lbs., and dead-lift 600 lbs. As an aside, Will used to rep 225 lbs. over 30 times. To put that into perspective, Kansas State’s Alex Barnes set a new record of 34 reps at 225 lbs at the 2019 NFL combine. These numbers alone are enough to put Will in a very select athletic category but it gets better.

In 2004, at age 40, Will decided that he wanted to lose weight and transform his body from a physical strength machine to an aerobically-conditioned machine. So he took up jogging, which morphed into cycling after he broke his ankle.

Will’s first foray into cycling was on an old, ill-fitted Walmart mountain bike. His early rides were only 10+ miles, and required multiple stops. But this didn’t deter Will in the least. As his passion for cycling grew, his mileage and speeds increased, along with a desire for better technology (which resulted in a numerous bike upgrades).

Fast forward to 2019 … on a recent solo ride, a 178 lb. Will rode his Tour de France-style road-racing bike 82 miles in just over four hours. For the last six years, he has averaged 10,000 miles per year (or 60,000 total miles), with approximately 700,000 feet of climbing, per year. That’s the equivalent of riding up Mount Everest (elevation 29,035 feet) 24 times in one year.

Will rides, on average, 300 days a year and typically logs 220+ miles per week. All of this data has been logged and can be found on a special cycling software program, Strava. The facts are in: Will’s athletic achievements put him in an elite “freak” athlete category by any measurement criteria.

Will Power (and Will’s Power)

So how does Will maintain an elite-level cycling performance regimen in his 50’s? What lessons can others learn from him and apply in their own lives?

Will adheres to a very strict set of principles; which he uses to guide his life both on and off the bike.

Will’s P-O-W-E-R principles include:

Plan:  to define a way or approach to accomplish a goal(s).

Obsess:  to be single-minded in focus or purpose.

Will:  to impose your desires over an action or emotion.

Execute:  to perform a task or action to the best of your ability.

Resilient:  to adjust easily to difficulties or change.

Finding Your Own Will Power

I started this blog by saying the human body is an amazing and complex piece of machinery and has a unique ability to transform itself, at any age. It is my hope that this blog post both inspires you and motivates you to push yourself well-beyond your comfort zone, regardless of the endeavor, as my good friend Will Mowrey has demonstrated in his latest mastery of cycling.

In closing, I’d like to leave you with a quote credited to Darwin P. Kingsley as it relates to will power …”You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do, except the limitations of your own mind.”

Goal Setting & Attainment: 5 Secrets to Success

If you’re a competitive or professional athlete, you probably know a lot about goal setting (and achieving those goals). But if you’re not, I am going to share the life lessons I learned from a tremendous experience and privilege I had in my youth that set me on a path to successful goal setting and attainment.

I had the good fortune to participate in the Cumberland Valley High School football program under legendary head football coach Harry C. Chapman III. In the 1970’s and 80’s, Coach Chapman’s football program had an off-season workout component that would rival most 2019 major college football off-season conditioning programs.

The start of summer takes me back in time to the days spent taking part in Coach Chapman’s summer workout sessions with teammates in the CV gym and at the track.  And when I go back in time, I hear the same voice in my head that I heard 40 years ago, calling out his go-to words of encouragement…Fellas, get your weights!

The following quote, credited to former Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Tom Landry, provides readers with insight into Coach Chapman’s off-season program philosophy “… I believe in getting a team prepared so it knows it will have the necessary confidence when it steps on the field and be prepared to play a good game.” Coach Chapman’s off-season program emphasized the five following key goal-setting principles. Each one includes a “key takeaway” that you can use in your next goal setting exercise, whether that’s related to sports, business, a fight against cancer … or anything else in life.

Principal #1: Define Both Team and Individual Goals

Coach Chapman emphasized a team-first mentality, and the importance of individuals maximizing their athletic abilities for the betterment of the team. He would sit down with each player at the end of the school year and set specific strength, agility and conditioning exercise goals for their summer workout program.

Key takeaway #1: Have anyone responsible for achieving the desired goals participate in an exercise that sets both team and individual goals. This ensures buy-in, personal responsibility and accountability by all participants.

“You can’t hit a target you cannot see, and you cannot see a target you do not have.” – a Zig Ziglar favorite quote of close high school friend and teammate #85 Edward “Spike” Zionkofski

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Principal #2: Maintain Consistency and Dedication to Goals

Coach Chapman held morning and evening workout sessions every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the summer. It was understood that players would attend one session a day. And the sessions weren’t easy: They began with a weight-lifting period–players recorded the weight and reps attempted for each exercise–followed by a circuit of timed agility exercise stations set up in the gymnasium. After the agility circuit, Coach Chapman would take the players to the track for stretching and a recorded distance and/or a speed workout.

Key takeaway #2: Have a regular routine that everyone follows. This ensures a consistent level of effort is directed toward achieving their goals over an extended period.

“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter

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Principal #3: Establish Benchmark Testing and Reporting Procedures

Coach Chapman would test and record key exercises (e.g., half squats, single and five rep bench, 40 yard dash, mile run etc.) for all players throughout the summer. To motivate and inspire players, he would post charts on the walls listing all players and their personal best for each recorded exercise. He also recorded new personal bests in his highly-sought-after “blue ink.” These methods encouraged players to continually strive to receive “blue ink” and a “good effort” acknowledgement from Coach Chapman.

Key takeaway #3: Have a method of regularly monitoring and tracking your progress. This ensures that you are taking the right steps to achieve your goals. If you determine you are not on the right track, you can modify your strategy or plan to ensure you achieve the desired results.

“When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.” – Terry Bradshaw

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Principal #4: Create a Culture That Fosters Competition and Teamwork

Coach Chapman used to get really fired up when he was testing/recording players, especially when a player was attempting a new personal best. His enthusiasm was contagious, and often resulted in a crowd of teammates gathering around to encourage the player to succeed. Call it motivation, fear of embarrassment, or a sense of pride, but you always felt compelled to give it your all; and more importantly, to not let your teammates down.

Key takeaway #4: Establish a positive and competitive environment that fosters peak individual performance and team unity. This ensures a “team first” mindset and mentality for any team, group or organization

“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan

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Principal #5: Persevere, Persevere, Persevere

Coach Chapman’s football program emphasized the importance of perseverance in all activities, both on the football field and in the classroom. This phrasing–along with persistence, mental toughness, hard work and overcoming adversity–were commonly-repeated themes that you heard when you were in the presence of Coach Chapman.

Key takeaway #5: Have the physical and mental toughness, as well as intestinal fortitude, to overcome the challenges that occur in football, the classroom or in life. In summary, I have found that very little is given to us in life, and most successes are the result of hard work, persistence and perseverance.

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”- John Wooden

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Coach Harry C. Chapman III’s goal-setting principles and coaching philosophy has had a positive impact throughout my life and for that I am truly grateful. I believe that Coach Chapman’s goal setting principles can be used by anyone to help ensure that they not only meet–but exceed–their desired life goals.

A special thanks to my close grade school friends and teammates #13 Harry C. “Four” Chapman IV and #72 Brian “Bull” Bullock for their contributions to the creation of this blog.

Coach Chapman - Goal Setting
Harry C. Chapman III
Former Head Football Coach
Cumberland Valley High School

I would also like to acknowledge the countless hours the early 1980’s CV Football Coaching Staff — Coach Harry Chapman, Coach Butch Bricker, Coach Bob Crobak, Coach Ron Audo, Coach Joe Correal, Coach Tom Uhrich and Coach Jim Hess — invested in teaching young men how to compete and conduct themselves both on and off the football field.

Thank You Coach Chapman!
#82 Frank Antonicelli