10 Ways Former NFL Linebacker-Turned-Entrepreneur Sam Barrington Says Leaders Can Overcome Obstacles

The former pro athlete says he’s applied these tactics to sports and business.

(Sam Barrington on stage at the MES Spring Summit in Orlando, Fla.)

Drafted by the Green Bay Packers and a player with the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, Sam Barrington’s rise to athletic superstardom was ended by several injuries. Here is how having a “growth mindset” not only helped him persevere as an entrepreneur, but how IT leaders can use it for career success.

Speaking on stage at the MES Spring Summit in Orlando, Fla., Sunday. Barrington detailed his journey from his “crazy childhood” to his NFL career and his eventual turn to entrepreneurship.

The son of immigrants became a star high-school athlete and then a college football player. It was during his college career that he would face a major stumbling block.

As a college student, Barrington said he got arrested for a suspended license, leading to “the only game I missed in my college career,” he said.

“As it’s time for me to start preparing for the NFL draft, here I am with my license revoked, "he said.

A woman agent he hired at the time helped him get his license and blossoming football career back on track.

Barrington also became a father at 18 years old. Yet, despite the turbulence in his young years, he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.

Then came another setback.

“We get to week nine in my rookie year ... just waiting for my opportunity, and I pulled my hamstring,” he said. “Unfortunately, my rookie year ended pretty quickly.”

Barrington said he suffered additional injuries including when he was with the Packers as they faced off against the New England Patriots and their star quarterback, Tom Brady, and when he was playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. He ended up with the New Orleans Saints where another injury would propel him to take his life in another direction.

He went back to his alma mater, the University of South Florida, and enrolled in an MBA program.

“It was crazy,” he said. “I had never used Excel before I got there. The first course was data and analytics, and I was like, ‘Bro, I’m cooked.’ Unfortunately, it was a team-based cohort,” and he joined up with classmates to get through the coursework, just like joining a sports team, he said.

Barrington’s father had long been in the construction industry and after seeking advice from him, he decided to launch his own construction firm.

In 2019, Barrington founded Sky Limit Crane & Rigging.

“We have three pillars of service: industry, education/job placement and investment opportunities,” he said about the company.

A major focus is helping place former professional athletes in positions in the construction industry, Barrington said.

He attributes the success of his company to what he learned during his journey to becoming a pro athlete—tenets he said can help any business leader:

• Have a growth mindset, “which is the belief that talent and intelligence are not fixed but can be developed through hard work, learning and perseverance.”
• Delegate. “Delegation is important. The way we become great business owners and leaders is we’ve got to know how to delegate. But we can’t delegate with the intent to make our lives easier. We’ve got to delegate with the intent to empower others.”
• Realize that falling into a “fixed mindset” can result in “avoiding feedback.”
• The other dangers of that mindset are the creation of “a focus of fear, stagnation and blame, stifling innovation and destroying team morality.”
• See challenges as “opportunities to grow.”
• “Celebrate effort, not just results.”
• Set “stretch goals, goals that are achievable but push you outside your comfort zone.”
• Detach your identity from outcomes. “You’re not your mistakes or your successes.”
• View failure as feedback. “Redefine failure as a data point, not a dead end.”
• Lead with vulnerability. “Share your growth journey openly, show your team [that it’s] safe to try, build and improve.”