Scoring in the Red Zone : How to Lead Successfully When the Pressure Is On [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Spencer Tillman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 2005

In business and in every other area of life, we encounter many Red Zones-situations where the pressure is on and our "wiggle room" is limited. It's there where we have to draw on preparation, experience, and strength of character if we hope to reach our objective. We need a solid game plan -- and that's exactly what Scoring in the Red Zone provides. Through personal anecdotes, illustrations from sports, and timeless wisdom, Spencer Tillman challenges you and your team to win when the pressure is on.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

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Introduction
A Marathon Walk with God

When the man who was about to end my mother's life entered her hospital room on January 23, 2002, the thirty people crammed around her bedside fell silent. All we could hear was the rhythmic wheezing of the respirator as it kept what was left of LaRue Helen Tillman alive. Mother, wife, missionary, friend of rich and poor alike, but now there was nothing left of her but an empty vessel, a shell.

After checking my mother's vital signs one last time, the white-clad respiratory therapist turned to face us: my older sister, Sharon; my younger sister, Bettina; my brother, Anthony, the eldest; my father, Jack Tillman Jr.; and me. "I know you've already discussed this with the doctors," he said, "and I realize your mother expressed her wishes clearly before she slipped into a coma. But I need to ask you one more time: Are you certain you want to go ahead with this?"

One by one, we all acknowledged that he should proceed. Of course, none of us wanted to see him end my mother's life. For years, we had stood alongside my mother as she fought against diabetes, which had systematically cut her down. But when she was struck by two heart attacks within two days, the fight seemed to go out of all of us. All we wanted now was to make her final days as comfortable as possible.

When I flew in to Tulsa earlier that night from Houston, my mother pulled me close to the bed, hugged and kissed me, then looked into my eyes. "I'm tired, son," she said. At that moment, I realized it was over. My mother just didn't talk like that. She was a strong woman, a fighter. But she had met her match. I went ahead and canceled all of my commitments for the foreseeable future and prepared to accept what we had all seen coming but hoped would never happen. Now, less than twenty-four hours later, it was about to end once and for all.

Without any further discussion or ceremony, the man in the white uniform put his hand on the ventilator tube and pulled it out of my mother's mouth. The moment the tube came out of her mouth, her eyes opened wide, and she let out a cough. After that brief, involuntary spark of life, my mother lapsed back into her former comatose state. When the respiratory therapist left, we all began to sing, quietly at first. Passing nurses looked on in wonder and bewilderment as we lifted up praises to God even as our mother lay dying. With each passing song, the time between my mother's breaths grew longer and longer. We knew she had finally breathed her last when the room was suddenly pierced by that all-too-familiar sound--the steady, sixty-cycle hum of a heart monitor that has suddenly become a redundant piece of equipment. It was a sad moment, but it was also a peaceful one, a quiet end to sixty-seven years in the service of her Lord.

As I went through the motions of those next few days, I could not escape some nagging questions about my life. Here I was, a former NFL player who had been the captain of a Super Bowl team; a successful sports broadcaster for CBS--one of the few African-American men to reach such a level--a businessman, jetting around the country making deals; and a husband and father of four beautiful girls. I had a good life, a great life in comparison to most. And yet, something was missing, something right at the core of my being.

I thought about my mother. Although she had a happy home life growing up, her parents were not people of means. But my mother did not allow that to hold her back. She picked cotton in Arkansas as a child to earn money and worked her way through college against incredible odds. From there, she went to work as a missionary, both at home and abroad, sharing God's love with thousands of people.

I was amazed at the crowd who turned out for her funeral, not only at the number of people but also the different walks of life they represented. I saw everyone from mayoral candidates and state representatives to street people. Obviously my mother's life had meant something to each one of them. I wondered about my own funeral. Would there be the same sort of turnout for me?

Then I remembered how my mother used to pray for her family, to the point where she often fell asleep kneeling beside her bed. Stalwart and strong, my mother had always been in our corner, teaching us the right way to live. And yet beyond her determination I knew was a will even stronger than hers. Something she had taught me throughout my youth was that I might chart my own course in life, but I was by no means the engineer of my existence. My will acted within the larger context of the will of God. If I was to achieve the objectives He had laid out for me, I had to align my will with His. I knew this lesson well. And yet, like so many other people, I had failed to apply it systematically to my life. Yes, I had success, but it came at a price.

My broadcast and football careers had left little time for my family. Speaking engagements, spiritual and volunteer commitments, and business deals cut that slice of time even thinner. I had achieved many things. But did my life even hold a candle to what God had envisioned for me? Had I even fulfilled half of my potential? As I considered my mother's example, I began to have my doubts. She had been given so little, but she had turned it into something extraordinary. In contrast, I had been given a fortune. But did the return on that investment even compare to what she had gained from hers?

Thoughts like these nagged me for the next two months. Then early one March morning, I was sitting in my home office, thinking and praying, as I am in the habit of doing at the start of each day. Suddenly, I felt an impulse to get up and go for a walk. Having no idea where I was headed or why, I simply obeyed.

Outside, it was a crisp, clear morning. For no real reason, I headed toward the perimeter of our subdivision, which was located on the outskirts of Houston. Once I left our subdivision, I continued until I reached an intersection between two major highways, and I turned left. Suddenly, I felt my entire countenance change. Despite the fact that I was now walking along a busy freeway, a sense of peace came over me, and I began to hear from God. At first, it was just little bullets of information or insights relative to picking up the gauntlet and making the most of my time on earth. There was no structure to it. But I sensed something special was going on, because I did not normally have such thoughts in my head.

At this point, I had walked for about seventeen miles, and I still had no idea where I was going. As I walked, I began to notice trains going in and out of the nearby Sugar Land sugar mill. The mill had stood there since the late 1800s. Every day since then, trains had been hauling sugar, water, and other supplies to and from the mill. Thus, it was not uncommon for traffic to be backed up along this stretch of highway as the vehicles waited for trains to clear the crossing. This day was no different.

As I approached the railway crossing, still receiving these random messages from God, I began to ask myself what I was going to do with all of this information. How was I going to incorporate it into my life? Then the story of Jesus' parents traveling home from the Passover came to mind. I recalled how His parents were a day into their journey before they even noticed their son was missing. After a frantic search among their friends and relatives, they raced back to Jerusalem in search of Jesus. Three long days later, they found Him in the temple courts where He was putting the religious teachers through their paces. When Mary confronted her son about His absence and how worried He had made her and Joseph, Jesus simply replied, "Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49 niv).

Suddenly, God showed me how this story was an analogy for my own life. Jesus had always been with me on my journey, had always enjoyed at least a token role in my existence. But at some point along the way, I had inadvertently left Him behind. Like Jesus' parents, I was well into my travels before I even realized something was wrong. It hurt me to think that it had taken so long for me to notice His absence. If I had been living in intimate relationship with Jesus, the loss of His presence should have signaled an immediate void in my life. But I had continued right on ticking. I had reached a level in my career where my abilities and my relationships afforded me all sorts of opportunities. In the eyes of many people, I had "made it." And I prided myself in being able to wheel and deal with the best of them. Pray about this business deal? Why bother? All the pieces are here, and it's clearly a great opportunity. Don't worry; I can pull it off. I know the score. If Jesus was not behind those deals, I should have noticed His absence at the bargaining table. But I didn't.

A healthy form of anxiety constantly plagues a person of purpose; a need to be moving constantly toward some purpose or end. That description summarized me to a tee. The problem was, while the God-given desire to achieve was still the driving force of my life, the goals upon which I had set my sights were anything but God-ordained. I had drifted off course. The things I had been pursuing were not wrong, necessarily: business deals that promised to make a lot of money for everyone involved; volunteer work with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and other organizations. They were all "worthy causes." But how many of these activities were derived directly from the purpose for which God had placed me, Spencer Tillman, on earth? As I pondered this, I heard a familiar voice continually murmuring in the background: "Anything born of the flesh will end in the flesh . . ."

So if Jesus was not present and active in my life, where was He? Where had I left Him behind? Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple. He was spending time with His Father, doing things that were connected with His purpose, prepar... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• ISBN-10: 0785205586
• ASIN: B000F6Z536
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,573,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High-Powered, March 6, 2006

By 

Deborah L. Monahan "Communications Executive" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scoring in the Red Zone: How to Lead Successfully When the Pressure Is On (Hardcover)

I was fortunate enough to be able to be present at a book signing that Mr. Tillman was giving--any doubt to the author's commitment, sincerity, and authority on the subject matter of leadership or spirituality would be dispelled by listening to his powerful presentation. You can't walk away from this material without being inspired. A #1 recommendation for anyone needing to recharge or reconnect their spirit or motivation.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scoring in the Red Zone, February 6, 2006

By 

Elizabeth Wareing (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scoring in the Red Zone: How to Lead Successfully When the Pressure Is On (Hardcover)

I found this to be a truly inspirational book. Spencer Tillman expounds on all the major leadership qualities which each of us desires in our own life as well as in the leaders of our country. His book reminds us to look to the Bible for answers in managing our lives.
Elizabeth Wareing

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book out of the gate for a brand new author, February 4, 2006

By 

Sooner - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scoring in the Red Zone: How to Lead Successfully When the Pressure Is On (Hardcover)

Spencer Tillman's first book, Scoring in the Red Zone, is a strong book out of the gate for this brand new author. The book gives great insight into how the former college and Pro Running back has been able to balance all the areas of life, and lead successfully in each of them, as a father, husband, athlete, and now football analyst. Readers will find this book full of practical and helpful applications. The content flows well, and keeps your interest. Whether you are a CEO, middle manager, entreprenuer, or recent graduate, you will find this book a great guide for leading and finishing well.