Emmitt Smith: Records are set four yards at a time.

Rod met Emmitt Smith when Smith was the featured speaker, and they talked across a table with two signed footballs on it.

What Smith built

Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher, with 18,355 yards over fifteen seasons, and won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. After football he won Dancing with the Stars and built a second career in commercial real estate and construction.

The lesson

Smith was not the fastest or the biggest back of his time. The record came from showing up every week for fifteen years and taking the yards that were there. His career average was a little over four yards a carry.

How Rod applies it

Write the roadmap down. Rod's session for business leaders ends with a written AI roadmap, with owners and dates, because a goal that stays in someone's head rarely gets carried out.
Take the four yards. A modest improvement to one process every month adds up to more than one large project that stalls.
Plan the career after the career. Smith prepared for business while he was still playing. Rod's talks on the future of work make the same case to employees and students: build the next skill before you need it.

Rod met each of these people at business growth events where they were the featured speaker. The lessons are his own takeaways and do not imply an endorsement by anyone pictured.