ALL IN for Your Teammates: Alden Mills Featured in University of Washington Football Video
What does it really mean to be ALL IN for your team?
I recently had the opportunity to be featured in a video created for the University of Washington football program, sharing a message that has been central to my experiences as a Navy SEAL, entrepreneur, and leadership speaker: Going ALL IN means committing to something bigger than yourself.
This opportunity was especially meaningful because of my personal connection to Washington football. My son John is part of the Huskies program, and seeing the commitment these young athletes make to their teammates brings this message even closer to home.
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ALL IN Means ALL IN for Each Other
Football is the ultimate team sport. Eleven players must work together on every play, each trusting the person beside them to do their job.
It doesn't matter how talented one individual is. If the team isn't working together, talent alone won't get the job done.
That's what makes the ALL IN mentality so powerful.
It's about showing up for your teammates when you're exhausted. It's about doing your job when nobody is watching. It's about pushing yourself harder because you know someone else is counting on you.
And most importantly, it's about putting the team's mission before your individual ambitions.
A Lesson From the SEAL Teams
During my time in the Navy SEAL Teams, I learned that the strength of a team isn't measured by its strongest individual. It's measured by the commitment each person makes to everyone else.
When conditions get difficult, you need to know the person beside you has your back.
That trust isn't built through words. It's earned through action, preparation, sacrifice, and a willingness to keep going when things get tough.
The same principles that build elite military teams apply on the football field, in business, and in every organization striving to accomplish something extraordinary.
You don't become unstoppable by focusing only on yourself. You become unstoppable when everyone commits to lifting each other up.
Building an ALL IN Culture
What excites me about sharing this message with the University of Washington football program is the opportunity to reinforce something that extends well beyond the game.
Being ALL IN is a choice.
It's a choice to prepare. A choice to be accountable. A choice to support the person next to you, even when you're facing your own challenges.
And that choice must be made again and again.
When every member of a team makes that commitment, something extraordinary becomes possible. Individuals begin operating with a shared purpose. Trust becomes stronger. The mission becomes bigger than any one person.
That's how unstoppable teams are built.
Are You ALL IN?
Whether you're putting on a football helmet, leading a company, or working alongside a team pursuing an ambitious goal, the question remains the same:
Are you ALL IN for your teammates?
Not just when things are going well. Not just when you're winning. But when the pressure is on and your teammates need you most.
I'm proud to share this message with the University of Washington football community and excited to see these young men continue building something bigger than themselves.
GO HUSKIES!
Be Unstoppable.
