Jerry Jones: A Landman’s Perspective on Priorities

Register for Michael Lombardi’s interview with author Sahil Bloom about his new book, The 5 Types of Wealth, exclusively for The Daily Coach. Taking place on February 11th at 6pm EST, this interview is limited to the first 1,000 registrants - register now.

Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, isn’t a professional actor—he’s a professional landman. Jones has spent his life searching for oil in the ground, hoping to strike “Texas Tea.” So, when the producers of the Paramount television show Landman, a drama about the oil business in West Texas, needed a real-life character, Jones was a natural fit.

In the second-to-last episode of the season, Monty Miller, played by actor Jon Hamm, suffers his third heart attack. As Monty lies in a hospital bed, surrounded by monitors, the audience sees Jerry Jones sitting at the edge of the bed, offering heartfelt advice. Below is the transcript of Jones’ words:

“Now, I’m not saying I’ve done anything right, but I made my mind up a long time ago—I was gonna work with my kids. And they’re involved in everything. They’re involved in my leasing, oil and gas, real estate. And so when I got the Cowboys, I got it so that we could all work together.

I thought I was doing it for them. But the one that got the most out of it was me.

I just know it’s not gonna be this time, but you’re going to be sitting here sometime in the future, laying here sometime in the future, and this room’s gonna be full of your business associates and the people you’ve worked with all your life. And more than likely, your children and family are gonna be there because they’re your children and your family.

But you could have ’em there because they’re the people you spent your life with—you worked with, you fell down with, you got up with. Not just Thanksgiving, Christmas. That’s who you want to be with.

So when that time comes like this, it’s a celebration of your life, and you’re not wishing you’d spent a little more time seeing a few more suns come up. That’s the trick, that’s the trick. ’Cause that’s gonna be your glory.

I’m pretty proud of them Cowboys. I’m pretty proud of the stuff we’ve done in oil and gas. It pales in comparison to how proud I am to have lived my life working with my kids.

You got a chance to do something about that. I hope you will.”

Jones isn’t an actor. In this scene, he doesn’t have to be a professional because he is giving heartfelt, lifetime advice. Acting isn’t required—Jones has lived these words. He put his family first, wanting to be surrounded by his children so that he could enjoy his life wrapped around their life.

What Jones told Monty was how he set his priorities. Simply asking himself the question: What mattered most? It wasn’t revolutionary, it wasn’t a new idea or concept—it was based on his life and organizing his goals, tasks, and values in order of importance.

Too often, we as leaders, parents, friends, and young people starting a career never prioritize what is important. We never understand that the world will get out of the way for people who know where they are going.

Jerry Jones knew. He created a life that he is most proud of.

Can you do the same?

Let us know what you think...

Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe for free here and get daily emails like this directly in your inbox.

Is there a story or theme you'd like to see The Daily Coach dive into this year? We'd love to hear your ideas here.