Brandon: The Underdog
We attract all kinds of people to The War Room.
Some people burn bright and win double gold every competition. They’re the people who are a “sure thing”- the ones who are no stranger to praise. We love them and they’ve earned every bit of their shine.
But today, I want to highlight one of our people who tends to fly under the radar: Brandon Sullivan. Some people are a slower burn on their path to greatness and that’s ok. We’ll get you there. A lot of us are like that and I can see these attributes in every one of our students who keep showing up to class.
He asked me recently to write him a letter of recommendation for a job at the company I work for and this is what I wrote:
To The Powers-that-Be,
I know Brandon because he is friends with my colleague Jon R., his brother David and they all train JiuJitsu with me at The War Room School of JiuJitsu.
I’ll be honest, when I met Brandon for the first time, he had “Underdog” energy…and he still kinda does. But that’s why I love him: Because everybody roots for the underdog. The underdog is the one with all the odds stacked against him, but he finds a way. He’s the dark horse you don’t see coming and ends up surprising you at the finish line. He’s not the first pick for the dodgeball team, but he’ll be the last one standing.
I root for underdogs like Brandon because they fight twice as hard to achieve what comes easily to other people.
Showing up is half the battle when it comes to life, relationships, jiujitsu class and so many people don’t. I see Brandon at The War Room all the time, 3-5 times a week. He shows up even when he’s had a grueling day at work, sometimes late if work goes long, but he still shows up.
And when he’s there, he grinds. He pays attention to the technique being taught and does dozens of repetitions, making little adjustments here and there until he gets it. After technique we all do live rolling; it’s like wrestling but with submissions in the form of chokes, limb manipulation and joint locks. This is a martial art that takes YEARS of diligent work to become a master.
Is Brandon a master? Nope, not even close, but he’s getting there. He will get there. He’s a white belt who’s only been doing this for a few months, but he has that black belt mindset and work ethic. He is not the biggest, strongest or most knowledgeable athlete (yet), and because of this, he is creative and scrappy.
That is a deadly combo and one that translates well to the Inside Sales Position. I encounter a lot of weird problems in my work day that involve finding creative solutions and I know Brandon is that type of guy. Between the two of us, I have more jiujitsu experience than him, but when we roll, he is a relentless energy actively looking for an opening in my game and he has surprised me at times with a submission I didn’t see coming, such as from a position it isn’t normally done in.
It shows me that he understands the techniques and has internalized the mechanics to a point where it’s instinct and he can whip it out when it counts. This ability is integral to the multiple processes and tools that are dealt with daily in the ISR position.
I do want to stress his scrappiness because the processes and tools can be incredibly frustrating when not functioning properly. It takes a lot of mental fortitude, poise and endurance to constantly work through obstacles and I see that strength in action on the mat and when we chat about the challenges in his current job.
Through all of this, he maintains a positive attitude and uncompromised character. When he fails, he re-examines the situation, learns and does better next time. While everyone roots for him, he roots for his team. He’s a ride-or-die type of guy who’ll be on the front line with his team when it’s all hands on deck (like Harvest season) and his sunny vibe will carry everyone through the daily grind. He’s a good, honest person who works hard to live a good life.
He would be an asset to any team- someone with integrity that you can count on.
As an ISR myself, it truly is not a job for everyone. It is not for weak people who give up easily or coast through life. It’s a job for people with grit, who think creatively, who have follow through and fight for every inch until the job is done.
I have no doubt that Brandon Sullivan is the right person for the job.
Kind Regards,
Muriel Palanca
