A mountain of work went into Barry Kleiman’s “ The Fifth Quarter Project”, which can serve as a major catalyst to assist former athletes in living a fulfilled life. Far too often after their playing careers end they become a forgotten part of society and this is most difficult for them after all the fanfare they received as athletes. The Fifth Quarter Project can serve as a beacon light for them in their darkest hours.
Dale Brown Head Basketball Coach LSU 1972-1997.
Several years ago I was fortunate enough to cross paths with and get to know Coach Dale Brown. (Beyond the fact that he was a fabulous basketball coach) Coach Brown is one of the better human beings I’ve ever had the chance to know and taught me a great deal in the relatively short time we were in one and other’s company.
One of the many things he taught me was that great players make those around them better…I know this to be true by watching games through that lens and I know it to be true because he made me better at what I do.
While having lunch one day he said to me “Barry, have you ever thought about writing a book?” TRUTH be told I had but hadn’t the foggiest idea about what or who might be interested in what I had to say…
However, far be it from me to say no to a Hall of Fame basketball coach; “Coach, I’ll write a book if you write the Foreword”. He agreed instantly and though it took me a long while I wrote and published How the Truth Will Set You & Your Career Free.
I bring this up not to brag or sell books (in fact if you’d be interested I’ll send you a copy my treat if you write me a note about any career-related issues exist for you) …
This is also brought up because…
…not only did Coach Brown’s urgings induce me to write the book…
…they induced me to think even further, deeper and more dynamically. How could I apply all that my professional life taught me? How could I incorporate that with who I knew? Would it be possible to take the wisdom of others I’ve been fortunate enough to know; executives, coaches, mentors and convert it into a format to share with others with less access/means. What about the many hours spent in the gym, coaching youth and all that those relationships taught me? Was it possible to put all of those things together…add even greater value to an even larger footprint?
The Fifth Quarter Project
The bulk of my professional life has been spent assisting individuals transition/transform their lives through my executive search/executive development practice. If what I did for a living for 40+ years could be categorized in any way it would be that of a “headhunter”
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It became apparent to me that there were a great number of individuals who, after leaving school were unprepared from the perspective of training and tools to make sustainable career decisions.
This lack of resources and education has left large numbers of folks essentially paralyzed by the daunting process of digging into their minds and psyches to make confident decisions about moving into the next segment of their lives…thus, The Fifth Quarter Project
The educational curriculum provided by The Fifth Quarter Project enters the conversation right where it currently ends now….where the situations, circumstances, and realities of the real world say hello to us all.
Just recently a handful of universities have begun to institute advanced level career development training…offering a deeper dive into a sea that requires far greater equipment than previously offered and this is a great start. The Fifth Quarter Project exists to assist those who either missed that boat or who want even a deeper, more sustainable level of training
The Fifth Quarter Project’s focus was originally targeting former athletes only simply due to their competitive nature. (The depth of the curriculum requires a significant amount of fortitude for a participant to succeed)
We recently opened up the program to a select group of individuals who did not wear the colors of their school on the playing fields if, via the application process they provide strong anecdotal evidence for their abilities to complete all that’s entailed
The Fifth Quarter Project has been organized as a 501c with Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) acting as its fiscal intermediary. We chose to work with BACR as their mission of promoting the healthy development of individuals and families, encourage service and volunteerism, and helping to build community is congruent with why we exist today.
If you’re interested in applying to participate in our curriculum please email us at
interestedparticipant@thefifthequarterproject.org
State if you will:
WHO you are, WHY you’re interested in the program, HOW you intend to participate (please carefully consider your schedule as the first 12 weeks require 2-3 hours a week of committed time) and finally WHAT you’re seeking to accomplish by participating in The Fifth Quarter Project.
If you’re interested in contributing financially to The Fifth Quarter Project we’ve provided a link here
If you’re interested in contributing your time as a part of our Mentor Program please write to us at
interestedmentor@thefifthquarterproject.org
Let us know WHO you are, WHY you’re interested in donating some of your time, HOW you intend to participate (we ask for 2 hours per month commitment from our mentors) and WHAT you hope to accomplish by participating.
I’m genuinely excited about the greater good that can be accomplished via The Fifth Quarter Project and would be happy to discuss any ideas or potential types of involvement that would benefit you, your business or simply someone you know.
-Barry
barry@bckassociates.com
P.S. I was quite honored when Hall of Fame basketball coach Dale Brown took the time to endorse the program as he has…
P.P.S. Through all of the experiences brought on by my professional life I knew the need for what’s being offered has existed for quite some time…When I read the following I felt compelled to act
During the summer of 2014 The New Republic published what wound up to be the MOST READ article in their history…an essay by WIlliam Deresiewicz excepted from his new book “Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life.”
In that piece the author suggests a vision of what it takes to progress/mature from adolescence to adulthood and that “it is only through introspection, observation, connecting the head and the heart. making meaning of experience and finding an organizing purpose that you build a unique individual self.”
The article goes on to quote a telling, confessional style response to Deresiewicz by Steven Pinker, a renowned professor of psychology at Harvard…
Pinker: “Perhaps I am emblematic of everything that is wrong with elite American education, but I have no idea how to get my students to build a self or become a soul. It isn’t taught in graduate school, and in the hundreds of faculty appointments and promotions I have participated in, we’ve never evaluated a candidate on how well he or she could accomplish it.”
Pinker further suggests that the university’s job is essentially “cognitive only”…that young people should know how to “write clearly, reason statistically”, “acquire specific knowledge: the history of the planet, how the body works, how cultures differ etc”
The Fifth Quarter Project’s overarching presence stems from the belief that…
Even our most elite universities seem to be failing young people in ground anywhere other than cognitive component along with the commercial component aka, starting a career and then providing not much at all in the way of education or tools when it comes to the connection of head and heart…of what Deresiewicz calls building an integrated self
Our educational goal is to teach on an as needed basis both primary and advanced career development skills to all who participate through a program I’ve built and have been teaching for the better part of 10 years called “How the TRUTH Will Set You & Your Career Free”,. The focus of it is teaching a systematic approach to individuals determined to not only earn a living but also to construct a purpose driven life and career.