When I went to Denver in 1997, Bobby Turner made it clear why he wanted me there. He believed I could help the Broncos get to the next level.

We talked football over breakfast. We talked so long that he ordered a second breakfast and kept going.

That’s a recruiting visit you remember.

The organization wanted me. I liked the opportunity. They had a chance to win a Super Bowl, and I believed I could help.

But signing with Denver was only part of it. I still had to earn the trust of the people I would be playing beside.

The Broncos had released Aaron Craver to bring me in. Aaron was well liked, especially by Terrell Davis. They already had a relationship. They had worked together.

Now I was going to be the guy blocking for Terrell.

The coaches had decided I was right for the job. Terrell and I still had to go out and make it work.

Respect what was there before you

When you join a team, you walk into relationships that started long before you arrived.

People have been through practices, losses, difficult conversations, and wins together. They know things about each other that you haven’t had time to learn.

You have to respect that.

Terrell being close to Aaron was understandable. I had to prove that I could do the job and build my own working relationship with him.

That’s something worth remembering when you take over a department, join a company, or get promoted to lead people who already know each other.

You may be ready to get started. They may still be figuring out how you work.

Give them something they can evaluate.

Your work has to answer the question

As a fullback, you’re asking a running back to trust your decisions at full speed.

He needs to understand where you’re taking a defender and where the opening is going to be. You need to understand how he sees the play and how he’s going to run it.

That takes work together.

In the foreword to my book, Terrell describes paying attention to my blocking style and adjusting to it. I was learning how to work with him, too. We had to communicate, understand each other, and get the timing right.

The San Francisco preseason game was a turning point. Things clicked. We found a rhythm.

We now had something to build on because we had done it together on the field.

That’s where a lot of professional relationships become real. Someone sees you handle the responsibility. They see how you respond when something doesn’t go as planned. They learn whether they can count on you the next time.

Confidence doesn’t excuse you from listening

I came to Denver with NFL experience. I knew I could play. I also had things to learn about the people around me.

You can be confident in your ability and still ask questions.

In fact, if your job directly affects somebody else’s performance, you ought to ask questions. What do they need from you? Where are the misunderstandings? What do you need to work through together?

Too many people arrive wanting everybody to understand their way of doing things before they’ve taken the time to understand anyone else.

That makes the job harder than it needs to be.

Terrell and I brought different responsibilities to the same play. We had to respect both. My block mattered. His ability to read it and run through the opening mattered.

Neither of us could do the other person’s job for him.

Leaders have a responsibility here, too

If you hire someone, explain why you brought them in and what you expect them to contribute.

Then help them understand the team they’re joining. Make room for questions. Be clear about who is responsible for what. Address problems before people have to guess what’s going on.

You can’t demand that people trust your hiring decision and assume the working relationship will take care of itself.

You also can’t allow an established group to shut somebody out before they’ve had a fair opportunity to contribute.

The new person has work to do. So does the team.

Give people a reason to count on you

I went to Denver to help win a championship. To contribute, I had to build relationships with people who needed to know how I would perform alongside them.

The contract put me on the roster. Our work together gave us confidence in each other.

That lesson applies every time you walk into a new opportunity.

Be prepared. Follow through. Take responsibility when you miss something. Learn the people you work with, and let them learn you through what you do consistently.

You know why you were hired.

Do the people working beside you know they can count on you?