Ep 14: Teamwork On and Off the Field

Meet Robert (Turbo) Turbin‍

Follow Robert on LinkedIn

Robert (Turbo) Turbin is an Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former professional athlete. After an impressive career from 2007 to 2011 playing football at the collegiate level for Utah State University he was inducted to the USU athletic hall of fame. He was then selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2012 NFL draft. In his rookie season, Turbin ran for 354 yards on 81 carries and in 2014, he contributed to the Seahawk’s only Superbowl championship, defeating the Denver Broncos 43 to 8. He continued professional play through 2019.

Outside of the world of football, Robert’s passion for growth and giving have led him to many off the field victories. In 2013, he launched his first charity initiative starting a youth football academy and in 2014 he founded the Runnin4U Foundation, which focuses on accessibility in tech and nutritional research that are beneficial to Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Cerebral palsy (CP).

Robert’s multifaceted approach to work and play have also led him to be a brand ambassador, podcast host, tech advisor and sports commentator.

Learn more about Robert at robertjturbin.com.

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‍Episode Highlights

Sacrifice for the team

Robert Turbin: "Good cultures are willing to sacrifice for the team. Everything that you do is about the person next to you and that's both in sport and in business as well. And that's not to say a selfish mindset doesn't allow you to be successful. But it's difficult to have an impact. The best teams that I've been on cared about having a positive impact on each other. And I think about the teams that I played on in high school and later on and it's the reason why we have long-lasting relationships. Because we genuinely cared about one another. When we were out there practicing, working out, running or finishing school work, it was for the benefit of each other."

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Own your role

Robert Turbin: “From a sports example, I wasn't a starter when I was a rookie. Marshawn Lynch was the starter. I wanted to be the starter. But my role was to be the second string running back. and in order for me to be successful and then for the team to be successful, I had to buy into that role. Right now, this is my role. And if I keep working hard, eventually I'll become a starter. 

And it's the same thing in the workforce; everybody wants to be a leader. Some folks don't want to start in sales because they just don't like it. But in order to get to where you want to go, you have to buy into that role.

I will never forget when I was playing for the Indianapolis Colts in 2016. And it was the first time in my football career that I thought for sure I was gonna get cut. I remember a coach coming up to me because there were certain roles that I had when I came to the Colts because I wanted to be the starting running back and I didn't want to play special teams kick off. I didn't want to do those things. And I remember Coach Pagano, who was the head coach at the time saying, “Turbin. Until you buy into your roles, you’re not gonna be successful.” He was right.”

Matt Vance: “Regardless of what type of team you're on, whether it's a marketing team, a nursing team or a construction team, you will achieve more together if there is that care for each other. Interpersonally, there are relationships that exist from team member to team member and we want to be conscious of that and care for those relationships.”

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