Hello Coaches, Parents, and Players
Welcome to the 1st addition of our 2012 19th annual weekly spring newsletter. Make sure to view our website for complete league information. Our #1 priority for JAM continues helping coaches and parents build confidence in today’s youth.
- Mark Sharpley
Message from Rod Olson - author, speaker, nationally recognized coaching expert and leader of leaders. Rod is the founder and CEO of the Coaches of Excellence Institute
How you can tell if you are going to be successful for the long haul?
After speaking to 80 different leaders from around the globe at a Leadership Summit in northern Colorado, I had someone ask me if I believed you could tell if someone has what it takes to be successful for long periods of time, meaning years. As I thought about my answer, I remembered a compelling story once told by a limousine driver. In the story, the limousine driver explains that he worked for a professional sports team and that he had picked up literally hundreds of free agents, draft picks and executives over the years. He said that without hesitation he could pick out the athletes or individuals that were going to be successful for the long haul and the people that were not going to be around for long... and since he had been driving for decades he had the data to back it up. What was the tell tale sign....? LUGGAGE.
This driver said that whoever insisted that they carry their own bag and didn't expect someone else to carry it for them almost always experienced long term success and the rookies or hotshot exec's who dropped their bags on the curb and expected someone else to "get" their bags, were short-timers.
If we hope to experience long term success and want those whom we are leading to do the same, we must instill a sense of servant hood and work ethic into our cultures. In today's society, we deal constantly with individuals who have been served most of their life rather than taught and challenged. As 21st Century leaders, we must recognize that most of the people we are leading expect someone to “get their bags” for them and it is our job to model what true power and influence looks like. Remember, “More is caught than is taught” and as leaders we cannot ask others to do what we ourselves do not demonstrate on a daily basis. People learn so much quicker when they see great leadership, rather than just hearing about it.
In closing, I want to share with you what I tell leaders when they ask me, "How will I know when I have reached the pinnacle of success?" Prior to my answer, I slow down and I replay the lyrics in my head of Todd Snider when he sings, “You’ve reached the pinnacle of success when you finally lose interest in money, compliments and publicity."
My hope is that you want to be great for the 'long haul' and that you will be challenged to create the type of leadership climate that the people around you want and need today. We will accomplish this by demonstrating how a humble, confident and caring leader lives on a daily basis...and we can start today by carrying our own bags!
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