Ken Babcock wrote, “You can tell the value of a man by the way he treats someone who can do nothing for him.” This quote made me think of the San Antonio Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich. When the Nike Basketball Clinics would come to Chicago, our team at the University of St. Francis would demonstrate…
DetailsThe study of William J. O’Neil, founder- Investor’s Business Daily Over my 35 years in Sales I have been exposed to many varied, yet successful leadership styles in both the corporate world and also in my avocation, sports officiating. For me the most consistent message of great leadership and successful people is contained in a…
DetailsThe first person I heard use the expression, “Say what you mean, mean what you say,” was former NFL coach, Don Shula. I think it is critical that leaders hire people who abide by this maxim. This was especially true in coaching. The last thing a head coach needs is “yes” men. He needs assistant…
DetailsI heard a commercial recently where the company said, “Failure is an option.” As soon as I heard it, I knew I liked it. Michael Jordan used to say, “I succeed because I have failed.” Because he wasn’t afraid to fail, he wanted the ball in his hands at the end of the game. He…
Details“Our greatest power is the freedom to choose our response.” This is a quote from Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning and a survivor of the Holocaust. When I think of the response of leaders to situations, I believe two totally opposite responses can be appropriate. A very successful businessman once told me…
DetailsBy Marty Gaughan Each and every year I have had the honor of being asked to speak to the senior class at my high school on leadership. This year, my talk was based on the concepts and ideas of two great coaches, John Wooden and Rick Pitino. Using the “Pyramid of Success,” I talk about…
DetailsRecently on the “Mike and Mike” ESPN morning show, Mark Schlereth, a former NFL player, said when he played for the Washington Redskins, Coach Joe Gibbs had two mantras: • Lose “yourself”; and • Great talent makes plays the first three quarters; great character makes plays in the fourth quarter. In my forty-four years of…
DetailsI do believe some things can be “caught” more so than they can be taught. Sandra Bullock said an interesting thing to Jay Leno on one of his last shows. She first thanked him for being so gracious to her on all her guest appearances through the twenty years she appeared. She thought a minute,…
DetailsBy Michael Bone Perhaps nothing is more discussed as a topic in business than communication. As an almost obvious tenet of effective leadership, it’s a wonder why the world needs hundreds of thousands of books on the topic. Perhaps George Bernard Shaw summed it up best when he wrote, “the single biggest problem in…
DetailsI recently read an article encouraging leaders to think often about their leadership legacy. The article stated, “And a legacy takes time to build so the sooner you define it and think about it, the higher your odds are of successfully doing it.” It went on to say, “We want to improve the world beyond…
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