Leaders Growing Leaders

Last week, I attended the John Maxwell Team Live Event in Orlando and received my certification in coaching, speaking and leadership from the #1 Leadership Expert in the world.  After 5 months of online training, these three days of workshops and live training were beyond insightful.  I have always been a John Maxwell fan and have read many of his 100+ books.  Now, I am licensed to teach his materials and add value to others.  The title on the front cover of our workbooks said "Leaders Growing Leaders".  That seems appropriate.  As iron sharpens iron, we add value to others and help others lead significant lives.  My leadership training platform ULeadership emphasizes that everyone can be a leader because everyone can lead themselves and influence those closest to them.  Leadership really is influence, as John teaches.  Feel free to contact me for more information about John Maxwell or how you can add value to the people around you.  In the meantime, here are my seven favorite thoughts from last week's conference.

1. "Don't be envious of anyone's success until you are ready to go through their valleys." (Nick Vujicic) - Nick has no arms and no legs. More importantly, he has a great message!  He makes a lot of money speaking but even he started slow.  He got rejected by 52 different schools before one finally invited him to come speak.  It was 2 hours away and they paid him $50.  John Maxwell often says that everyone wants to do what he does but they don't want to do what he had to do to get to this point.  We all want get-rich quick type of success.  Sometimes overnight sensations took 10 years.

Back on the Field

The following article appeared in the March 2016 issue of Athletic Management.  It highlights Marion High School's Giant Challenge Alumni Weekend.

Caitlin Hayes is an Assistant Editor at Athletic Management. She can be reached at: ch@MomentumMedia.com.

In early September, Arizona Cardinals defensive back Patrick Peterson donated $1 million to his alma mater, Louisiana State University, to help fund a renovation to the Football Operations Center. It was one of the largest single contributions to athletics by a former LSU football player, and Peterson was recognized on the field at the Tigers’ 2015 home opener.

The donation was noteworthy not just because it was large but because it was from the ranks of professional athletes, a group that traditionally has not opened their wallets for their alma maters. What happened next was also significant. A few days later, pledge cards came in from two more former Tigers currently in the NFL, Bennie Logan and Tyrann Mathieu.

“I think there’s a bit of a culture shift happening,” says Kristen Cain, LSU’s Special Events and Community Relations Coordinator, who runs the L Club, a group specifically for alumni athletes. “More players are giving back to their universities—and they are offering large donations.

“Behind the scenes, we’re doing a better job of reaching out to our former athletes,” she adds. “We’re educating them about our athletic foundation and what we do with donated money.”

While Peterson’s gift generated headlines, the trend is not exclusive to large athletic departments. “Alumni and fundraising go together, and if you’re not tapping into or at least trying to cultivate your former athletes, you’re probably not doing your job as effectively as you could,” says Tim Schoonveld, Co-Athletic Director at NCAA Division III Hope College. “Like a lot of schools, we’re trying to find news ways to draw in alumni athletes. We’re not looking to create a booster club. But we’re looking to really engage our alumni in what we’re doing.”

Jamy Bechler, Athletic Director at Marion (Ind.) High School, echoes Schoonveld’s thoughts and adds that you can’t look at it as a one-way street. “Reaching out to alumni athletes is essential from a fundraising standpoint,” he says. “But you’ve got to know and appreciate your past. No former athlete wants to be forgotten. Those alumni made your teams great. We’re working hard to honor them and connect with them.”

The Winning Edge

March is finally here.  If you are a basketball fan like I am, you are excited because it is MARCH MADNESS.  We'll soon be filling out our brackets.  There will be 68 top-notch teams in the NCAA basketball tournament.  I heard an announcer on ESPN say that this year's tournament might be the most even tournament in NCAA history.  Half of the field has a shot at winning the whole thing.

Talent alone will not set these teams apart.  There are so many teams that have fairly equal talent.  Just like our team that has started their quest for an 8th high school state championship.  We are talented but so are other teams.

What is going to take us from talented to good?  What is going to give us an advantage over other talented teams? What differentiates us from the competition?

Successful people do things differently.  Here are a couple of ways that we can gain a winning edge: