The 5 Cs of Leadership: Choosing Courage Over Fear

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Courage: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. 

The “ESPYS” which is a sports award show hosted by ESPN to highlight significant achievements in sports during the past year. There were several remarkable stories that were highlighted during the award show that were meant noting but few personified the definition of courage, as did the story of Pat Summitt. There is no coincidence that she actually was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Coach Summitt’s story is actually a remarkable one, she looked fear, disappointment, and embarrassment in the face with an exemplary confidence and unwavering faith that they would be defeated.  Pat Summitt has recently retired from coaching but before she made this bold move she made an even bolder one. Pat Summitt was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease and despite this condition she continued coaching despite how people would perceive her. She knew that people would think that her condition would not allow her to coach at the level she had been accustomed to and would suffer a great deal of humiliation for putting herself and the team she loved in such a position. Despite what the critics had to say she still went on to lead her team to another SEC championship. Pat Summitt personified courage throughout her career and the award she won was well deserved. My challenge is to get the kids I work with to face adversity on their level with this type of courage. Far too many times I have witnessed talented and gifted kids throw in the towel on situations I had confidence they were able to be successful but that same confidence was lacking in the kids. It takes courage to stand out and take pride in yourself and your education while not bending to the social pressures of being cool over being educated. It takes courage to fight for the things you believe at the risk of being alienated from your peers. I want to be able to empower the kids I work with to not be afraid to try and have the courage to reach for their dreams.

 

For more information on Coach Summitt and her appearance at the ESPYs click here

 

 

 

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Competence a building block of success: A continuation of the 5C's of Leadership

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Competent: having suitable or sufficient skill, knowledge, experience, etc., for some purpose; properly qualified.

 

Developing competency in any subject matter is easier than one may assume. I don’t think people give themselves enough credit for the amount of information and knowledge they already possess. Many people forsake awesome opportunities because they falsely attribute inadequacy to themselves. You may not be an expert in any particular subject matter but most possess a level of competence that is adequate for getting a job done. You never know, you may end up surprising yourself if you don’t quit before you try. A friend of mine shared these pearls of wisdom at a banquet for a few recent high school graduates a few months ago and I thought it was fitting for this blog topic.

 

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN

(a guide for Global Leadership)

By: Robert Fulghum

 

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.

 These are the things I learned: 

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.