Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.
Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, understood the importance of choosing a right attitude even in bad situations. She was known to be someone that avoided grudges. One time a friend reminded her of a cruel thing that had happened to her previously, but Clara seemed not to remember the incident. “Don’t you remember the wrong that was done to you?, the friend asked. Clara answered calmly. “No, I distinctly remember forgetting that.”
Did you hear about the dramatic duel that Hall of Fame golfer Phil Mickelson recently took part in? No, I am not talking about his one-on-one battle with Tiger Woods out in Las Vegas. I am talking about his final round battle at the 2019 Desert Classic. It looked as if “Lefty” would win his 44th career PGA Tour event because he just had to withstand a challenge from the 417th ranked player in the world. Yes, you heard that right, Phil Mickelson, who earns about $50 million per year was dueling it out with Adam Long.
The legendary Italian violinist Niccolo Paganini was playing a difficult piece of music before a large audience. Suddenly one string on his violin snapped, yet he continued to play, improvising beautifully. Then two more strings broke, and he completed the composition playing with only one string.
I love to read. It wasn’t always that way. We were made to read in 1st grade and I hated it. However, all that changed in 2nd grade. That was when we were able to pick something from the prize box when we read so many pages. I couldn’t tell you a single book that I read that year, but boy do I remember those baseball cards that I picked out and how it motivated me to become a better reader. My teacher allowed me to read football books, baseball books, detective books, really any kind of book that I was interested in.. I read books that interested me … and, yeah I started my huge baseball card collection. Fast forward to present day and I am still reading books. My shelves may be full of books, but unlike many professors or business people, the books on my bookshelves aren’t just for looks, they have all been read. As 2019 approaches, I realized that I need a new batch of books to get me through the year as I ride the stationary bike at the YMCA or read right before falling asleep. Here are the 19 books that I plan on reading in 2019. I just went through Amazon and put them in my shopping cart and can’t wait for them to arrive. I will give you a quick summary of why I am wanting to read each book. Keep in mind, I am not saying these books are good books, like my previous articles Books for Coaches, Books for Leaders, Recommended Books for 2018, Underrated Books for Leaders but rather that these are the ones that I want to read for various reasons. I hope that they are good,otherwise I will have to toss the book and Mrs. Johnson might not give me credit for it thus denying me the next great baseball card from the prize box.
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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 (editor’s note – originally published on March 21, 2016). 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. Leadership really is influence, as John teaches. Here ere are my seven favorite thoughts from last week’s conference.
Everyone has a past. Often times, the things that have happened to us shape our future. We can do three things with our past. We can LIVE in the past, we can DWELL on the past or we can LEARN from the past. Whichever category you fall into may go a long way toward determining your future.
Just be careful not to end up like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite in the following video clip . . .
I was in high school band but I didn’t enjoy being in the class because I was an athlete and thought band was not cool. My attitude was bad and my actions reflected that.
My friend and I decided to make up a game to alleviate some of our boredom.
Have you ever received a pearl of wisdom? You probably have but might not have thought of it in that way. This might be a phrase that you are unfamiliar with. Webster’s dictionary defines the phrase pearl of wisdom as a wise word or statement. It also goes on to say that it is sometimes humorous. The example it gives is “A crowd of reporters gathered around the coach after the game to hear him dispense his usual pearls of wisdom.”
“Every man wants a wife who is beautiful, understanding, economical and a good cook. But the law allows only one wife.”I hit the jackpot. My wife is all of those. However, I am also like most husbands in that I think I am always right.
She puts up with my delusions and still loves me.
She knows how to pick her battles and doesn’t protest every silly thing I say or decision I make. If she did, she’d constantly have a picket sign in her hand marching around the sidewalk in front of our house.
However, a few years ago, she memorably put her foot down and didn’t let me get away with making a silly decision. It was the best thing she could have done because the results of that decision have been life-altering.
From 1923-1930, Bobby Jones won 13 major championships in golf. His record was unmatched until 1973 when it was finally broken by Jack Nicklaus. One time, in a championship match that he was playing in, Jones drove the ball into the woods. As he was looking for the ball, he accidentally nudged it. Although no one saw him move the ball, he penalized himself one stroke (according to the rules), which caused him to lose the match by that margin. Afterward, when reporters praised him for his integrity, he responded that they might as well praise him and congratulate him for not robbing a bank.
