Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!!!
I absolutely love that we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and have a day set aside for him. I am glad that my son asks questions, and we get to talk about what Martin Luther King stood for, fought for, and died for.
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Dustin Hale was only a year older than me, but I thought the sophomore basketball player was a pretty cool guy. We didn’t really hang out away from the basketball court, but he meant a lot to me.
That summer he passed away as the result of a freakish accident.
The Dos Equis guy might be called “the most interesting man in the world” but to me, Frank Bechler held that title.
This weekend is special for me.
December 10, 1943 was my dad’s birthday.
Even though he is no longer here physically, not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. His impact on me has been what you’d hope a dad’s impact would be.
Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (every) Day!!!
This past week we celebrated the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and remembered the great things he did to make the world a little bit better.
I saw a lot of memes and quotes about him on Monday.
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When the great baseball Hall of Famer and African American icon Jackie Robinson died in 1972, his widow called Boston Celtics player Bill Russell and asked him to be a pallbearer at her husband’s funeral.
When asked why, she responded that Russell had been Jackie Robinson’s favorite athlete.
All of the pallbearers were Jackie’s former teammates with the Brooklyn Dodgers, except for Bill Russell.
It’s likely that Bill Russell was Jackie Robinson’s favorite athlete – not because he was so athletic or talented – but because he was a champion, both on and off the playing court.
Many consider Bill Russell one of the greatest teammates of all time.
Since the Tragic shooting in Michigan on November 30th that took the lives of four Oxford HS students and injured 7 others, political opportunists have wasted little time weaponizing the situation and crafting their talking points.
But my thoughts today aren’t about politics.
My thoughts on the Oxford tragedy aren’t about who’s right, who’s wrong, who’s to blame, or even how this could have ever happened in the first place.
The great baseball player Jackie Robinson once said that “A life isn’t significant except for its impact on other lives.”
Leadership ISN’T about titles, position, authority, or status. Leadership is about influence. It’s about one person influencing another. You don’t need a title to be a leader. You don’t need a title to be a person of influence.
Anyone can lead regardless of their role because everyone has the ability to influence. If people respect you and believe in you, then your opportunities to influence increase exponentially.
Consider the case of Harriet Tubman.
A young girl was walking along a beach where thousands of starfish had been washed up during a storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean.
Eventually, a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
An elderly carpenter told his employer of his plans to leave the business and start a life of leisure with his wife and extended family.
He would miss the money, but the time was right and he was ready to hang up his hammer. His boss was disappointed as the carpenter had been a loyal and diligent worker for many years, so he was sad to see him go.
This is a guest post from Dr. Keith Starcher, a long-time college professor and business consultant. Most importantly, he is the father of my wife, which makes him a big-deal.The presence, or absence, of asterisks can be a divisive topic in the world of sports today. Think about it. In baseball, should that home run record be followed by an *asterisk?
If a certain NFL team goes undefeated this year, should their season stats include an asterisk? The world of biking, track & field and yes, even business seems to be plagued by those who just don’t want to play by the rules. Yet as some bend or break the rules to enhance their performance, their legacy potentially ends up being tainted with an asterisk (or worse).