So I was at a conference today with about 900 other people and the Keynote speakers were Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summit - (all-time winningest coach in the NCAA – man or woman), and former Speaker/”walking think tank” Newt Gingrich. Talk about inspiring…
Ms. Summit shared about how important building relationships were to building a winning team. She mentioned her “pot luck” approach which means “everyone on a team does what they do best” and that will result in success. Newt spoke about how America affords anyone the environment to pursue their dreams and make them reality. Both talked about empowering everyone on a given team to take ownership of problem solving allows passions to achieve goals. Can anyone say “look out Slingshot Records”… or “look out music industry?”
I also way dug one of the tid bits that I picked up which was the “Stockdale Paradox.” Admiral Jim Stockdale was a prisoner of war for seven years in Vietnam, enduring a string of tortures. His coping strategy was a paradoxical mix of accepting the bleak facts (I will likely be here a long time) and an overall optimism (I will eventually get out and return to my life in America). In fact, he observed that the prisoners who had the most difficulty coping were the unmitigated optimists (I’ll be home by Christmas) because they were perpetually setting themselves up for disappointment… and most died.
“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
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