Seek To Be Wise

As a kid growing up, I had two uncles that coached women’s basketball at rival high schools. My first real taste of competition was watching Uncle Jack’s and Uncle Butch’s teams compete. I loved watching their competitive nature and how it brought out the best in their players. Watching those games was the start of my love for sports. It is the reason I played three sports in high school, and why today, I am a season ticket holder for multiple sports at the University of Georgia.

Watching my uncles coach and compete also planted the seed for my love and appreciation for coaches. As a kid in elementary school, I remember analyzing the two of them and how they coached. One seemed to be calm, and the other very animated. They were both fierce competitors with different personalities, both able to get the best from their players. I wanted to be like them; it lit my competitive nature. Watching my uncles compete inspired me to seek wisdom, inspiration and guidance from coaches.

When I saw Pat Summitt, former women’s basketball coach at Tennessee, coach for the first time, I saw the ultimate competitor. In 1998, I read Pat’s book “Reach for the Summitt”. Those who know me know I love reading coaches describe their coaching principles. The great ones never write about Xs and Os. They write about their guiding principles that produce results. This book is one of the best. If you coach people, it’s a must-read.

She wrote the book to explain “The Definite Dozen,” her must-have values for succeeding at whatever you choose to do in life. In each of the book’s twelve chapters, she covers one of her principles, such as: Be a Competitor, Make Winning an Attitude, and Change is a Must. She explains how to apply the principles to basketball and life. If you question the value of a strong competitive nature or if you need to fuel your competitive spirit, “Reach For The Summitt” will give you time-tested fundamentals to guide you to be a better coach and live a better life.

Her accomplishments on and off the basketball court are too numerous to list. Check out these three:
8 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championships
18 NCAA “Final Fours”
38 seasons- 100% student-athlete graduation rate

Not bad for a farm girl from Henrietta Tennessee! If I were putting together the “Seek To Be Wise” leadership council, Pat Summitt would be a top ten pick.

Last week, I glanced over at my bookshelf and my eyes were drawn to her book. As I reread Pat’s book, it reminded me of what it takes for ordinary people to have extraordinary success- The Definite Dozen.

When you read the book you will learn her twelve principles. You will also learn or be reminded of these powerful thoughts:
• Work hard even when you are winning
• Pay attention to the fundamentals
• Winners are not born they are self-made
• Ethics and success are inseparable
• Individual success is a myth
• Ambition handled correctly can transform you
• You can’t pick and choose the days you take responsibility for your performance
• Being a team player is a learned behavior- it must be taught to your team

This quote helped me in my career:

“There is always someone better than you. Whatever it is that you do for a living, chances are you will run into a situation in which you are not as talented as the person next to you. That’s when being a competitor can make a difference in your fortunes.”

As an athlete in high school and in my work life, I was never the most talented person on the team. But, my competitive nature always helped me to work, improve and ultimately be a better teammate and leader. Thank God for coaches whose teachings light the way for average and ordinary people like me to live a better life.

One of my guiding principles in life is: To have success, study success.

If coaches are not your thing, who inspires you to grow and improve? As I have grown older and hopefully a little wiser, I now understand that everything I have learned, I learned from others. Thank you to Coach Pat Summitt for being a great teacher, coach and taking the time to write a book that continues to inspire folks a decade after her time on earth.