At a recent meeting of the Building Champions coaches, we were reflecting on things from our past that made us better.
My mind went to something I had never shared with anyone before, about a huge mistake I made that thankfully had a long-term positive impact on me. I was a sophomore in my first high school football game. I can still remember that moment when the coach looked at me. Since then I have always tried to be ready and keep my head up.
We all make mistakes. What I learned from this one experience was that, when you have opportunities or issues, you must keep your head up. You have to stay engaged, even when you have concerns about the outcome.
Of course I could also mention preparation and confidence, but it’s more than these factors alone. It’s being committed to make decisions, to move forward, to take your best shot and to take advantage of whatever opportunities you are presented with. You may not do it perfectly, but it has been my experience that doing something is far better than waiting.
I remember when General Norman Schwarzkopf spoke at a meeting of our leaders a number of year ago. He gave us two principles he lives by: “take action and do the right thing.”
These are great thoughts to remember as we keep our heads up and work hard to take advantage of our opportunities.
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Tags: Action, Attitude, Football, Mistakes, Reflections from the Trenches
Jerry Baker began his career in the management development program at Ford Motor Company, later became a manager of budgets and analysis for Northrop Corporation, then furthered his management development as Deputy Director for the California Department of Commerce when Ronald Reagan was Governor.