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Leaders like smart.  Leaders like intelligent.  Leaders are naturally resistant to anything which reduces them to a level of mediocrity.  Leaders do not like dumb.  They demand excellence.

This is why I am a big fan of The Herd With Colin Cowherd.  His simulcast on Fox Sports 1 and podcast (click here to subscribe) features the best guests from sports, entertainment, business and politics, the best interviews and contains great insights on leadership.

On today’s show, he hosted John Calipari, the incredibly successful head basketball coach of the Kentucky Wildcats.   Coach Cal spent a good amount of time discussing how he can have a generational impact in the life of a teenager.

The following are 25 Statements About How To Change A Teenager’s Life captured from the interview.  All quotes are from Coach Cal unless otherwise noted.  To order his book Players First: Coaching From The Inside Out, click here or on the image above.

  1. “Basketball coaches, football coaches win games.  Administrations win championships.  They create a culture.”
  2. “There’s a culture of winning at Kentucky.  I’m not the only coach to win a championship at Kentucky (five have).”
  3. “If you want to win a (football) championship, you want to be the coach at Alabama.”
  4. “I’m at Kentucky.  If we lose to Wright St on Friday (they’ll say), the game has passed me by and we need another coach.”
  5. “The biggest thing for me is you’ve got to keep it real with these kids. We’re not making any promises that are outlandish.”
  6. “This is very hard playing at Kentucky…One of the challenges for you is every game you play is someone’s Super Bowl.”
  7. “That’s why my teams do so well in March.  Every game is significant.  Every game you have to be ready.”
  8. “I enjoy recruiting…You get to learn about families.”
  9. “If you’re about people and you’re about helping them, don’t you want to hear their story?”
  10. “I am coaching someone’s child.  That is not just a basketball player.  That’s someone’s child.  And many times these children are trying to change the whole direction of a family.”
  11. “Let’s learn about this family.  Tell me where it all started.  What have you been through?  How have you gotten to this point?”
  12. “I go into a home, look around and say, “If we do right together it ain’t going to be like this long.”‘
  13. “I’ve been in some homes so hot, I’m sweating so bad it looks like I’m lying…Mom’s cooking a meal and it’s 105 before she starts cooking.”
  14. “The more richer the neighborhood the more isolated I’ve always felt.” – Cowherd
  15. “In this country we’ve got this thing backwards.  When you don’t have anything, like nothing, you can’t get anything.  You can’t get hamburger.  You can’t get coffee.  You can’t get anything.  And when you have all that you need, don’t need anything, they give you stuff.  They’ll give you cars.  They’ll give you clothes.  You don’t have to pay for anything.  They’ll pick up your check.”
  16. “They all have lifetime scholarships.  I’m not going to hold them back for me.”
  17. “John Wall is not only a great player.  He just gave $400,000 to a homeless shelter.  He gave $1 million when he signed his contract.”
  18. “Our home court advantage is we got really good players.  That’s your advantage.”
  19. “If you’re going to draft a 19-year-old, deal with it.  You’re the team that’s taking him…Don’t take him thinking that he’s 23.”
  20. “This stuff now has become generational money…This is their opportunity for their families.”
  21. “You are walking into a man’s word.  N-B-A.  No Boys Allowed.  That’s a man’s world.  Are you ready?”
  22. “Are you ready to say ‘No’ to everyone around you?  Are you ready to be the CEO of your company?  Cause if not, you’re getting robbed.  Are you ready to read those contracts?”
  23. “In the NBA it starts with establishing who you are.  Then when you establish yourself as a player, you want to win.”
  24. “If you’re not winning, he’s not staying.”
  25. “I’ve been fortunate.  My best players, great guys.”

What is one thing you learned from Coach Cal which can help you better lead young men?  And once again, if you have not purchased his book Players First: Coaching From The Inside Out, click here or on the image above.  It will make a wonderful Christmas gift.

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