If you are a regular reader of this site then you know periodically I do a “leadership flush”. This comes from having too many books, magazines and periodicals laying around the house. And with family arriving for Thanksgiving tomorrow, my wife is demanding a cleansing of our home.
This is good news for you. The following are 20 Leadership Quotes and Lessons for you to ponder this Thanksgiving season. All are from my back issues of Sports Illustrated.
April 15th
- Multiple Skills Sets – “He (Tayvon Austin) can hurt a defense so many different ways.” – Gil Brandt
April 22nd
- The Relationship Between Strengths And Weaknesses – “(UConn freshman Breanna) Stewart’s carefree personality, usually her greatest strength, became a weakness…’She didn’t have the intensity to finish plays,’ says assistant head coach Chris Dailey.”
- Complacency – “What would winning eight (championships) mean? It would mean ‘we’d’ want more” – Dailey
- Margin – The difference between the play-offs and a pink slip could easily come down to a turned ankle, a jammed toe, a tweaked knee or a pulled hamstring. – Jim Trotter
- Hiring Personnel – “The only thing I know is what I don’t know – that’s why I hire people to handle those things.” – Al Davis
- Impatience – (Josh) Hamilton, for all his physical gifts, has become an impatient hitter. – Joe Sheehan
- Failure Is Not Final – Half of last season’s (2012 baseball) postseason entries had at least one stretch in which they lost eight of 10 games…In 2011 five of eight postseason teams battled through a 2-8 stretch or worst to get there. – Sheehan
- Fundamentals – To find the pitching talent to surround (Felix) Hernandez, (Seattle Mariners general manager Jack) Zduriencik turned to what he knows best: good old-fashioned scouting. – Ben Reiter
- Talent – “The only thing you can do as a general manager is to try to accumulate as much talent as you can, let the coaching staff and minor league staff do their thing and let it jell.” – Zduriencik
May 13th
- Intelligence And Performance – “I think a lot of it has to do with the university itself. It stimulates the mind. They’ve got physical ability, but the physical ability is only brought out if the one tools that’s most important is developed, and that’s the tool between the ears.” – Vanderbilt baseball manager Tim Corbin
- Young Leaders – “With the trend of teams locking up their homegrown talent, free agency as a way to acquire players is dead. The currency of the game has always been homegrown talent, but that’s more true than ever. It’s so important to hit on your (draft) picks.” – unnamed AL scout
June 17th
- Success And Accomplishment – “You don’t win big unless your horses bring it in June. A lot of times role players step up and do something unexpected to put you over the top, but you need your horses to get you there.” -Miami Heat forward Shane Battier
- Perseverance – “Play-offs ain’t no fun, man. I’m sorry to bust anyone on the outside’s bubble. As a player in the playoffs you have no joy until it’s over and you won. If you don’t win, you have no joy for a while. So for us it’s a grind every day as a team of trying to win the series, trying to win four games.” – Dwayne Wade
June 24th
- Preparation – “I think that mental preparation is every bit as important as physical.” – Phil Mickelson
- Fathers And Sacrifice – “My dad sacrificed a lot for me. He was instrumental in my golf from an early age. He will be smiling down from up there.” – U.S. Open Justin Rose
- The Need For Constant Improvement – What does worry teams is the limited scope of his (NBA prospect Shabazz Muhammad) ability. Analytics have become a key part of player evaluations. – Chris Mannix
- Humbleness – “He doesn’t think he know everything, and he frankly does know everything. But he still thinks he can learn from others.” – ABC’s Mike Breen on the passing of Dr. Jack Ramsey
July 1st
- Suffering – “At the ultras I try to enjoy the moment and experience. Because you know you’re going to suffer.” – Ultramarathoner Oz Pearlman
- Legacy – “My legacy is something I do care about and something that has eluded me is that World Cup championship.” – Soccer’s all-time leading scorer Abby Wambach
September 9th
- The Type Of Employee Every Leader Wants – “He’s (Titans running back Chris Johnson) one of my favorite players. Everything is Yes, sir or No, sir. I’ve never seen him back-talk a coach or get into any kind of confrontation with a teammate. He works hard, does what you ask, shows up every Sunday. I’ve seen him at 10-0 and 0-6, and he was the same kid.” – offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains
Which of these quotes resonated the most with you?
And in closing, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family.
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