As October rolls in, Jeff Van Fleet, Lighthouse President and CEO, has football on the mind—specifically, the lessons taught to him by one of his favorite coaches of all time, Lou Holtz.
Photo courtesy of Mgoblog (Creative Commons)
| A few years ago, my wife, Sandy, and I had the opportunity to hear Lou Holtz, the legendary former Notre Dame head coach, speak—and the experience has always stuck with me. Lou isn’t just an incredibly successful coach; he’s a master motivator and teacher. |
It’s taken a while, but fall is finally here. Though I love all the seasons, this is my favorite time of the year. The air is crisper, the breeze is fresher, the humidity is lower, the leaves are more beautiful, and college football season is in full swing.
For me, cheering on my Penn State Nittany Lions every Saturday is a weekly tradition, and I’ve always appreciated the many life lessons I’ve learned from watching football and studying its coaches. A few years ago, my wife, Sandy, and I had the opportunity to hear Lou Holtz, the legendary former Notre Dame head coach, speak—and the experience has always stuck with me. At the end of his talk, he signed his bookWinning Every Day for us. I really enjoyed reading it back then, and with football season well underway, I was drawn to read through it again.
Lou isn’t just an incredibly successful coach; he’s a master motivator and teacher. In his book, Lou summarizes what it takes to succeed in life. Whether we are managing people, raising a family, or just working to improve ourselves, we must first establish our integrity, love, and commitment to the people involved before we can accomplish anything. To do so, he recommends asking three simple questions to help determine the strength of those relationships.
This is easier to understand if I use an example. If you are having a difficult time with someone you work with, you ask yourself these three questions to see if he is the source of the friction:
- Do I trust him? If not, why not? Has he lied to you? Will he take ethical short cuts?
- Is he committed to excellence? Is he a workhouse or a shirker? Does he blame others when things go awry?
- Does he care about you? Does he demonstrate respect for your opinions and feelings?
Once you have put them under the microscope, now it’s your turn. Reverse the questions and look at yourself through their eyes.
- Have you given him a reason to trust you?
- Have you demonstrated your commitment to his excellence?
- Have you shown how much you care about him?
Lou’s simple, novel exercise is very eye opening. It’s helped me pinpoint what bothers me about certain people—and sometimes it’s not them, but me! I encourage you to try it and let me know what you think. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the changing leaves and cooler weather!
Keep having fun,
Jeff Van Fleet
President and CEO
Lighthouse Technologies, Inc.
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