Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Quotes, Quotes, and More Quotes

I've had a hard time coming up with a topic to blog about this week so I'm just going to share some of my favorite quotes and provide a little back-story to some of them.

1) "If she was a fish, I'd use ears for bait." I love this one from Mickey Andrews down in Tallahassee. I've used this one to describe my lovely wife because she does like to talk quite a bit!

2) "I wouldn't trust him to organize a 2-car parade." I picked this one up from Stan Wilkins in Labette County, KS. It's not a compliment but over the years, I've met a few folks that fall in this category.

3) "Tougher than woodpecker lips." One of my all-time favorites and I sometimes use it to describe my beloved York Dukes. I don't remember where I first heard this but it was back in the early 90's.

4) "You're bringing a water gun to a pistol fight." Ouch...this was often used at my high school by a plethora of football coaches when they didn't feel like you were practicing with enough energy and you wouldn't be prepared for the upcoming game.

5) "Winners are like biscuits....when things heat up, they rise to the occasion." I love this classic from Coach Bobby Bowden. It makes sense in a southern kind of way!

6) "Talk doesn't cook rice." This is my favorite Chinese Proverb. We all know a lot of talkers that don't always get around to actually "doing." I try to severely limit my exposure to these kinds of folks because they drive me crazy.

7) "What you tolerate, you encourage." I often use this quip from Coach Bill Parcells. It makes a lot of sense....if you tolerate something as a leader, in essence, you're encouraging it. You have to be willing and able to step up and not tolerate even the little things that can dilute your organization's culture.

8) "It's the little fish that steal the bait." I never heard this from anyone else but it is something I came up with while in Franklin, NE as superintendent, high school principal, and cheer sponsor (don't ask). We had t-shirts made up and our theme that year was focusing on the little issues...attention to detail, etc.

9) "All winning teams have a comfortable level of discomfort." This is another one from Coach Parcells. Boy, have I found this to be true over the years. Winning teams/organizations have to be willing to have difficult and awkward conversations. We grow the most when uncomfortable.

10) "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." I love this one from Coach Pat Riley. To me, it means that we have to stay focused on what's important. We have to prioritize. We have to stay true to our core values and mission.

11) "To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." This one from Elbert Hubbard is so true. It's better to be a person of action and receive criticism than to lack the courage to do anything at all.

12) "A leader is a dealer in hope." I really like this one from Napoleon Bonaporte because I see "HOPE" as such an important ingredient for students, staff, parents, and everyone. Without "hope," we all suffer and can't reach our potential.

13) “It’s not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” I love this one from Coach Bear Bryant. To me, this illustrates the importance of preparation and hard work. Good things happen to people that work hard.

14) "If you want to win, you can't be scared to lose." This one from Coach Jimbo Fisher really hits home. Sometimes, you have to put yourself out there and take some risks. Losses help you appreciate the wins. You have to be brave and bold at times and willing to balance risks/rewards.

15) "Teamwork is what makes common people capable of uncommon results." I love this one from Coach Pat Summitt. She was such a tremendous leader and did a wonderful job of fostering the team atmosphere.

I hope you enjoyed some of these. Have a great week.

GO DUKES!

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