Overcoming Obstacles

Amy Purdy was 19 years old and living life to the fullest.   One day she was admitted to the hospital with what they thought was the flu and ended up being bacterial meningitis.  She was on life support and had a 2% chance of living.  She recovered, but left the hospital without a spleen, a kidney, hearing loss in her left ear and lost both of her legs.  She was devastated and had to learn to cope with her new legs.  The first time she put them on they were painful and prohibited her from doing the things she loved the most.  She was emotionally and physically broken.  She thought to herself, if her life were a book and she were the author how would she want her story to go?

As she pondered that question, she imagined herself snowboarding again.  She could feel the wind against her face and her heart racing.  At that particular moment a new chapter in her life began.  She knew that with the legs that she currently had she could not snowboard.  She could not bend her knees and ankles the way she needed to.  She learned at this point in time that snowboarding and obstacles did 2 things. The first was that obstacles can stop you dead in your tracks and the second was that it forces a person to get creative.  Instead of giving up she designed her own set of legs that would allow her to snowboard.  After many trials and errors, she finally found the solution to her problem.

The new legs gave her the ability to snowboard.  She currently holds two world gold medals for adaptive snowboarding, and is the highest ranking adaptive snowboarder.  Her tragedy enabled her to rely on her imagination and solve a long-standing problem. A person’s limitations can be tools to break through borders and allow a person to live beyond their limits.  Her borders allowed her to be innovative.  Amy hopes that others can look at their challenges as a blessing that can ignite a person’s imagination that propels them to go further in life.

Dream Big

Diana Nyad is one of the greatest long distance swimmers in the world.  In 1979 she swam 102.5 miles from the Bahamas to Florida.  She has broken many world records, including circling the island of Manhattan in 7hrs and 57 minutes.  In October of 2011, Diana spoke at TED.  She began her speech discussing how she had watched most of her life pass her by.  She became so lost in negative thoughts over the years about career moves and why did this happen to me, that before she knew it life had passed her by.  Her mom died at the age of 82 and she thought, I have 22 more years left to live in the present. 

She decided that now was the time to chase a life long dream.  It was such a big dream, that she had to face it with utter conviction and unwavering passion.  She decided that she was going to swim from Cuba to Florida.  It would take 60 -70 hours to swim these waters.  Some of the possible dangers that she could face were sharks, hypothermia, jellyfish and the Gulf Stream.  Now as if these dangers weren’t enough of a challenge, I should also mention that she had not swam in 31 years.  Even with all of these challenges Diana pursued her dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida.  She began her rigorous training regiment.  She would swim for 15 hours a day.  If when she came in from swimming and the time was 14 hours and 58 minutes, she would swim for another 2 minutes. 

Finally, the day arrived, the day she had been training so hard for the past two years.  She was ready both physically and mentally. The bathing cap was so tight and pulled over her ears so she would not get hypothermia.  As she began her swim, she describes the it as being completely alone with your thoughts.  To mentally work through the swim she would count first in English then German then Spanish and then French.  After counting she would go through her playlist in her head which consisted of 65 songs.  Then she began to think about Stephen Hawkings “The Grand Design” and ask herself is there and edge of the universe?

Diana describes swimming as encompassing all of life’s obstacles.  She had worked through the pain and suffering but encountered a huge obstacle the box jellyfish.  She had been stung several times, it was the most excruciating pain she had ever felt.  It felt like hot oil all over your skin then paralysis would start in the back and the chest, then convulsions.  It affected the respiratory system severely.  The EMT on staff jumped in the water to assist her and he was stung so severely that he could not help her.  A medical team was flown in to assist and gave her oxygen, prednisone and Xanax.  She swam the next day and the next night and was stung yet again.  After 41 hours of swimming she could no longer swim and her dreams were crushed.

The one thing Diana stresses is, of moments of big disappointments how do you find grace in defeat?  She looked back on her journey and she felt proud and courageous of what she had accomplished.  She said that as long as the ocean is still there she can swim from Cuba to Florida and she will.  She left her audience with a paraphrase from poet Mary Oliver “So what is it you’re doing with this one wild and precious life of yours?”  There are many times in life when we feel defeated and deflated.  It is how we handle those moments and move forward that makes us the people we are today.  If a person gives up completely after defeat, they will watch their life pass them by.  Each time you dust yourself off and move forward with unwavering passion and utter conviction you come one step closer to reaching your dreams.

The NCAA's Influence

The National Collegiate Athletes Association is very influential on basketball within universities and colleges in the United States.  Many athletes playing basketball in college do so because they love the game.  Others play because they are an excellent basketball player and have received a scholarship to play basketball for their college.  The National Collegiate Athletes Association is very influential when it comes to college scholarships.  The NCAA focuses their attention on all types of athletes.  They assist the athletes who want to pursue a professional career in basketball and they also assist the athlete whose attention is on their academic studies.

The NCAA operates with the athlete’s best interest in mind. A recent proposal was brought before the committee to change the lines on the court for Men’s basketball games.  The NCAA presented the recommendation to its members and came to a decision by encompassing all factors for these athletes.  The NCAA also encourages athletes to become involved in community service.  Many collegiate basketball players have become affiliated with great organizations, and eventually go on to work for them after graduation.  Many of these athletes have created their own foundations as a way to give back to their community. 

The final way the NCAA is influential on college basketball is in the conduct of the players.  The NCAA believes strongly that athletes should conduct themselves with the utmost integrity.  Influential speaker, John Maxwell believes that Integrity is one of the most important qualities a leader can possess.  The NCAA encourages not only collegiate basketball players but also other college athletes to “practice principles such as fair play, spiritual uplift techniques and balancing the needs of the person toward sports with the needs of gaining a good education.”  The NCAA wants to not only produce gifted athletes, but athletes who can be role models to younger generations.

Reference: NCAA Influence on Basketball

Leadership Off The Field

Tim Tebow has graced the cover of Sports Illustrated for a total of eight times. Each time he has been on the cover, it has showed a level of leadership that he has demonstrated on the football field. But it is his leadership skills off the football field that are something that we can all learn from. 

Tebow always envisioned helping others.  While at the University of Florida Tim Tebow started a student organization called First and 15.  First and 15 raised money for important charities such as Uncle Dick’s Orphanage in the Phillipines and the pediatric cancer center at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida.  “First and 15 allowed him to mobilize and lead hundreds of students on campus and UF boosters to help with the charities.”  The organization was able to provide things such as Disney trips for disadvantaged children.  Former UF Coach Urban Meyer said "Tim has made community service and commitment to serving others a cool thing among his peers. He has changed the way kids his age look at helping others..." Not only did Tebow inspire kids his age, he also inspired Urban Meyer, who took his family on a mission trip to feed disadvantaged children. Because of NCAA rules Tebow could not start his foundation while he was in college. 

Finally, in January of 2010 Tebow’s vision of creating the Tim Tebow Foundation was made a reality.  Like Greene’s 35^th Law, he had Mastered the Art of Timing.  His true vision for the man he wanted to be and the things he wanted to accomplish were brought to fruition. Even before the inception of the Tim Tebow Foundation, Tim Tebow has always maintained the same level of integrity.  Maxwell Describes Integrity as “the most important ingredient of leadership.”  “Integrity Builds Trust, has high influence value and facilitates high standards. It means living it myself before leading others.  Integrity is a hard-won achievement” On November 15, 2011 the Tim Tebow Foundation announced that the had partnered with CURE International to build a surgical facility in the Phillipines, which would provide care for thousands of children. This move again demonstrates another leadership skill of problem solving and the growth of the Foundation.

Recently Tebow was named the most popular athlete according to ESPN.  Every week during football season Tebow, chooses a person who is suffering, dying or injured and flies them and their family to the Bronco’s game all expenses paid. “They go to the Bronco’s game, he rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner, gets them pregame passes, and visits with them before the game.” He takes the time to visit with them after the game and will even introduces them to other players and then sends them home with a gift basket.

That quote alone demonstrates that Tebow has a vested interest in enriching the lives of others.  He possesses all the qualities of a great leader.  According to Maxwell’s five levels of leadership. Tebow is at level four, the people development stage.  People follow his lead because of what he has done.  He has committed himself “to invest in people’s lives, to make a difference.

Tebow is a great leader because he has the vision to fulfill a specific need.  He has integrity that demonstrates his credibility.   People want to follow his lead He is creating solutions and positive changes that make a difference in a people’s lives around the world.  His patience has allowed him to master the art of timing.  And his faith has allowed him to stay grounded and truly listen to those around him. He is truly inspirational and what Maxwell calls a born leader. 

Green Robert. (2000). The 48 Laws of Power, New York. NY. Penguin Books.

Hensch, M. (2011, November 16). Tim tebow's next play: Building a children's hospital in the philippines 

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Maxwell, J. (1993). Developing the leader within you. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Reilly, R. (2012, January 13). http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow.     

      Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow

Savitz, E. (2011, December 19). 5 leadership lessons from tim tebow's game-time audio. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2011/12/19/5-leadership-lessons-from-tim-tebows-game-time-audio/

Tim Tebow Foundation. (2012). Tim tebow foundation. Retrieved from http://www.timtebow   

      foundation.org/about

University of FLorida. (2012). The university of florida. Retrieved from www.ufl.edu

Integrity of a Leader

According to John Maxwell’s book “Developing The Leader Within You,” Integrity is the most important ingredient of leadership.  He states, “when I have integrity, my words and my deeds match up. I am who I am, no matter where I am or who I am with.”  An individual in a leadership position can execute the principles of integrity to their employees by arriving to work on time if they expect their employees to arrive on time.  If they demonstrate a positive attitude toward their employees, most of the employees will exhibit the same attributes.  “The more credible you are, the more confidence people place in you, thereby allowing you the privilege of influencing their lives.” 

Maxwell lists seven reasons why integrity is so important.  The first reason is that integrity builds trust.  This is evident when a leader can influence their employees to trust them.  The second reason is Integrity has high influence value.  “People’s minds are changed through observation.”  The third reason is that Integrity facilitates high standards.  “Leaders must live by higher standards than their followers. “  The fourth reason is that Integrity results in solid reputation, not just an image.   Image is the outward appearance that others see. Integrity is the person we are on the inside. The fifth reason is Integrity means living it myself before leading others.  Quite simply put practice what you preach.   The sixth reason is Integrity helps a leader be credible, not just clever.  “People of Integrity expect to be believed. They also know time will prove them right and are willing to wait.” The final reason is that Integrity is a hard-won achievement.  A leader that possesses Integrity demonstrates self-discipline, inner trust, and honesty. 

When a leader has Integrity there is no confusion amongst their peers as to who they are and what they stand for.  “People with Integrity are whole people.” This type of leader possesses values in which they live their life by.  As individuals in leadership positions it is important to have integrity.  A leader will be far more successful in achieving their goals and excel in their area of expertise, when they exhibit integrity.