Friday, January 7, 2011

PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS

I have blogged often about Kevin Elko and his amazing powers of motivation.  I first met Kevin when he talked to our team during our run fourth Final Four run.  Due to circumstances, I was faced as serving as an interim head coach during the NCAA tournament that season.  Not only did Kevin set an incredible tone in that talk to that team, but he called me daily the rest of the NCAA tournament to with a new exercise for our team -- it was amazing stuff! 

I just got through reading his book "Touchdown" and it is full of quotes, stories and his thoughts on how to get individuals and teams to give their absolute best.  Here is just one of many short stories that will become a team passout for us:

A 14-year-old boy asked his mother if he could play a sport. However, he had one problem: He did not have a left arm. When his mother enrolled him in judo, his instructor taught him one move, telling him to master that one move. The instructor enrolled him in a tournament, and the boy won every match. Finally, he was in a championship bout with a brute. The referee went to the instructor before the bout and said, “You are going to get this boy killed.”

The instructor replied, “The boy will be fine.” The boy, too, said to his instructor, “You are going to get me killed.” The instructor replied, “You will be just fine.” The boy won the match! As the two were driving home, the boy asked, “Why did you do that to me? That guy was scary. I do not have a left arm and you taught me only one move.” The instructor explained, “There is only one defense for that move—to grab the left arm!”

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