|
Each month, Don Yaeger, a four-time New York Times best-selling author and award-winning motivational speaker, shares one of his 16 Characteristics of Greatness through the eyes of a great winner from the world of sports. At the end of the e-newsletter, find tips on how to apply this winning characteristic to your life. |
Do Unto Others...
The Great ones know character is defined by how they treat those who can not help them.
|
|
As many universities begin their fall semester this month,
one of the most innovative yet under-publicized periods of the college sports
calendar begins. Several years ago, NCAA rules changed to allow college
basketball teams - both men's and women's - to take one pre-season
out-of-country trip every four years, where the teams compete against their
contemporaries from other lands. I've always been fascinated by these trips and
almost every coach or player I've talked to over the years has said the trip
changed the dynamic of that year's team, opening players' eyes to parts of the world they've
never seen and inspiring an esprit de corps that bonds players together.
But no story of a team and its
pre-season trip rivals the one I heard a year ago from Sue Semrau, the head
women's basketball coach at Florida State.
In 2009, Semrau took her team to
South Africa, where they visited village after village with no
running water, no electricity, and the direst of living conditions. At
one town's basketball court, there was broken glass on the floor. When the
FSU team started to sweep it off, the children told them not to worry about it
- they were used to playing on glass, despite the fact that most had no
shoes. It was eye-opening for the Seminoles.
 After that game, a nine-year-old
girl approached a member of the FSU team and handed her a bracelet, saying,
"I want you to have this. Read it."
It said, simply, "Dream it."
The little girl explained, "I want you
to have this because you have the opportunity to do more than I do. So I'm
going to dream it through you and I want you to do it."
"She had tears in her eyes as she
told me about it later," Semrau said of her player. That was exactly the
kind of perspective she had been hoping to give to her team. "It's one
thing to have influence because you're a great athlete; it's another to have
influence and impact because of service," the coach said.
One of the causes closest to Semrau's heart is the plight of children living in
poverty, both around the world and close to home. She has guided her
teams to volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club, at the Coalition for the
Homeless in Orlando, visiting hospitals, and working with elementary schools
around the country. She says her goal is to make her players more aware
of the blessings they've been given and the ways that they can give back.
 In February 2010, Semrau coached a game against North Carolina (beating the #8
ranked Tar Heels 77-70) in bare feet. She did so to support Samaritans Feet, a charity that provides shoes to communities in developing
nations. She was just one of a number of coaches who participated in the
effort to collect shoes and donations, but Semrau took her work a step
farther. She wanted her players to look not only around the globe, but to
recognize the need in their own town for something as basic as a sturdy pair of
sneakers.
In fact, to help prepare her team for their South African trip, Semrau arranged
a basketball clinic at a neighborhood housing project in Tallahassee. The
team set up several stations for the children: one where they drilled
basketball fundamentals; one that involved teaching about kindness and faith; one for
crafts; and one where the players would kneel and wash the feet of each
child before fitting them with a new pair of shoes. When she asked her
 players to sign up for the station where they'd like to work, to her amazement,
every single one of Semrau's players said they wanted to work at foot-washing.
The goal of that last station, she
explained to me, was for her players "to see the appreciation of these kids and
the joy that not only a pair of shoes gave them, but the attention that was
paid to them in such a way that these athletes who seemed to have it all in
these kids' eyes, would humble themselves to wash their feet. And our
players felt that power in serving . . . It was a very powerful thing."
Tips from
the Great Ones
What was the result of Semrau's efforts to humble her team
through service? They enjoyed their best season in school history, making
it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Championships, losing to the UConn team that
would win the national title two games later. That on-the-court success was not
why Semrau asked her team to give of themselves, but it was a byproduct.
 When I asked her if she believed
her team's service made a difference in how they played that season, she didn't
pause: "Without a doubt. When you develop relationships with one
another, there is always an interesting and a positive chemistry that goes
forward and a trust that is developed. I think that's the service part of
it - it's the humbling of yourself that allows that type of trust, and trust is
so vital when you're part of a team. We didn't just have basketball
trust, the kind where I know you're going to cut when you're supposed to cut so
that I can deliver the pass. It was the trust of 'I've been there with
you and I've watched you humble yourself so I know what I can expect of you.'"
Consider your own team for a
moment. What are you doing with the influence you have in your own
community? Is your team willing to serve? Do you have that kind of
trust in the  people around you, both as coworkers and as people? Do they
have that kind of trust in you?
Even something as simple as a pair
of shoes, or time spent on the basketball practice court... or washing feet, can
make a difference. It's not about the size of the gesture; it's about the
meaning behind it. When others receive service, it reminds them that
they, too, have worth and importance.
Remember: Greatness is not
self-contained; it serves, shares, and inspires. That's the only way it
can grow.
|
|
Do you know of an upcoming event where Don may be a good fit? Find out more here!
Have you seen an example of Greatness you'd like to share with Don? Email him at don@donyaeger.com |
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
16 Consistent Characteristics of Greatness |
|
HOW THEY THINK
1. It's Personal - They hate to lose more than they love to win.
2. Rubbing Elbows - They understand the value of association.
3. Believe - They have faith in a higher power.
4. Contagious Enthusiasm - They are positive thinkers... They are enthusiastic... and that enthusiasm rubs off.
HOW THEY PREPARE
5. Hope For the Best, But... - They prepare for all possibilities before they step on the field.
6. What Off-Season? - They are always working towards the next game... The goal is what's ahead, and there's always something ahead.
7. Visualize Victory - They see victory before the game begins
8. Inner Fire - They use adversity as fuel.
HOW THEY WORK
9. Ice In Their Veins - They are risk-takers and don't fear making a mistake.
10. When All Else Fails - They know how - and when - to adjust their game plan.
11. Ultimate Teammate - They will assume whatever role is necessary for the team to win.
12. Not Just About the Benjamins - They don't play just for the money.
HOW THEY LIVE
13. Do Unto Others - They know character is defined by how they treat those who cannot help them.
14. When No One is Watching - They are comfortable in the mirror... they live their life with integrity.
15. When Everyone Is Watching - They embrace the idea of being a role model.
16. Records Are Made to Be Broken - They know their legacy isn't what they did on the field. They are well-rounded. |
|
If this email was forwarded to you, sign up to receive future newletters here! |
|
| |
|
|
|
