FPRA Annual Conference: What Makes the Great Ones Great - Don Yaeger
FPRA Annual Conference: Closing Session, What Makes the Great Ones Great – Don Yaeger, New York Times best-selling author
Sixteen Characteristics of Greatness
What makes great people tick, and how can we apply those characteristics to our lives? We’re all capable of greatness. It’s all in the mental approach we take to our work and our lives.
How great leaders think:
1. It’s personal.
Don once scored a basket while playing one-on-one against Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player in the world. Furious that he was one-upped by a short white guy, Jordan trash-talked Don every time they met after that, not because he hated Don but because he hated losing. Great leaders expect only success from themselves.
2. They rub elbows, believing in the power of association. (Like FPRA!)
Swen Nader didn’t know how to play basketball in high school despite his 6’11” height. He never played a game in college. But he became one of the best basketball players because a community college coach saw his potential and helped make the connections Swen needed to play professionally.
Follow the rule of five: who are the five people in your life with whom you spend the most time? If they’re positive, enthusiastic, motivated people, chances are, you are (or will be) too. But if they’re not going places, chances are, you won’t either.
3. They have faith in a higher power.
4. They have contagious enthusiasm.
How great leaders prepare:
5. They hope for the best, but prepare for all possibilities.
6. They are always working toward their next goal
7. They visualize victory.
8. They have a constant inner fire. They use adversity as fuel.
Warrick Dunn is at the top of his game. However, right before he was to enroll at FSU on a football scholarship, his mom was fatally shot during a bank robbery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dunn followed through with the scholarship, completed his degree and was a 1st round NFL draft pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But he also went through years of counseling to cope with his mother’s murder and reinstill his confidence. He learned to channel the adversity from it to “get up off the couch” and create a foundation that gives homes to single parents and establishes a more stable life for their kids. What’s more, he is one of only 22 NFL players to have rushed 10,000 yards in their career.
How great leaders work:
9. They have are risk-takers and don’t fear making a mistake.
10. They’re flexible. They know how and when to adjust their game plan.
11. They are the ultimate teammate and will assume any role necessary for their team to win.
12. They aren’t in it just for the money.
How great leaders live:
13. They live by the Golden Rule.
NFL running back Walter Peyton was a registered organ donor but never thought he’d be diagnosed with liver cancer and need a liver transplant himself. Peyton didn’t receive a new liver in time to stop the cancer, but instead of commiserating about his condition he chose to raise awareness about the need for voluntary organ donation through public service announcements and his autobiography. He knew his character would be remembered not by his football career but by how he treated those who could not help him.
(To learn more about becoming an organ donor, visit the Donate Life America Web site.)
14. They live their life with integrity. They can comfortably look themselves in the mirror.
15. They embrace the idea of being a role model.
Look around at the people who influence you. Why are they your role model? Who might be looking up to you? What can you do for them?
16. They're well-rounded and know their real legacy isn’t what they did on the field.
I’m reminded of outgoing president Suzanne Sparling’s speech at the President’s Luncheon on Monday. She thanked her colleagues and family for their support during her term as FPRA president but emphasized that her two sons, who were seated at the front of the room, are her greatest accomplishment. What a testament to her outstanding leadership!
For more on Don’s writing and speaking, visit www.donyaegerspeaks.com
