Tag Archives: Lou Gehrig

Stub your Toe? Get Up ‘n Go

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By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to help you smile in the face of immediate adversity. Reading time 2:55.

You got off on the wrong foot. You stumbled out of the block. Now you’re sure your project is doomed.

Jack Nicklaus

Well cheer up! The most effective leaders battle back from tough starts. They stub their toe and get back up and go. Consider that:

PABLO PICASSO was born dead. His uncle –a physician- tried an innovative approach (breathing cigar smoke into the baby’s nostrils to shock the newborn’s lungs) and revived him. Picasso, the 20th century’s most innovative artist, turned a tough start into spectacular show over his lifetime.

So did the following six sports legends.

Jack Nicklaus

JACK NICKLAUS, the greatest professional golfer of all time, took his first swing as a professional golfer and drowned his golf ball. He hit his drive into the water. From that pro exhibition match in Miami, Nicklaus went on to win a record 18 major tournaments including six Masters Championships, five PGA Championships, four US Opens and three British Opens. That’s two more than the combined total of Arnold Palmer (7) and Gary Player (9) and three times as many as Lee Trevino (6). Tiger Woods (14) needs five more major victories to unseat Nicklaus.

Lou Gehrig

LOU GEHRIG struck out in his first at bat in the major leagues—on three straight pitches. Yet Gehrig went on to set 45 major league baseball records, including a then-record 2,130 starts over a 14-year span. Continue reading →

Productivity: Let Your Competition Work For You

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By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to help you leverage your competitive spirit.

You’re in a slump. You lost a major account this week. Your competition is bearing down on you. What do you do? Take a deep breath and celebrate your worthy opponents in the marketplace.

Competition sparked USA to Become First to Land a Man on the Moon.

That’s what the most effective leaders do. They know their competition will eventually make them more successful. Consider this poem I ran across from that prolific author Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous that celebrates the power of competition.

A Scrubby Thing

The tree that never had to fight,
For sun and sky and air and light;
That stood out in the open plain and,
Always got its share of rain.
Never became a forest king,
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

Applaud your competition. Take it from Dennis Conner, America’s Cup Yacht racing winner and the author of the book The Art of Winning: “Keep an eye on the competition. Be glad they’re tough to beat. Your toughest competitors are your biggest allies in the art of winning. They’re the ones who make you work harder, move faster, and think smarter.” And become a forest king. Continue reading →