- August 2, 2018 -
When remembering his wife who died years ago from cancer at the age of 57, Don Shula -- winningest coach of the NFL -- tells what was one of his wife's favorite stories:
It was the summer of 1958. Don and Dorothy Shula were on their honeymoon at Ocean City, New Jersey. They were strolling along the beach when Don stopped and asked Dorothy to backpedal.
You know, run backwards in the soft beach sand.
She thought he was kidding. He wasn't.
So she jogged backward a few steps, looking puzzledly at her husband.
"In football, you have to do a lot of backpedaling," Shula explained. "I just wanted to see what your moves were like so I'd have an idea of how our children will be as football players."
What if Dorothy had been clumsy?
"I would've been stuck," Shula says with a smile.
I'm tellin' ya...it's been a week. I never get sick and this "thing" whooped me good.
So feeling like crap really has messed with my head...literally. (On the mend, though.)
Usually when a deal hits a snag or even goes completely sideways, I can course-correct and get it back on the right path.
But then there are those times when the situation is totally out of your control.
Times when you start backpedaling out of frustration.
Times when you feel like a blind pilot...
trying to land a giant 777 on a tiny speck of land...
in the middle of the Pacific...
with no radar...
no auto-pilot...
during a giant hurricane...
on a moonless night.
Can you relate?
"It's his/her (insert client/customer name) fault that he didn't read the terms of service."
"My lawyer never told me I had to include that in the contract."
"My assistant didn't follow my directions."
You get the idea. It's easy fall into this trap.
If you've never read Don Shula's book Everyone's a Coach -- it's a good read.
At the heart of the book is a simple acronym that describes the qualities of an effective leader:
I should put those on my wall.
I remember the date January 6th, 1985.
Don Shula and his Dolphins vs Chuck Noll and my Steelers faced off in the AFC Championship Game.
Dan Marino (a Pittsburgh kid, ironically) couldn't be caught and took the Dolphins to the Super Bowl.
Where they lost.
Even Don Shula had crappy days.
Backpedaling getting the better of you? Let's do something about it.
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