Why Lansing High School Sports Changed My Life...

I have had the privilege of working for two Hall of Fame Coaches from my athletic high school career.  How many people can claim this? On the right is Errol Logue, my track coach from way back in the day. On the left is Coach Julie Slater, my volleyball coach. Coach Logue was recently inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame, and Coach Slater was recently inducted into the Kansas Volleyball Association Hall of Fame. I took the day off a few weeks ago to offer my congratulations and thanks to both of them. Without them, I would be a completely different person.

Why, you ask? Well, it has to do with leadership and teaching me how to be a leader. They were a great inspiration to me and believed in my abilities (on and off the field), but why they stood out to me and changed my life is because they were not afraid to tell me when I was not doing so great. My attitude was sometimes not the best some days. I would come to practice and/or a game not with the 110% focus I needed for the team. And sometimes I was being selfish and not being the best team player I could be. Guess what? Real leaders call you out because of bad behavior or a poor attitude. They also give you kudos for a job well done. My coaches did these things in a caring and respectful way because all they wanted was for me to be the best I could be.

Coach Logue and Coach Slater, thank you. Thank you for caring about me. Thank you for taking the time to be a leader to me and making me become a better leader. Even though my competitive arena has changed - from athletics to business - the rules you have taught me are still the same:

· BELIEVE. You have to be positive and believe you can make a difference.

· WORK. Yes, hard work. Nothing comes to you without putting in the time and effort.

· NEVER, EVER GIVE UP. The famous basketball player Magic Johnson said it best, “It is not about winning or losing, it is about never giving up”.