Fight for Your Passion

He has worked hard on his dream. He has invested countless hours in training, camps, and practices to pursue his love for basketball. He is more than a student of the game; he is a teenage athlete with a definite passion for the sport he plays. However, things are not going well on the team…

His high school basketball coach appears to be more concerned with winning than coaching boys to become young men of character and discipline. The young player is obviously the recipient of poor coaching, both on and off the court.

His mom, who is a leader in a global corporation, was telling me about the challenges that her son was facing. I asked her what she was going to do.

She replied:

“I am going to teach my son the life lesson of going after what is important to him. He has invested many hours of hard work in developing his skills; there is no question that he loves this sport. However, it is my job to equip him for manhood. Therefore, if he is going to be successful he must learn to fight for his passion.”

She explained to me just what that meant:

“He needs to develop a plan to lead his coach. This includes demonstrating the willingness to practice and play hard while finding ways to communicate his frustration to the coach in a respectful fashion. His plan needs to be intentional and his behavior consistent.He needs to understand that there are times in life when we must be willing to struggle in order to pursue those things that are most important to us.”

Leadership is about struggling to achieve our goals. It is about making the decision to overcome obstacles that obscure our vision. It’s staying the course when quitting would be easier. It's fighting for our passion. Because of the great coaching from his mom, this young player is on his way to becoming a strong, independent man.

Show me a leader who is willing to fight for his passion, and I’ll show you a leader who truly makes a difference!

Dr. Larry Little, CEO