General Tommy Franks was a recent keynote speaker at the Spur Leadership Conference and told the story of how he flunked out of the University of Texas in 1967. Rather than wait to be drafted to fight in Vietnam, he enlisted in the Army.
As he got on the bus to leave for boot camp, his father said, “Son, I have one piece of advice. Be feisty.”
He replied, “But Dad, I am feisty.”
His dad said, “Son, I know you're feisty, but I mean it as an acronym. F-e-i-s-t-y.” He then went on to spell it out:
F is for focus. You need to get focused on what is important and stay focused.
E is for energy. Bring all the energy you can muster to every situation.
I is for integrity. This is your most important possession. Don’t ever compromise it.
S is for solve the problem. Don’t argue. Don’t make excuses. Just solve the problem and get on with it.
T is for take the blame when no one else will. Accept responsibility and be accountable.
Y is for “Yes, I’ll do it.” Don’t ever say, “That’s not my job.” Do whatever the boss asks you to do and do it with enthusiasm.
The Spur Leadership Conference was developed and built on the principle that all real leadership - regardless of the generational differences - radiates out of the intersection of community and accountability.
This principle is rooted in Hebrews 10:24, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Love and good deeds. Community and accountability. Though rooted in Scripture, it is a law that works in every arena where it’s applied, whether in sports, ministry, the workplace or in the family.
4:13
(thanks Greg Brown)
No comments:
Post a Comment