beBetter 

My grandson, Davis, and I were playing in the pool recently when we started a game that involved standing up on a float. My job was to hold on to the float while he tried to stand up. At first he would lose his balance immediately, because he was worried I was going to let go of my hold on the float. "Pops, I can’t do it," Davis proclaimed. I assured him I would not let go and once I proved it to him through my consistent actions, his confidence went up and he began to master his balance. His worry subsided. 

It reminded me of how important it is for each of us to align with and hold on to our vision, to know our role and to trust each other to give it our best. To accomplish great things, we must take personal risks and rely on others to hold on. High trust creates a low risk environment that allows us to achieve things together that would not otherwise be possible. It provides the foundation for being responsive to the market, the speed to adapt, a sense of belonging, and the desire to do our best. 

I talk to my team at HORNE about becoming the “Wise Firm,” a firm of abundance, focused on accomplishing smart, sustainable growth. We talk about having the uncommon discipline to become knowledge leaders, engaging our clients face-to-face, and delivering services that leave their businesses better than we found them. Leaders need a plan to go from good to great.  

Leaders also need to create a sense of urgency to take daily action to make our journey from good to great a reality. Leaders have to do things daily that the masses do not or will not do. 

As you can tell by the fact that this is my third blog related to the College World Series, the entire experience really had an impact on me. But it wasn’t all fun.

Imagine: You are riding on cloud nine as your favorite school is playing in the most elite event there is for college baseball. The atmosphere is exciting, the fans are loud and energetic, and everyone literally feels the tension of every pitch. It’s electric to say the least. Then, the elimination loss comes for 7 of those 8 elite teams, and at the moment that last out is made, sadness overwhelms the losing teams and their fans.

All my posts won’t be about sports. I promise. But my time at the College World Series gave me some really great insights into leadership and teams. Especially my observations of Tyler Campbell.

To put it bluntly, Campbell was an afterthought heading into the College World Series. But on June 21, 2014, he was Vanderbilt University's hero. He was the backup third baseman - thrust into a starting role due to a teammate’s suspension – and Campbell stepped up to propel the Commodores to the College World Series Final against Virginia.

A few weeks ago, my family and I went to the College World Series. As I reflect on my trip to Omaha, NE, I am grateful I was able to experience this phenomenal sporting event and be part of a firm that embraces fearless unrivaled flexibility, which allowed me to make the trip. 

The CWS has been on my bucket list for a long time. I love college athletics especially football, basketball and baseball.  Since my favorite team (Ole Miss) waited 42 years to make another CWS appearance, I had almost decided that I would just have to pick a year and plan a trip. Truth is, I have had to cancel flight plans and CWS tickets three times in the last 10 years as the Rebels kept falling one game short. This year my wife would not let me “jinx” us by booking anything in advance. This year, I finally made it to Omaha (she was right again)! 

Every day we have the opportunity to work toward reaching our full potential—it’s a journey that makes us better for having daily reached for it. This journey for our full potential is laden with opportunities, abundance, self confidence and a unique feeling of accomplishment.  It’s small things that separate typical and average from great and exceptional. Funny, if we decide in our minds that we are “good enough,” we have just begun going backwards .  

I truly believe it is my life’s calling to help others see and understand how to realize their full leadership potential. My personal journey to reach my full leadership potential has taken many twists, turns and dips along the way. So, this blog is partly personal and partly professional. I hope to offer my own insights and some examples of how we’re challenging our team members at HORNE to reach for their leadership potential. At HORNE, it’s a pursuit we call “Be Better.”