I had been meaning to read Bo’s Lasting Lessons since I received it last Christmas and last weekend I finally took the time to do it. The book was framed as Bo Schembechler’s lessons in leadership and was completed just prior to his death in November 2006, hence the title. And for those who don’t know, he was Michigan’s football coach from 1969 to 1989.
When I was in junior high (or maybe freshman year of high school), I met Bo once at a book signing in Columbus the week of the Ohio State Game (this was after he had retired obviously). And I can still remember the smile on his face when I walked up to get my book signed. I was young, but he definitely left an impression on me.
I thought this book was a joy to read and brought back many memories of my days playing football and the lessons my coaches tried to teach us.
Here are a few lessons that struck home with me as I read it this past weekend:
So you need to find something you really love to do, beacause otherwise you’re going to hate it. And if you hate your work, you’ll never put in the kind of effort the guys at the top are putting into it. You’ll Lose!
We’re not going to lower the bar for anyone. We’re just going to help you get over it.
You need to find a way to instill game day urgency in everything you do. Because without it, everyday is just like every other day, everyone loses interest and then they lose focus.
Keep doing the same things, and you’re going to get the same results. If you want different results, you better do something different.
Not making a decision is the worst thing you can do.
What does it take to ignore 100000 critics? It takes one thing: confidence. Where do you get confidence? Simple: through preparation.
All very simple, but often so hard to follow through on, yet he always did, and I wish I could do the same.
