You get what you give.
You reap what you sow.
Treat others as you would want to be treated.
I’m not sure that the people who first verbalized those nuggets of wisdom had scientist Sir Isaac Newton in mind, but his 3rd Law of Motion seems relevant: “For every action there is an equal an opposite reaction.”
As a leader when you are deciding a strategy or a game plan you are deciding which “action” to take. Part of your thought process is predicting what the “reaction” will be to your action. It’s amazing to me the number of people who don’t think through the possible reactions or consequences to their actions.
It never fails. Every year as a coach I have at least on one occasion a student-athlete that says, “I had an exam this morning, I pulled an all-nighter last night, I’m exhausted, my body aches and I just can’t run anymore.” My response to them is – “Well of course you are exhausted! How did you think you would feel?! Did you really think your body and mind would be able to function properly when you haven’t slept in 48 hours! Did you think through the reaction (tired, lethargic) to your action (staying up all night with no sleep)?”
Actions and their reactions have much to do with teaching styles of coaches and teachers.
One of my favorite thoughts is from well known educator and author Haim Ginott: I’ve come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.”
So, show enthusiasm – get ethusiasm.
Show poise – get poise.
Show positive energy – get positive energy.
Smile – and the world smiles back! The laws of physics tell us so!
