Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Leadership lessons I learned from my seat on the bench #7

The power of a positive attitude.

As we approach Super Bowl Sunday, I thought it appropriate to talk about something taken directly from the gridiron. And for me, it is an inspiring story.

On December 3, 2018, Washington (at that time Redskins) quarterback Alex Smith experienced a gruesome injury. I can recall watching it on television and I had to turn my head. Smith shattered both his tibia and fibula in his right leg. They carried him off of the field and took him directly to the hospital for surgery.

To make a long story short, that surgery was the first of 17 surgeries to repair his leg. Sometimes in the long recovery process that it looked as though Smith was going to lose his leg. When infection set in, it looked as though he might die. He survived and rehabilitated himself and returned to the field in October 2020. His return was unbelievable.

When he talks about his return to the field, Smith speaks about the “power of his attitude.” And, according to people around him, his attitude had been nothing but positive. Smith believes that there are many things that you cannot control, but you can always control your attitude and approach.

It appeared Smith was never in a bad mood and kept his outlook bright. His will and determination kept pushing him forward. Smith never allowed himself to travel down what he calls “those dark mental pathways.”

Smith remained a competitor until his retirement after the 2020 season.

There is another story to be told in a future blog about how Smith fought his personal anxiety as he prepared for his return. He knew he had to just stay in the moment. Smith has worked hard helping others deal with anxiety and his mantra has become, “Just Live!”

The moral in this story is easy to see. As I have said many times on these pages, success is always about one’s effort and attitude. The challenge for all of us, as individuals, is to know how to keep one’s effort strong and attitude positive even in the bleakest of times. And for my fellow principals and superintendents reading this, how do you keep your team’s attitude going in the right direction? Your responsibility is to constantly coach them “up.” You must keep them away from those dark pathways that may seem endless and keep them grounded to just stay in the moment. It seems like such a simple thing to do. So why can’t we do it? Now that is the question. Answer that one and you will probably become a very rich person.

And finally, never forget that every day, before our feet hit the floor as we rise from our beds, that each one of us can choose our attitude for the day. Force yourself to choose that positive path.

Good luck.