6:15 this morning 9 nuts made their way down to OSU to hang with some Buckeye nuts of sorts. We took the 3P on the road, if you will, and laced ’em up with the OSU grapplers. Let me explain. Thomas Ryan, OSU’s Wrestling Head Coach, invited us to do some push,pull,and planks while he led his team through their early morning lifting routine. Coach Ryan is the real deal. We only met a few short weeks ago when he attended a “Team Choice,” BTL practice but it didn’t take long to realize his toughness was more than surpassed by his generosity.
Today, looking into the eyes of his team was very reflective and refreshing. Before 9 old men left the wrestling room every single grappler shook our hand, and introduced themselves. Some of them thanked us for coming down. I’m certain Coach Ryan sent them over. However, their eyes told us that they were happy to oblige him.
They wanted to…
Watching them work together and noticing how they responded to him and how he responded to them was downright heart warming. These men are D1 athletes and tough as iron, yet they were welcoming to strangers, comfortable with Coach, and a positive reflection of their leader.
They wanted to…
Remember, every leader gets exactly the team he or she deserves. Coach Ryan has himself a great team. His grapplers reflect his grit and his graciousness. Today, we got tired beside him and his team. And, we got a little bonus too. After we pushed, pulled, and planked we took a drive to a place they call “The Shoe.” Coach Ryan showed us how to run “C” Deck. We did ten runs up and ten walks down. After the first few, I couldn’t run the whole way up. I ran next to Coach for awhile and then I watched him from afar. He was always coming down as I was slowly making my way up. He was never too tired to encourage me to keep going and to recognize how hard I was working.
He wanted to…
Remember, everybody on your team needs to know you see them, you see their effort, and that you want to be with them. Just a couple words could be all they need to keep going. Today, I saw a Gritty and gracious team of grapplers. Today, I ran with some leaders. Today, I saw some of the next generation reflecting some of the old school values so many miss. Today, I was reminded that teams reflect their leader.
Thanks Coach Ryan for the reminders. And, tell your grapplers they taught an old golfer a thing or two today. Your grapplers are a nice reflection of you…
How ’bout you my curious reader. What would your team tell me about you…
BUILT TO LEAD 