Being Eager, Being Respectful, Wanting To Learn

Last Wednesday evening, Head Coach Pete Wilk invited me to speak with the juniors and seniors in Georgetown’s baseball program during their annual Career Night.

I arrived early to the restaurant near campus where we were to have a private room. My first impression was quickly formed when the student athletes arrived, all neatly groomed, well dressed, looking eager to learn and grow. They introduced themselves with firm handshakes, smiles and their names.

The meeting began with a discussion of the principles of getting ahead, being an achiever and achieving success in a corporate environment. I’m not sure how well I conveyed my thoughts about what they should take away from the discussion, but I can tell you that I was very impressed with these young men. They were each leaning forward in the seats, eyes on me, clearly focused on our discussion. I know I had their attention, and that was an encouragement to me to try to deliver my ideas and facilitate their thinking to the best of my ability.

The questions they asked were relevant. I knew they wanted to gain as much as they could from the discussion. Attitude is everything! And it was clear that their attitudes were very positive!

By the way, there was another lesson early in the evening. The restaurant had double booked the room, and in fact we did not have a private room as promised, but rather a section in the back. As more people came into the restaurant, it became increasing difficult to carry on the discussion. Coach took action, a call to another nearby restaurant with a private room, and we quickly walked across the street.

The lesson? – A mistake only becomes an error if it is not corrected! Because of Coach Wilk’s quick action, we were back in business in a perfect room for a constructive discussion.

The second part of the evening was a discussion by baseball alums about their professions and their advice regarding how these young men might look to begin their business careers upon graduation or, in some cases, after a professional baseball career.

I was taken by how sincere our alums were in their desire to be helpful. They spoke with great passion. In thinking about that, I am sure that it was the student athletes themselves and their interest that inspired our alums to want to be as helpful as possible. Remember how much impact your attitude can have on those around you.

Being with great people like these young men is a treasure. I am confident that with their respect for others, their dedication to hard work, and their understanding of what it takes to be a great teammate, they will be high achievers beyond their athletic careers.