Happy Birthday and Thank You
Yesterday, a group of individuals who were known as the few, the proud, and the privileged (I know it was stolen) gathered to celebrate the 70th birthday of a man who has been known as “coach” for almost 50 years.
He is a small-town kid, who went off to college, only to come back to teach and coach at his hometown school. He also took over a baseball program from a group of coaches that use to draw straws to see who had to coach each season. He took that program from a sport played after basketball season to one of the most known and respected across the state of Tennessee.
At the end of his career, he finished with well over 500 wins and far fewer defeats, he was one of the most unique individuals to coach high school baseball through the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. He brought the emotional fire of Billy Martin and Earl Weaver while creating a player-friendly culture much like Joe Torre and Bobby Cox. His rules were his rules. It was his way and no other way. You either loved him or hated him, but either way, he never wavered.
While I could go on forever about his coaching, awards, championships, etc, I want to share with you the top five lessons I didn’t know I was learning while playing for him but have come to realize I continue to use daily.
The better you dress, the better your results - Although we were a very small school, in a very small community, he always made certain we were outfitted with the best and most professional uniforms. He once said, “The better you look, the more confidence you will have, the better you will perform.” Whether it’s baseball or the business world, I have always found this small tip to hold true.
Focus on what you can control - “You can’t control the talent level of the competition, but you can control how hard you work.” I have never forgotten these words. No matter what profession you are a part of, never focus on comparing yourself to your competition, rather focus on maximizing your potential and ability.
You get out what you put in - Whatever you eat, you become. Whoever you spend the most time with, you begin to act like. Whatever you think about most, you do the most. Most importantly, the amount of work you put into something will produce the results you receive in return.
Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing - Once during my senior year, I fell into a slump. When I say slump, I mean I couldn’t hit a beach ball with a telephone pole. I continued to work every night after practice, in an attempt to “fix” my problem. One evening Coach found me in the indoor hitting cage which was located inside part of our school’s agricultural building. As he came in we made some small talk and then I started to explain to him everything I thought I was doing wrong. He let me finish and looked at me and said, “Go home.” I was very puzzled by this. I said, “But….” He sternly replied, “The only thing that’s wrong is you are overthinking everything.” I have found myself in many business situations remembering those words. Sometimes it is better not to try to fix everything (which causes overthinking) and just relax.
When it’s over, it’s over - One thing that he will forever be known for by his players is his ability to jump down your throat, mentally challenge you, and basically make an example out of you in the blink of an eye. However, once the event or situation was over, he never brought it back up. He never dwelled on any “challenge” afterward. He said what he thought and moved on. I have taken this same stance over the years of being a business owner. Whether it is listening to someone express their concerns or me expressing mine to someone else. Once it’s over, become better because of it, and move on.
While some players did not enjoy playing for him most days because of his demands for excellence, one thing remained the same year after year, we would all run through a wall for him because in the end, we knew he wanted us to win more than we did and he would do anything to help us succeed.
My love for baseball started at an early age watching the Atlanta Braves on TBS. But my love for the game itself, how it builds character, and how it teaches you to become a winner in life was because of Coach Mike Turner.
Although the t-shirts we wore said playing for Coach Turner was a privilege, as I look back on my life and how he help mold it, playing for him was actually a gift.
Happy Birthday, Coach! I wish you many more.