Being Tapped on the Shoulder

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

I took a break to watch Coach Mike Krzyzewski speak at his official retirement announcement at Duke University.

If you don’t know who Coach K is, I’ll just say that he spent the past 35+ years as the basketball coach at Duke University, is 12 a time national coach of the year, and led the US Olympic teams in basketball.

Of the players who played for Coach K, 67 were drafted into the NBA, 41 were first round draft picks, and 28 were lottery picks (early draft choices in the first round).

When listening to him reflecting upon his career, he spoke about the importance of someone believing in you.

“In your darkest hours, it’s not just about opportunity. It’s about someone believing you.”

For those of us who lead, is one of the most important reminders we can hear.

It’s a reminder that we need to care enough about someone else that they feel our care, that they feel our love like the wind at their back, carrying them through the storm of fear and insecurity.

Belief often is the difference between success and failure and our ability to transfer that belief in someone to that person may move them just enough to be successful, to be great, to be themselves.