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RECENT NEWS
05-07-2012
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When you have to make a tough decision, what's your foundation?
That's the question I wanted to leave with the men at the ReWired Conference in Oklahoma a couple weeks...MORE
That's the question I wanted to leave with the men at the ReWired Conference in Oklahoma a couple weeks ago. I found this article online and wanted to share it with you all:
Former Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden shared several interesting messages during his keynote address at the Rewired Men's Conference last Friday night. 'Rewired' is a retreat to help you be a better man, leader, father, husband, and son.
Bowden said, "I always thought to be successful in coaching if I could get my teams to understand five things, I can win some games. Five foundations of character."
"Commitment, accountability, responsibility, discipline, sacrifice. If I can get my teams to understand those five things, I can win some games. It spells CARDS."
"11.5 years as a head coach, 90 wins, conference coach of the year 3 times, national coach of the year finalist twice, went undefeated, never had a losing season, bowl eligible every year...trying to force those basic fundamentals of character to my team."
"I really think if you're going to be successful in life, whether it be marriage, business, social life, choosing friends, if you can implement those things (CARDS) in your life, you'll be successful."
Bowden believes that integrity has to be at the forefront for any leader. And any great leader has got to have a foundation of core values that he relies upon.
He said, "Right now, the coaching profession kind of has a black eye. You see what happens with the Saints, what's recently happened at Arkansas with their coach, Coach Paterno as good of coach as he was said himself, 'I wish I could have done more.' Coaches getting memos. Ohio State on probation, Michigan on probation, North Carolina, Miami (FL), Southern Cal, Tennessee."
"Coaches not making good decisions. Getting a memo coming across their desk and with this memo I need to send it there. If I send it there, I might get away with it, but it should go there. When you make a decision, what do you rely on? What's in your core? When you have to make a tough decision, what's your foundation?"
Bowden said he's a week away from moving into a brand new house along the Florida gulf coast.
The new house is 300 feet from the surf, elevated 21 feet, with a foundation that includes forty-four 35-foot telephone poles that were water blasted into the ground. He pole is connected with 1-inch rebar and the rebar runs through each level of the house and is hooked to the roof.
Bowden said, "That house is going to heaven with me. It's ain't going nowhere. I don't care what kind of Hurricane they got coming. Water is going to get in my house if it gets above 21 feet, but when the water goes down, it'll be there because of the foundation. It's deep. It has roots."
The article can also be found here with video: http://www.coachingsearch.com/home/690-tommy-bowden-qwhen-you-have-to-make-a-tough-decision-whats-your-foundationq.html
