March Madness is upon us, and for the first time ever, I participated in our company’s “March Madness Bracket Challenge” that one of our sharp young APM’s put together. He told me his mother picks the teams based on which mascots she likes, and maybe I should have done the same thing. I might be $10 dollars richer if I had, because by Thursday evening, I had lost my first 3 picks. It was fun while it lasted for a few hours.
This morning, I got to thinking about Pat Summitt, who was the coach of the Lady Vols basketball team for nearly 3 decades. I followed her with respect. I’m not sure if it was because she won so many games and national championships, or maybe it was because she was taken from us so early in life. In any case, she said something one time that resonates with me: “The absolute heart of loyalty is to value those people who tell you the truth, not just those people who tell you what you want to hear. In fact, you should value them most.”
This is one of my greatest desires for our team and the people I value in life. I hope we can be forthright, but also kind, building each other up in the process.