If you’re a fan of college football, you know Tom Osborne, the storied coach of Nebraska who is now that school’s athletic director.
Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Nebraska Broadcasters Association convention in Omaha, thanks to Marty Riemenschneider and that organization’s fine board. Overall, 435 people were in attendance – a strong showing.
A highlight was Coach Osborne’s lunch time address. He took a moment to talk about TeamMates, a wonderful program that he spearheads. It asks people to devote just one hour a week to mentoring young people who may come from troubled home environments.’
The Coach also addressed the state of college football, especially in light of some of the NCAA investigations and sanctions that have been in the news. As Osborne pointed out, the situation today is actually better than it was just a few decades ago.
But what impressed me most about his speech was the emphasis on the old school qualities about people that used to matter. He went out of his way to point out the value of trust, commitment, and integrity – keeping your word no matter what. Doing what you say you will do. Living by standards that inspire.
And Osborne talked about how in recent years, America has come to celebrate people with power, money, and influence, many of whom lack many of those same values.
As he pointed out, “It’s how you play the game” – an interesting view from someone who has won big throughout his career. And he singled out legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, as the pinnacle of success, while never mentioning the “W-word” to his team.
In business and in life, we continue to see what happens when victories are measured only by EBITDA, PPM monthlies, and Miller Kaplan reports. Yes, those are the metrics by which we are judged.
But by setting standards and true “best practices,” hiring and developing great people, creating compelling content, and serving our audience and our communities, we can accomplish those statistical goals and build our brands and our reputations at the same time.
I felt good about Nebraska joining the Big Ten – a quality school becoming a part of this legendary conference. Knowing that Osborne is setting the tone for the school makes it even better.
Integrity still matters.
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Honesty. I have never appreciated that word more than I do today. Save the frosting for when ya bake a cake…tell me what you are going to do and just do it. You truly are only as good as your word.
Thanks, Danny. The Coach did a great job of framing it. Appreciate you reading our blog.