On life and leadership at Rotary

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Greg Oliver spoke to the Wilmington Rotary Club which meets at noon at the Park Vue Grill on Mondays on life and leadership that he shared at the recent Lombardi Dinner.

Oliver said he uses a handout/take away highlighting the main point, and then told the following stories to illuminate each piece:

The Little Big Horn of College Football story revolved around a 1916 Georgia Tech football game that resulted in a 222-0 score. Coached by John Heisman, the team had no first downs – they scored on all first possessions. However, at some point in the game, the ball was fumbled, a player was just looking at the football. A teammate who could not reach it told the other to pick it up. The lesson – sometimes we fumble … pick up the ball and be accountable.

The Dead Poets Society revolved around the movie of the same title and a scene wherein the instructor (Robin Williams) stood on the table and recommended the same for his students to allow them to change their view of the world. In other words – shift your paradigm. Look at the world from a different point of view. Get the rest of the story. Just when you think you know… you don’t.

The 4 Disciplines of Execution 4DX story encouraged WIGs… wildly important goals. The point was to leverage the key things to get you where you are supposed to be; to act on lead measures and develop a score card. One should keep a cadence of accountability.

The Sharpen the Saw story was just that… a man working hard to saw a tree, was asked why he did not sharpen the saw… he was too busy sawing to stop and do that. Sharpen your saw. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. Intellectually.

The Stir what you got story was also just that. It may only seem like a few swallows of lemonade in the bottom of the glass, but add a little ice and stir it up. It might surprise you what is enough.

Oliver left the Rotarians with a quote from Gandhi – “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

Oliver stated that he spent much of his life in Education, as a past high school principal, and now he spends some of his time working for Pierson Publishing and the rest conducting Leadership Training through his company Renaissance Leadership Training. Oliver also said he bases much of his leadership training on the books noted above, as well as “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, “The Energy Bus” and “From Good to Great”, among others.

Katherine Harrison-Tigar, President of the Wilmington Rotary Club, and club guest Greg Oliver.
https://www.wnewsj.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/02/web1_IMG_0598.jpgKatherine Harrison-Tigar, President of the Wilmington Rotary Club, and club guest Greg Oliver. Courtesy photo

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