The Tiger Woods Front Row

Posted by Mike Foster

I know we could stir up a lot of debate around what happened at Tiger Woods’ press conference. Especially if we discussed whether he meant it, the format, and all the other juicy details that the public seems to be so obsessed with these days.

But we aren’t TMZ or The View who profit from trashing, analyzing, and questioning everything. And we don’t exploit the pain of others.

So here are my simple thoughts.

I unashamedly support Tiger, can’t wait for him to play golf again, and pray that his marriage survives this crisis. I’m 100% in his corner.

What stood out to me on Friday? It was the people sitting in the front row.

His Mom who he hugged right after. A top executive from Nike whose company has refused to bail on him. And one of his best friends, fellow golfer Notah Begay, who has stood by Tiger since his college days.

The front row statement was profound. On the peaks, in the deepest valleys, we stand with our son, friend, and colleague. Let the crap hit the fan, we aren’t going anywhere.

We could all learn a lesson from that.

I have to admit I completely agree with everything he said.

Character Creep

I get the privilege of teaching a group of our teenagers the book Deadly Viper by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite.  These guys both nailed it on the head with this book as they tackle the topic of character assassins.  You never see the assassin coming but before you realize it, it is over, and so are the attacks on our character.  It can take a lifetime to develop character and only a moment to destroy it.  I am praying for myself and our staff that God will protect us, but just as important that we will not put ourselves in positions to fail.  So I wanted to give a couple key points and quotes from the Character Creep chapter that really spoke to our teens and may speak to you as well.

 

• Character Creep SLOWLY steals integrity.
• Moment by moment we are building a life, a reputation.
• Everything we have worked so hard to build can be destroyed in a matter of moments.
• If you’re not willing to be bold with fellow friends to the point of risking the friendship, then your friendship has superficial value.  Oscar Wilde once said, “True friends stab you in the front.”
• The more senior your leadership role is, the less honest criticism you’ll receive from those around you.
• Success By Default: You don’t have to be the most gifted leader or person.  If you just stay faithful over the long haul, carefully manage the small things, then you’ll be the last person standing!  You will have attained success by default.
• We are second chance people in the second chance business.
• The simple defense against Character Creep is to pay attention to the little adjustments.
• Refrain from doing anything today we’d be uncomfortable reading about int he headlines tomorrow.

They asked a great question, “How would your life change if you knew you’d see it all played out on television tomorrow?” The challenge is to live each day as if those details could be broadcast to the world.  Living this way provides a fatal blow to the assassin.

Coaching Network

I have had the privilege to be a part of Backstage Leadership since September and to be honest I didn’t know what to expect. I had never been a part of anything like this but I knew I was passionate about leadership and developing not only myself but taking what I was learning and applying it to my circles of influence.

I have been blown away by the line up of speakers that I have gotten to interview such as: Chuck Colson, Michael Hyatt, Andy Andrews, Carlos Whitaker, Gabe Lyons and Brad Lomenick. The first semester line up was incredible and challenged me in such areas as; time management, dream casting, social networking, leadership development and family being a priority.

Here is the line up for second semester if you are interested in signing up: Mark Batterson, Dan Cathy, Catherine Rohr, Mike Foster, and Ken Blanchard.  Once again I guarantee that you will be challenged in leadership and lifestyle buy some of the best communicators, authors and leaders there is.

Backstage was started by Greg Darley and has gone from concept into an idea that is transforming young leaders by giving them opportunities to learn from those who have blazed the path before us.  I can honestly say I am a different leader and approach leadership differently because of this program and hopefully one day have the opportunity to pour into others like Greg has poured into me.

If your interested in joining Backstage Leadership, check out their website at www.backstageleadership.org