From the Bleachers-780

By Dr. Jack Welch

When You Find Yourself in a Bind?

Have you ever found yourself in a bind? Coaches, administrators, teachers and students all do. Life puts us in situations we did not expect.

A coach loses a key player. An employee works hard but faces setback after setback. A student wonders how they will pay the next bill.

So, what do we do when we are in a bind? We keep going. We keep striving for excellence. Most importantly, we have faith.

I once heard the story of a person who seemed to have everything go wrong. They worked hard, then lost their job. They searched for another opportunity, only to face more setbacks. The small business they had invested in closed its doors. It would have been easy to quit.

Instead, they kept looking. They kept working. They kept believing tomorrow could be better than today.

Then an opportunity came along that was bigger than anything they had imagined. The setback became a setup for something greater. Sometimes we cannot see what God is doing in the middle of the struggle.

Think about Moses standing at the Red Sea with the Egyptian army closing in behind him. The sea was in front of him, and his enemy was behind him. He was truly in a bind. Yet God had a plan.

Exodus 14:14 tells us, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Faith means trusting God while continuing to do our part.

We still prepare. We still practice. We still teach. We still work. We still study. We still lead.

When you are in a bind, don’t panic. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Keep moving. Keep striving for excellence. Keep believing.

You may not see the way out today, but have faith. God has your back. Sometimes the Red Sea is not the end of the journey. It is where we discover how powerful God really is.

Thought for the Week: “Never give up in the middle of the story. You may not understand what your future holds, but keep moving forward. You may be preparing for your greatest chapter yet.” — Lindsay Hill, Dean at Fort Scott Community College

Dr. Jack Welch serves as President of Fort Scott Community College. With a career spanning professional sports, public education, and rural community development, he brings a servant-leader mindset and a passion for building trust-driven cultures that empower people to thrive in the classroom, on the field, and in life. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching: The Total Coaching Manual.

Your Time Is Now

This week’s From the Bleachers is a little different. It is a personal letter to a former athlete, as he prepares for his college season opening game.

I want you to know how proud I am of the man you have become. I have watched your journey from Little League, to junior high, to high school. I had the privilege of recruiting you to East Texas A&M University, and I watched you continue to grow as a football player and as a young man.

Eventually, our paths took us in different directions. I went into the UFL and college administration, while you continued your football journey in college football at the highest levels. Look at where you are today. You have continued to improve, continued to work and continued to chase the dream. This could be one of the greatest years of your football career.

This is your chance. Do not get caught up in the hype or distracted by what people are saying about you or what may come after the season. Keep your eyes on what is directly in front of you. You cannot play tomorrow’s game today.

Play today’s game. Football is physical, but the mental part of the game is just as important. Stay focused on what you can control: your effort, your attitude and your preparation. Motivation may get you started, but discipline keeps you going.

Your standard has always been high. Keep it there. Do not lower it because you are tired, things are difficult or someone else is not meeting the standard. You know who you are, what you are capable of and how much work it took to get here.

Do not waste a day or a play. Every practice, class, workout and game is an opportunity to become better. Strive for excellence when nobody is watching, because that prepares you to perform.

Most importantly, always put God first. John 15:5 reminds us that apart from Him, we can do nothing. Let God guide you, keep you humble, strengthen you and remind you that your identity is bigger than football.

When you step onto that field, believe in yourself. Trust your preparation. Do your job. Win the moment. Then move to the next play.

Pardner, I have watched you grow from a little boy into a man with an incredible opportunity. Your time is now. Be great today. Then wake up tomorrow and do it again. I believe in you. I always have. I love you.

Thought for the week, “Attitude is everything.” Tracy Welch, legendary coach.

Dr. Jack Welch serves as President of Fort Scott Community College. With a career spanning professional sports, public education, and rural community development, he brings a servant-leader mindset and a passion for building trust-driven cultures that empower people to thrive in the classroom, on the field, and in life. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching: The Total Coaching Manual.

One Person Can Make the Difference

Championship teams are not built because everyone thinks alike. They are built because people with different experiences, personalities, skills and perspectives learn to work together toward a common goal.

Sometimes, however, it takes one person stepping forward to help a team discover what it is capable of becoming. In 2010, 33 miners were trapped nearly 2,300 feet underground after a collapse at the San José copper-gold mine in Chile. The situation was frightening and uncertain. They did not know how long they would be underground or whether they would be rescued.

Luis Urzúa, the shift foreman, immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation. He took charge, organized the men, helped establish a plan for survival and worked to keep the group mentally focused. He created detailed maps that would assist rescuers and communicated with engineers on the surface.

Urzúa didn’t rescue those 33 men by himself. He couldn’t. It took engineers, rescuers, government officials, drilling crews and countless others working together to bring the miners home. Yet one person made a tremendous difference. His leadership helped bring order to uncertainty. His calmness helped others remain calm. His willingness to accept responsibility gave the group direction.

That is an important lesson for every college faculty and staff. We don’t need everyone to think alike. We don’t need everyone to approach a problem the same way. We need people who are willing to recognize what the team needs and step forward to provide it.

One person may have the experience we need. Another may have the relationship that opens a door. Someone else may see a solution nobody else has considered. Another may simply be the person who encourages everyone else when the pressure is greatest.

One person can make a difference. However, one person cannot build a championship team alone. It takes trust. It takes loyalty. It takes focus. It takes people willing to put aside personal preferences when necessary and blend their individual strengths into something greater than themselves.

A championship culture is not about everyone getting their way. It is about everyone understanding the goal and asking, “What can I do to help this team succeed?”

At our college, our goal is bigger than any individual department, position or personality. It is about our students and the future we are helping them build.

The best teams recognize that every person matters. Sometimes the person who makes the difference is the person standing beside you. Sometimes it can be you.

Thought for the Week: “Different perspectives can make us stronger. Shared purpose makes us a team. And sometimes, one person can make all the difference.” — James Robert Tucker, Professional Cowboy

Dr. Jack Welch serves as President of Fort Scott Community College. With a career spanning professional sports, public education, and rural community development, he brings a servant-leader mindset and a passion for building trust-driven cultures that empower people to thrive in the classroom, on the field, and in life. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching: The Total Coaching Manual.