Oozing Cool

Picture in your head, for a moment, your epitome of “cool.”  Seriously - stop reading for a few seconds, and visualize the person whom you feel is the most “cool.”  What do they look like?  Can you see their face, hear their voice, maybe even feel their touch?  But more than anything, think about why you think that person is cool.

I am going to rewind a few months and tell you about George, the person I visualize when I think of the word “cool.”

Tonight, I am at Nashville's premiere venue for country music songwriters, the Bluebird Cafe.  It is here that I meet George.  He is wearing running shoes, even though he is not a runner.  Beneath his running shoes are short, white socks, the kind that cutoff below the ankle.  He is wearing jeans, somewhat snug, straight-legged, washed, denim jeans, probably purchased at Wal-Mart for no more than twenty dollars.  Continuing to his upper body, he is wearing a t-shirt, a somewhat loose, basic gray t-shirt.  The sleeves of his t-shirt are short enough to expose his relatively skinny biceps and farmer’s tan.

George has a unique face, long and skinny, kind of like an upside-down egg.  He has deep-set eyes and a short, perhaps even slightly pug, nose.  His heavily receding hairline displays his prominent forehead. 

Tonight, George is sitting in a basic, wooden chair and holding a simple, acoustic guitar.  After strumming a few chords, he begins to sing.  While his voice is not spectacular, it is easy enough on the ears.

George begins his short set by playing a variety of cover songs.  He seems to be sticking to hits this evening.  It is fun to listen to the songs, but then again, I have heard these songs performed thousands of times with much more pizzazz on both the radio and by a variety of cover bands.

Does George sound cool to you, yet?  Probably not, I imagine.  But stick with me for a bit, because there is a big difference tonight.  George wrote all of these songs, these songs that have sold millions of a copies.  He is playing the songs the way that he wrote them and the way that they were originally meant to be played. 

George never mentions that he has written eight top five country hits, with half of those rising all the way to number one.  Instead of saying, “The next song I will play is ‘Real Good Man’ by Tim McGraw, one of my four number one hits,” he humbly says, “I would like to thank Tim McGraw for recording this song and putting my kids through college.”

As he plays hit after hit, he doesn’t try to pump up the small crowd before playing each song.  He simply tells the story behind the song, plays it the way he wrote it, and moves on to the next tune.

Compared to most accomplished musicians I have met, I can relate much better to George.  He opens up a bit and talks about how even a successful musician like himself has weaknesses  He tells a story about how he and another songwriter left Nashville for a weekend to write songs, but what transpired was a bunch of fishing and beer drinking.  Afraid of disappointing his wife and publishing company manager, George and his fellow songwriter pen a tune before they drive home.  After hearing him play it, I anticipate it will be a big hit on country radio before long.  How long did it take George to write the song?  About an hour.

When George calls it a night, the Bluebird Cafe clears out fairly quickly, giving me an opportunity to engage him in a brief conversation.  He sincerely thanks me for coming out to his show, answers all of my questions, and expresses genuine appreciation for the passion I express for his music.

After a few minutes, my wife drags me away from George, leaving behind a puddle of my drool.  As my wife and I drive home from the cafe that evening, we talk about how much we enjoyed George and his performance.

As I reflect back on that evening, I realize why I admired George so much.  First, I admire how success has not changed him.  He plays his songs the way he wrote them, not the way Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins, and other singers have recorded them.  He still wears clothes that are comfortable to him, not the kind of flashy outfit that Sony requires its performers to wear.

Second, George is extremely humble.  Despite his successes, he does not call attention to himself.  He plays at a cafe that has maybe 100 patrons.  After his set, he talks to what few adoring fans he has in a very down to earth manner and remains in the cafe until everyone who wants to talk to him has done so.  In fact, George appears humbled at the appreciation he receives

To me, being true to one’s self and being humble are very cool.  I can especially learn from George’s humility.  If I have a success, I do not need to tell others about.  I simply need to let people find out about it for themselves.  And if they never find out about it, so what?  I can take personal satisfaction in my success, and that is all that matters.

Thank you, George, for showing me what it really means to be “cool.”  You are my epitome of cool.  You...ooze cool.

The Sabbatical

It will be good to visit with him today, it has been awhile. I hope his office door is open.  It is a bit early, but then again, he usually gets in early.  8AM seems to be when he makes his leisurely walk down the hallway to his office. 

I wonder what we will talk about today, although it doesn’t really matter.  I enjoy all of my chats with him.  I turn the corner, and I can see his office door in the distance, and…it is open!  A good visit awaits me.

As I draw near, I hear voices; someone has beaten me to his office today.  That’s okay; many of these visits involve others as well.  But wait, what’s that, a female voice?  That’s a bit odd; normally I would have expected the worn voice of an elderly monk or the loud voice of the athletic director.

As I cast my shadow on the doorway of his office, I hear the familiar, “Warren!” ring out of his mouth, beckoning me to enter.  I enter his office and find that he is talking to…a janitor?  And a female janitor at that?  Why is this important man talking to a janitor?  Well, to clarify, he’s not doing much of the talking.  He’s listening, actively listening to the janitor tell her own stories.  He doesn’t concern himself with their different standing on the food chain of occupations.  He simply cares that she is a person, a person worthy of respect and with friendship to offer.

Humbled, I join the conversation, realizing once again how much I have to learn from this man…

Recently, Saint John’s University approved my sabbatical application to write a book on the legacy of John Gagliardi.  As a quick note, St. John’s is a school of about 2,000 men.  Five miles down the road is its sister school, the College of Saint Benedict.  St. Ben’s is a school of about 2,000 women.  Although they are separate schools, St. Ben’s and St. John’s have a unique partnership, with virtually all classes and the vast majority of activities co-ed.  Students generally view the two schools as a single school, with dorms 5 miles apart.  I am technically employed by the St. Ben’s, my office is at St. John’s, and all of my classes are co-ed.  For simplicity, I will be referring to the combined schools as St. John’s.

When I discuss this project with others, I always receive the same three questions:  what inspired you, what is the book going to be about, and what is a sabbatical anyway?

What inspired me and what is this book going to be about? 

John Gagliardi inspired me.  By the way, it is pronounced Ga-LAR-dee.  The second “g” is silent.  His last name doesn’t matter, though.  He prefers that everyone call him John. There is no need to call him Coach, and whatever you do, never, ever, call him Gags.

Who is John?  He is the 85 year old head football coach at St. John’s University, a job title he has held at St. John’s since 1953.  Closing in on 500 career victories, he has used an innovate approach to coaching and life to win by far more games in the history of college football than any other coach, regardless of division.  The second place coach on the list has just over 400 victories

I first met John in the fall of 1990 when I was a high school senior on a recruiting visit at Saint John’s University.  I got to know John a bit when I played football for him during my college years at St. John’s from 1991-1995.  When I returned to St. John’s as a faculty member in the fall of 2004, my relationship with John changed.  Many mornings, I stop by John’s office for a chat.  These morning chats are often the highlight of my day.  He has asked me a couple dozen times to join his coaching staff.  He invited me on several occasions to co-teach one of his classes before I finally did so last year.  Also last year, I even became his CPA.

This book will not focus on football or his unique coaching style.  It won’t have many pictures or quotes from others.  There are other books and articles on John which do those things.  Instead, my book will read more as a conversation between John and me.  Many of these conversations have already happened.  To the extent that he is willing, I will ask him to reflect and elaborate further on what has made him so successful. 

In considering this project, I was partially inspired by the best-selling book, “Tuesday’s with Morrie,” a book about life lessons told by a highly regarded professor to a former student.

My goal is to write a book about John and to have the book published.  At this point, I could see the title of the book being titled, “How to Leave a Legacy,” although I plan to come up with something more catchy.  John jokingly suggested “The Seduction of Gagliardi,” not because he was ever seduced, but because it would generate interest.  I am fairly certain we will go with something else. 

John is a highly respected and admired individual who has created a tremendous legacy, and the book will focus on this legacy.  I believe the keys to leaving a legacy like John’s are doing something that people hold in high regard and doing that something exceptionally well and for a sustained period of time.  The book will focus on how he has done that and how others can learn from what he has done to leave their own, powerful, legacies.

What is a sabbatical? 

During the fall semester of 2012, I will be excused from my teaching and other regular duties as a faculty member of St. John’s, and I will be paid my regular salary during that time.  At St. John’s, faculty members may take a sabbatical every six years.  The school offers sabbaticals so that faculty may have longer periods of uninterrupted time in order to focus on a projects that will make them better teachers and scholars.

My plan is to continue my regular morning visits with John, although I will be more intentional about memorializing our discussions.  Starting in March, I will sit in on his Theory of Coaching Football course.  This is perhaps the most popular course on campus and focuses more on how to live your life as opposed to how to coach football.  This summer, I will have a few focused discussions with him, to the extent that the humble man lets me, in order to gain final information needed to write the book.

Around August 1^st, John will largely become untouchable, as his focus will shift completely to football.  His pace slows, his demeanor dampens, and he generally looks as though he is about to die.  When I recently told him this, he replied, “That is because I am about to die.”

In August I will begin writing the book.  I imagine taking a trip in August, somewhere there is water or other inspiring scenery.  My family would join me, and I would write for the first several hours each day.  After that, I'd spend time with our family, building our own memories.  This getaway would provide me with a great start to the book.  I would finish writing over the rest of the fall semester and submit it to publishers in January, 2013.  It would likely be published in the fall of either 2013 or 2014, to coincide with football season.

Closing thoughts

I have no idea where this project will end up.  Right now, I have big dreams for it.  I want it to appeal not only to alumni, former players, and locals, but also to the housewife in South Carolina who doesn’t know whether football has quarters, periods, holes, rounds, frames, sets, or innings.  I want it to be a book which can inspire everyone to leave their own legacies.  I want it to sell a significant number of copies so that I can use a large portion of the royalties to establish a new John Gagliardi Scholarship at St. John’s.

What does John think about the book?  “I was hoping you would have forgotten about it.  It is a stupid idea.  No one cares about a little football coach from central Minnesota.  But if you want to waste your time writing it, fine with me.”  With that ringing endorsement, my adventure begins…

Why I Run

“Your BMI is much too high,” my doctor told me.  BMI stands for Body Mass Index, which is your weight in pounds divided by your height in inches squared, multiplied by 703.  In other words, it is a formula that compares your height and weight, and then tells you how fat you are.  It doesn’t take into account muscle, so a somewhat chubby guy with no muscle would have a lower BMI and thus be considered healthier than a buff dude with big muscles.  As a weightlifter, you can guess what I think of the formula.  My doctor warned me of stress on my joints and heart if I don’t drop weight and decrease my BMI.  So, in an effort to decrease my BMI, I went for a run this morning. 

Actually, going for a run this morning had nothing to do with my BMI.  It had to do with the fact that I lay in bed last night and couldn’t even begin to shut my mind off or make my headache vanish.  I had that headache all day, which is very rare for me.  Perhaps it was the potato-infused vodka I splashed in my bloody mary the evening prior, or perhaps it was my to-do list running rampant circles around my head.  What does my 2012 year look like?  Work full time in the spring as a college prof.  Do about 800 hours of international tax and finance consulting.  Prepare about 45 individual tax returns.  Lead a variety of new continuing education courses on ethics for both accountants and lawyers.  Write a book on legendary football coach John Gagliardi.  Somewhere in there, I need to make plenty of time for my faith, family, and friends.  Do I think that is a lot of irons in the fire?  Yes.  But more than that, it represents a lot of opportunity, and I need to make the most of it.

Anyway, my wife kicked me out of bed and I ended up falling asleep on the recliner in front of the fireplace.  When I awoke the next morning at 9:15AM, my headache was gone.  But, I knew it would come back as soon as circle of to-do’s began increasing their speed of revolutions in my head.

To pre-empt my to-do list monsters from taking control, I went for a morning run.  My run started in our residential neighborhood, but quickly led me to a series of trails.  I have run these trails all the time; but probably not for the past 3 months, as I have been “too busy to run.”  Once I hit the trails, my mind began to process all the busyness and garbage of life.  My mind was racing through imaginary battles with students, battles with other faculty, and of course the ever intimidating to-do list of the looming 2012 year.

30 minutes later, I took a left turn onto West Royal Oaks Drive and saw my street in the distance.  As is my custom, I stopped running when I reached my street and walked the final 100 yards home.  While walking home, I realized that I had spent my entire run thinking, planning, and processing.  But more than anything, I had spent the run battling.  Today’s battle was against students and other faculty.  Other days, I battle against family, friends, neighbors, or the obnoxious stranger whom I encounter.  I always win these battles and generally conquer the world when I am out on my runs.

As I entered my home and maneuvered toward the fresh, hot coffee my wife had so graciously prepared for me, I noticed that a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  I had left all of my problems out on the trails.  Had I instead decided that I was too busy to go for a run, those life problems would have weighed heavily on me all day and crippled my productivity.  Instead, I let the trails deal with my problems.  By tomorrow morning, I will probably have more problems to discuss with the trails, and I look forward to again conquering the world on my run.  In essence, I am finding that I am too busy not to run.

Do I run in order to decrease my BMI?  Heck no.  I run in order to clear my mind and have the mental energy to conquer another day.  By the way, doc, your BMI may be considerably lower than mine, but don’t remind me about it again.  Or I will sit on you.

Crushing It

Periodically, someone comes into your life who inspires you.  For me, today, that person is Kelsey.

Kelsey was a student in my Managerial Accounting course in the fall of 2011.  Kelsey started fairly strongly in my course, with the 6^th highest score out of 55 students on the first exam.  Frankly, I hadn’t paid much attention to Kelsey through this point of the course.  She was quiet and sat in the back corner of the classroom, which is often reserved for less honest students who wish to shield their shifty eyes during exams with baseball caps and long hair.

Kelsey began to garner my attention more than half way through the course when she became one of the only students who would consistently speak up when my questions increased in complexity.  Her talents further intrigued me when she earned the top score on the second exam, missing only one question.  Around that time, I similarly noticed that she had only missed one question on her previous seven quizzes.  It was clear that Kelsey was finding her groove.

A day before the final exam, I let students know their current grade in my course and what score they needed on the final in order to receive a desired grade.  I told Kelsey that she needed to receive a mere 76% on the final, after a generous curve, in order to earn an A in the course.

Frankly, I didn’t like letting Kelsey know what she needed to earn on the final in order to receive an A in the course, as I figured she would slack off.  I wanted to see how she would score on my final while thinking she needed to give it her all.  Did Kelsey slack?  Did she back off and focus on other courses?  Not in the slightest.  She studied intensely and crushed the final exam, achieving a score that has been unsurpassed by students who have taken the course from me over the past eight years.

I was thrilled with the result and asked Kelsey about her motivation.  Kelsey said, “I just really don't like to go into things feeling unprepared.  Even if I think I "know" something I redo a practice problem or two just to make sure it sticks. Especially when it comes to cumulative final exams, I like to look back on things from early on in the semester.  I think another part of it is my personality...as you may have guessed, I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, so yes, some of it is probably a little bit of "personal pride" and knowing that I did the best I could, even if I didn't necessarily have to.”

When I think back on some of the best students I ever had, I usually think of students who crushed papers, projects, and exams when they didn’t necessarily have to.  They crushed those assignments solely because they couldn’t accept anything less from themselves.

As I traverse through life, I want to be surrounded by people who aspire to crush tasks with which they are presented.  I want to be surrounded by people like Kelsey.