August 2014: Full Contact Project Management

Why Tony Was Always a Winner

By "Coach" Gary Micheloni

In talking about leadership, it’s a help to have great examples of people who have accomplished much and made a difference. I try to do that here, each month, on the pages of Masonry Magazine. Off the top of my head, recent examples have included statesmen (never politicians), fighter pilots, Olympic athletes, military generals and, this month, Anthony (Tony) Keith Gwynn, Jr. Leadership is what connects the dots here.

Coach Gary’s definition of great leadership is someone who has taken what he has been given and made the most of it. If he did it against all odds, that’s even better.

And, if you can accomplish all that, while never speaking poorly of your competition or your teammates, not making a spectacle of yourself in the tabloids, not being busted for drugs, and not blaming others for your loss, that’s a pretty big deal.

Some may argue that Tony Gwynn was born with exceptional talent. Maybe, but better yet, he was born with a desire to succeed, and to put in the work required to make it happen. There must be something to that: He was the first person ever to be named by the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to its All Conference teams in both baseball and basketball. In fact, he was drafted the same day by both the San Diego Padres and the Clippers. And, his college scholarship was in basketball.

He went on to prove his value as an MLB player: 15 All–Star awards, 5 Gold Gloves, 8 NL Batting Titles, 2007 Baseball Hall of Fame, and then as a head coach for 12 seasons with the SDSU Aztecs. He darned near batted .400 one season, while on a team that had not very much in the way of feared hitters. So, the opposing pitchers tried never to throw him anything good, but pitch around him. He found a way to fashion those throw-away pitches into something good for his team: hits. Ultimately, he got 3,141 of them, to go along with a career batting average of .338.

But for all of his accomplishments on the field, both college and pro, it was his presence in the community that endears him to so many hearts. Tony didn’t just talk a good game. He showed it. While he could have made much more money elsewhere, he stayed for his entire career with the same small-market team. And, he did the same thing later as a college coach.

Similarly, how will you be remembered? Sure, we all want our businesses to be successful, but what about the legacy of your business and of your life? MCAA is here for you and does all it can to help you build a solid business. Build an enduring legacy of integrity, quality, family and community involvement. If we all do that, we’d make Coach Tony very proud!

Gary Micheloni is a construction company marketer, working project manager, speaker, author, consultant and coach.

What’s your plan for All-Star status in 2014? Are you marketing your company and driving business to it, or are you just hoping that you’ll run into some? Write Coach Gary at FullContactTeam@gmail.com. Ask Coach Gary to speak for your group, association or convention, or even to coach your company. Coach Gary’s first book, “Get Paid for a Change!” is available at Amazon.com. Pick it up there; change your business.