Dr. Zach Bost

Prof. of Ed Policy & Org. Design (Hail State). Former superintendent, principal, teacher. 2019 MS Admin. of the Year. God fearing, big picture educator/dad.

[Jon Gordon @JonGordon11]

The best leaders aren’t waiting for change. They create it!

[Jon Gordon @JonGordon11]

3 Keys to a Great 2025

1. Keep your Vision Alive-through adversity keep looking forward.
2. Stay Positive-when you hit set backs believe the best is yet to come. Faith instead of fear.
3. Stay Connected-to your family and team. You are more powerful together than alone.

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

'Attitude of Gratitude'

"Gratitude is a skill.
Gratitude is a skill that if you practice will give you a joyful life regardless of your circumstances.
You can practice it every single day.
Grateful people are joyful people."
@CoachMarkPope

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

Before good teams can become great teams, they have to win the 'race to maturity'.

"Maturity is when doing what you have to do becomes what you want to do." @Coach_Fleck

[Kosciusko School District @KosySchools]

Message from Superintendent, Dr. Zach Bost:

Thank you for your dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to shaping the future of KSD students. Your hard work and compassion continue to inspire us all.
#TeacherAppreciationWeek #KSDEducators

[Kevin DeShazo @KevinDeShazo]

Your future self will either bear the burden of your inconsistency today, or reap the rewards of your commitment today.

Show up on purpose.
🪵🪓

[Adam Grant @AdamMGrant]

The most valuable indicator of future potential is not past performance. It's recent progress.

The people who exceed expectations tomorrow are the ones who improved the most yesterday. Getting better shows the drive and dexterity to learn.

Growth is an accomplishment in itself.

[GameStrat @GameStrat]

Kirby Smart on what it takes to be great:

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

Mental strength "is not a gift.  It's something that comes with work.

The difference between the biggest champions and the ones that are struggling to get to the highest level is the ability to not stay in those emotions for too long."

[Kevin DeShazo @KevinDeShazo]

Selfish leader ➡️ selfish team
Inconsistent leader ➡️ inconsistent team
Negative leader ➡️ negative team
Focused leader ➡️ focused team
Humble leader ➡️ humble team
Committed leader ➡️ committed team

The culture reflects the leader.
Live the standard.

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

"They don't put championship rings on smooth hands."

What comes easy, won't last.
What lasts, won't come easy.
No shortcuts.
No secrets.
Earn it.

[Teddy Mitrosilis @TMitrosilis]

Nick Saban walked up to the interview podium after practice one day.

“Okay, y’all ready for a lecture?” he asked.

What followed was a powerful lesson on entitlement and doing your best.

Saban on the Importance of Nothing:

“Let’s talk about the importance of nothing. You get up every day, you’re entitled to nothing. Nobody owes you nothing.

“You have talent, but if you don’t have discipline, you don’t execute, you don’t focus, what do you get? Nothing.

“If you’re complacent and not paying attention to detail, what does that get you? Nothing.

“So, nothing is acceptable but your best.

“Everything is determined by what you do and trying to be your best. There should be nothing else but that, for everybody.

“That’s what we need to stay focused on. We need to not accept anything but our best in terms of what we’re doing in preparation.”

–

It’s a simple, but profound message.

Some key takeaways:

1. Entitlement is a disease. It stunts growth and erodes culture.

2. Success has a one-day life cycle. Yesterday doesn’t dictate today.

3. Nobody is owed anything. When your feet hit the floor in the morning, it’s on you.

4. Talent matters, but it’s far from all that matters.

5. The actions you take drive success. Talent only amplifies those actions.

6. Even the best can’t afford complacency. There are competitors trying to defeat you every day.

7. If you’re entitled, the biggest competitor is yourself.

8. If you’re owed nothing, that means nobody else is either. Therein is your opportunity.

9. You can have the best strategy, the best business model, the best talent and … none of it matters if you don’t execute.

10. There are no guarantees. Relish the unknown.

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Hope this is helpful. Follow me @TMitrosilis for more writing.

I also write a weekly newsletter on the process of improvement → https://t.co/Akm89Spodg

[Teddy Mitrosilis @TMitrosilis]

The best advice on how to be successful I’ve heard:

On Nick Saban’s radio show, a young athlete asked him a bold question.

What advice would the Alabama football coach give him – a basketball player – to improve in his sport?

Saban’s response is gold:

“I think for any athlete, it's the same thing. What's your goal? What's your aspiration? What do you want to accomplish? That's the first thing.

“Second thing is to define what it takes to do it. What does it entail for you to be the kind of basketball player that you want to be?

“Then you got to make the decision. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to go work every day and do the things you need to do and take 500 shots a day like Kobe Bryant did so that you can be the kind of player that you want to be?

“And then do you have enough discipline to make yourself do it every day? Whether you feel like it or not.

“You got to choose to get up. You got to choose to study. You got to choose to go make the shots. You got to choose to work out. People that can do that, they can reach their full potential.

“If you choose to make that kind of commitment to it, you can do the same thing, but it's not going to just come to you. It's not going to come easy.

“And you're going to have to overcome a lot of adversity to be able to persevere and sustain it to get where you want to go.”

–

It’s a beautiful response for sports, business and life.

Replace the young basketball player with yourself – investor, business owner, manager, teacher, whatever – and the same framework applies.

Some key takeaways:

1. Everything begins with a vision. What do you want to achieve?

2. Vision alone isn’t enough. You need a detailed plan of how to achieve it.

3. Commitment separates those who dream from those who do. Most people aren’t willing to do what it takes.

4. Daily execution is the hardest (and most valuable) part.

5. Feelings are irrelevant. You can do what needs to be done despite how you feel.

6. One day of effort is overrated. Daily effort is underrated.

7. Improvement is a lifelong process. Embrace it, cherish it, commit to it.

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Hope this is helpful. Follow me @TMitrosilis for more writing.

[Kosciusko School District @KosySchools]

As we begin 2024, Kosciusko School District continues our commitment to educate, empower, and prepare our students for opportunities to make a positive impact on our world.

[Kosciusko Sports @KSDsports]

We had a blast hosting our KME 2nd grade students at Whippet Basketball practice this afternoon!! Everyone had a great time! #WhippetFutureIsBright #WhippetsSupportWhippets

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

Jay Wright was a Culture King!

Why?

Here are 5 quotes that help define Coach Wright as the King of Building Culture.
@CoachJayWright @NovaMBB @NovaAthletics

1: STATUS - “We have a saying that everyone’s role is different, but everyone’s status is the same. It’s a reminder that no matter how bright the spotlight gets, we are all part of something much larger than ourselves.”

WE > ME. Be a star in your role.

2: ATTITUDE - “The most important characteristic any of us have is our attitude. It’s a concept that permeates everything you do. We all bring our attitude to every situation.”

Attitude is everything. Be an energy giver.

3: SIMPLICITY - “We're not complex in what we do X-and-O-wise, but we do spend a lot of time on how we react mentally to every situation.”

Simple wins, and less is more. Great teams have mental toughness.

4: HUMILITY - “If you think about how good you are as opposed to what the next challenge is going to be, then you’ve already lost. We have to stay humble.”

Be humble in all you do. Gratitude matters.

5: CULTURE - “After we won in 2016, the goal wasn't to win another [national title]. The goal was to keep our culture strong. We knew that for us, that was the best chance of winning it again. If we tried to win it another way, we weren't going to win it anyway.”

Culture WINS. Culture is every day.
_____

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[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

“Greatness is a lot of small things done well. Day after day. Workout after workout. Effort is between you and you. Nobody else can give you effort. Effort is what is inside. " @raylewis

[Kevin DeShazo @KevinDeShazo]

The best teams are the best for a reason. They:

Define and create culture intentionally
Live their values
Focus on big vision and daily process
Embrace accountability
Fight for the highest good of the team
Believe in themselves, each other & the vision

Leaders set the tone

[Kevin DeShazo @KevinDeShazo]

Your belief in someone may be the catalyst they need to believe in themselves, to make a change, to come alive and pursue their best.

Leaders multiply belief.

[Kosciusko School District @KosySchools]

Come join the Whippet Family on our #JourneyToGreatness because we are not just building students; we are shaping the next generation.
#YourPath
#YourJourney
#YourGreatness