Today’s the day! It’s time for us to support @DenisonU’s Day of Giving. Any amount is meaningful! Click on the link to check out the different priorities noted and offer your support to an area that’s important to you. https://t.co/AEAsD52DNo #DenisonProud
The countdown is ON! We are one week away from @DenisonU’s Day of Giving on April 22. Let’s come together as Denisonians, make an impact on current and future students, and be part of something BIG. Make your gift early and kick off your support! https://t.co/AEAsD52DNo
Change happens when Denisonians come together! On April 22, you can make a difference by supporting what you love at Denison. Save the date and encourage others to join you in making a gift for @DenisonU Day of Giving! https://t.co/AEAsD52DNo
Happy Birthday, Denison!
It's 1831 Day, and we're so excited to celebrate!
We'll be celebrating what makes Denison special all day, and we'll have some special messages, starting with a shout-out from Anne Weinberg and Scooter!
Make your gift here: https://t.co/3ubkbD6Uvu
1831 Day is 2 Weeks Away! December 13, 1831, marks the first day of classes @DenisonU — Denisonians everywhere will celebrate. Join me in celebrating Denison and the generations who have left their mark on this life-shaping institution. #DenisonProud https://t.co/wuxoet32sG
1831 Day is 2 Weeks Away! December 13, 1831, marks the first day of classes @DenisonU — Denisonians everywhere will celebrate. Join me in celebrating Denison and the generations who have left their mark on this life-shaping institution. #DenisonProud https://t.co/wuxoet32sG
The countdown to Reunion 2025 is on!
Every reunion has a soundtrack, and this one is packed with jams from the ’50s, ’90s, and 2000s.
Press play, reminisce, and get ready to make new memories together. Check out the full playlist here: https://t.co/hvXNy5FQYy
Today’s the Day! Join me in supporting @DenisonU’s Day of Giving with a gift of any amount at https://t.co/U9lu89VTOF. Thank you for your support of our students’ college experiences! #denisonproud
One week from today - The countdown is ON! 🚨 We’re in the leadup to @DenisonU’s Day of Giving on April 2! Let’s come together as Denisonians, make an impact on current and future students, and be part of something BIG. Make your gift early — visit https://t.co/OnaJCTWZsY.
Two Weeks from Today — April 2 is @DenisonU’s Day of Giving! Mark your calendar, spread the word, and get ready to make an impact. Visit https://t.co/OnaJCTWZsY to learn more and make your gift early! #denisonproud
After his second year at Michigan, Tom Brady wanted to transfer.
He wasn’t playing in games, and he was so low on the depth chart that he only got 2 reps in practice.
Brady met with his coach to express his frustration, “The other quarterbacks get all the reps.”
Coach replied,
“Brady, I want you to stop worrying about what all the other players on our team are doing. All you do is worry about what the starter is doing, what the second guy is doing, what everyone else is doing. You don’t worry about what you’re doing.”
Coach reminded him, “You came here to be the best. If you’re going to be the best, you have to beat out the best.”
And then he recommended that Brady meet Greg Harden, a counselor who worked in the athletic department.
Brady went to Harden’s office and whined, “I’m never going to get my chance. They’re only giving me 2 reps.”
Harden replied, “Just go out there and focus on doing the best you can with those 2 reps. Make them as perfect as you possibly can.”
“So that’s what I did,” Brady said. “They’d put me in for those 2 reps, man, I’d sprint out there like it was Super Bowl 39. ‘Let’s go boys! Here we go! What play we got?’”
“And I started to do really well with those 2 reps. Because I brought enthusiasm, I brought energy.”
Soon, he was getting 4 reps. Then 10, “and before you knew it,” Brady said, “with this new mindset that Greg had instilled in me—to focus on what you can control, to focus on what you’re getting, not what anyone else is getting, to treat every rep like it’s the Super Bowl—eventually, I became the starter.”
Takeaway 1:
Greg Harden telling Brady to focus on being great during his 2 reps reminded me of a piece of advice from the entrepreneur Mark Cuban.
“People come to me all the time and tell me they’re stuck,” Cuban explained. “They’re stuck in a job they don't like. They’re stuck working for a boss they don’t like. They're stuck on a team they don't like.”
“I just tell them, ‘Be great.’”
“The reality of life is that you can’t just always quit your job. You can’t just always go to your boss and say, ‘Give me the promotion, or I’m out of here.’” You can’t just always go to your coach and say, ‘Give me more reps, or I'm transferring.’
“So when you’re stuck, you’ve gotta find it within yourself to say, ‘Ok, this is where I am. And if I’m going to be here, I’m going to be great.’
Because if you’re great at your job, typically other people and companies find out, so it creates opportunities.”
Takeaway 2:
In the field of strategic management, there is a distinction made between “lead measures” and “lag measures.”
Lag measures are the results you’re trying to achieve: getting a promotion, winning a championship, being the starting quarterback. Lead measures are the actions that predictably drive those results.
The core characteristic of a lead measure, the authors of “The 4 Disciplines of Execution” write, is that “a lead measure can be directly influenced by you.” To achieve your goals, they write (echoing what the Michigan Coach told Brady), “apply a disproportionate energy” to the things that are in your control.
Starting at Michigan and for the rest of his career, that’s what Brady did.
After he was selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick in the 2000 draft, Brady was asked: “Are you aware that [along with starting quarterback, Drew Bledsoe] there’s another quarterback here that they drafted last year?”
Brady said he was aware of that, “and I know he’s a heck of a player. But I’ve always concerned myself just with the things I can control. I don’t put a lot of thinking into the other guys because I know I’m not at my best when I’m not just thinking about playing as well as I possibly can.”
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“I never once in my life ever said I wanted to be the best of all time. Ever. I wanted to be the best I could be, period. I learned that in college. It didn’t matter what the other guys were doing. It didn’t. It mattered what I was doing.” — Tom Brady
One week away! Have you registered for #DenisonEverywhere? Be sure to join fellow @DenisonU alums and families and celebrate our shared experiences on The Hill. You’ll have a great time and there’s no cost! Register today https://t.co/9e6u9cOvsR.
One week away! Have you registered for #DenisonEverywhere? Be sure to join fellow @DenisonU alums and families and celebrate our shared experiences on The Hill. You’ll have a great time and there’s no cost! Register today https://t.co/9e6u9cOvsR.