Tag: high school football

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Lone Stars

On occasion during speaking engagements I’ll pull out a joke I made up about the overblown self-worth those of us born and raised in Texas have about our heritage: “We study Texas history in 7th grade. What year do you learn about the Lone Star State here in Massachusetts?” It always generates a laugh and heads nod in recognition that Texans tend to place ourselves on a pedestal the rest of the nation just doesn’t get.

Heck, you could create a Top Ten List of reasons Texans have such a highfalutin opinion from birth:

10. The only state that was a country
9. Fought our own war for independence
8. Nolan Ryan (aka Big Tex)
7. The largest State Fair with the original Big Tex greeting visitors
6. High school football
5. Big Oil
4. Astronauts lived and trained here
3. John Wayne (sure, he was born in Iowa and grew up in California, but, as the saying goes, he got here as fast as he could – at least in the minds of filmgoers)
2. America’s Team (until Jerry Jones started making all the decisions)
1. Austin and Ft Worth, barbeque and chicken fried steak, Willie Nelson and George Strait, Longhorns and Aggies, TexMex and margaritas

We inoculate, educate and incorporate these legendary Texas people and pastimes into children. Each serving as a motivational icon positioned to inspire greatness.

Growing up in Texas one develops a hubris folks from other states can’t understand. Which is exactly why Texans often make headlines for all the wrong reasons: Bonnie & Clyde and Lee Harvey Oswald, Enron and the Hunt brothers, Cullen Davis and David Koresh. So it should be no surprise three of the most famous athletes disgraced by banned substances were based in Texas: Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens and Lance Armstrong. Each turned out to be living a lie that fulfilled the Texan saying: “All hat, no cattle.”

What makes Texas great sometimes becomes its greatest weakness. There will be more Texans who become famous… and more who fall far from the loftiest heights. Still, I’m proud to be from here. As a fifth generation Texan whose roots date to 1873, the spirit of Davy Crockett forever will be alive in me. After failing to win reelection to Congress from Tennessee, he allegedly said, “You can all go to Hell and I’m going to Texas.” I get that.

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Lessons Learned – #4

Here is the fourth most important lesson I learned during 2010:

Human Spirit – It’s set in my hometown. It’s about football. Its main characters are underdogs. That’s why my favorite book this year was “Twelve Mighty Orphans.” I remember my mother telling me that, when she was a little girl, Masonic Home – an orphanage on the south side of Fort Worth – was one of the dominant teams in Texas high school football. Before reading Jim Dent’s biography, I had no idea what the Mighty Mites accomplished during the Great Depression. Despite having only a dozen players each season, they established a dynasty, and a couple of players made it to the NFL. If you like stories that blend sports, history and overcoming great odds, give it a read.

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Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Many smaller communities – even those in the suburbs of a big city like Houston – have weekly newspapers that cover the local scene…from new business openings, to city council updates, to high school sports. As major dailies across the country struggle for survival, local weeklies continue to arrive in mailboxes with pictures of the latest Rotary luncheon speakers or features on the latest resident to turn 100.

One reason the local angle resonates with readers is there’s something special about seeing a story on a restaurant you frequent or recognizing the photo of your fifth grader’s friend who finished as runner-up in the spelling bee. That’s much more personable than traveling on business and picking up the Omaha World-Herald or Memphis Commercial Appeal – or even reading about the politics of your nearest metropolitan area.

Residents of a community share a bond – a oneness – that’s somewhat like supporting a high school football team. All week long kids separate into smaller social groups and pursue individual interests, but starting with the Friday afternoon pep rally, they join together in a unified front aimed squarely at defeating their archrivals on the other side of the field.

There is an opportunity in your business to capitalize on that same camaraderie. Becoming the local expert positions you in a unique way to stand out from competitors. Identifying the bullet points of your unique knowledge base and communicating it in written pieces and speaking platforms positions you for success. When people think, “Wow, she really knows her stuff,” you’re building a relationship of trust that exceeds even a glowing front page article. (If your company is global, you would do well to think of situations where you can act local!)

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