Lessons from George Steinbrenner

The first time I met George Steinbrenner was on the Chapel steps at my high school in Indiana. During the course of our conversation, he told me that if I ever needed help with my career I should call him, as he'd be more than happy to help me in whatever way he could.

At that point in time I really had no understanding of who he was in the business world, let alone the world of sports. However, his offer made a huge impression on me, and I've kept in touch with him ever since that meeting.

I realize that George Steinbrenner wasn't perfect (actually none of us are), and that he seemingly had a great number of enemies, based on his reputation as "the boss." However, I want to tell you about the man behind the mask. You see the man I knew was a father, a grandfather and a great humanitarian.

Here are three things I learned from Mr. Steinbrenner over the last 23 years that I'd like to share with you:

Live With Passion. Do you live your life with passion? Or, is everyday just another day on the calendar?

George Steinbrenner did, and his three biggest passions were sports, his family and the New York Yankees (although not necessarily in that order).

One of the things about which he and I communicated was his grandchildren, as one in particular is a very talented performer in their own right and is pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. After this grandchild performed at Radio City Music Hall, George was very excited to see what opportunities might lay ahead for them in the future.

You see, aside from being an astute - and sometimes tough - business man, George Steinbrenner was also a family man. He was a father, and a grandfather, who was extremely proud of his children, and his grandchildren, and he loved them passionately.

Set High Standards. When you wake up in the morning, do you expect the best day possible? Or do you expect the sky to cave in?

If you follow sports at all, then I'm sure you know that Mr. Steinbrenner shelled out a lot of money to get the best players in baseball for his Yankee team. However, when he brought these players onboard, he also let them know that he had very high expectations of them; not only around their playing skills, but also around the issue of their personal appearance and their personal character.

Each member of that team, and in that organization, was/is a New York Yankee and, as such, Mr. Steinbrenner expected them to act in a way that would bring pride to both themselves and the Yankees. As a result, his team has the championships to show for it.

Give Back to Your Community. Are you a "giver" or a "taker" in life? How would your friends describe you?

One of Mr. Steinbrenner's greatest attributes was that he was a big humanitarian who quietly gave back to both the community and the world-at-large.

He put kids he didn't even know through high school, college and graduate school; he gave millions of dollars to schools so that the students attending them would receive the best possible education, and he quietly went about meeting the unmet needs of others, about whom we will probably never hear, because he wanted to give back to others; not because he had to.

Food for Thought: Whether or not you're a fan of George Steinbrenner, or the New York Yankees, is not important at this point in time. Instead, the important thing to remember here is that if we're open to it, we can always learn something from the lives and experiences of others, which, more often than not, we can apply to our own lives if we're willing to do so.

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