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MESSAGE #1553 WANNA BE IN THE HALL OF FAME?

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I recently attended the USTA Middle States Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Auction at the Seaview Hotel and Resort. The inductees were: Louise Gengler Thomas, William Stoner, Jeff Holman, and Dave Haggerty. It was a great event and I enjoyed seeing so many wonderful people in the industry, including my fellow USTA NJ board members.

As I sat during the induction ceremony I couldn’t help but think about all the great things Louise, Bill, Jeff and Dave have done for the game of tennis. But if you asked them if they were TRYING to get into the USTA Hall of Fame, they would say no. They made a difference in the industry because they WANTED TO. They wanted to add value and focused on the process instead of the results.

Another way to say it is, if you want to get in the Hall of Fame in tennis, or life, the best way is to stop trying to get into the Hall of Fame. Strive for excellence every day and as a by-product, you just might like where you end up.

Ed Tseng
Director of Mental Conditioning
Monroe Sports Center
609.558.1077

MESSAGE #1133 DAY 1 OF THE US OPEN

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MESSAGE #999 LEADERSHIP (and failure)

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Today I’m going back to where I failed out twice, Rider University, while studying computers.

No, I’m not going back to get my degree (I have a degree from Ferris State University’s Marketing/Professional Tennis Management program).

I’m going back to Rider to be the opening speaker for their Team Leadership Challenge. This is my second time speaking at this great event and this year’s theme is  “Navigating Your Way to Success.”

That’s funny to me.

When I started college it was as if I needed a map, but after failing out twice, I CHOSE to follow my passion (sports) and transferred to Ferris State. My grades skyrocketed. I graduated in 1997 and was named Pro of the Year for the USTA in 2005. After that, I started my own business, wrote a book and became a motivational speaker.

So what is leadership?

I think a big part of leadership is being brave enough to follow your passion. It’s about helping others. Leaders do things because it is the right thing to do, regardless of what others may think. That’s when people will follow. But it’s not about having followers…

The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. -RALPH NADER

If you look at all of the great leaders in history, they all made everyone else better, whether it is Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Luther King or Henry Ford. Focusing on yourself is weak. Focusing on others is powerful.

So today I hope to motivate, energize, and inspire the students at Rider, but more importantly, I hope to produce more leaders.