Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the St. Louis 9th District Business Association luncheon honoring the police officers of the district.  It was a moving event for several reasons.  First, it was a way to see employees recognized for their efforts and that is always good in my book.  Second, it highlighted twelve stories of extreme bravery and service to the community by officers who had been in very dangerous situations and had successful results.  And last, it recognized an officer who had been killed in the line of duty last spring.  One special highlight of the luncheon was the keynote by Ozzie Smith.

Ozzie is one of the most loved St. Louis Cardinal baseball players of all time.  After starting his career with the Padres, Ozzie came to St. Louis in 1982 and helped the Cardinals win the World Series.  He’s won numerous awards including the Golden Glove Award, Silver Slugger, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002.  Having him share his feelings about living in St. Louis and his appreciation for the police officers was amazing.  The fun part was that he also took questions from the audience.  Several of the questions revolved around his thoughts of various teammates through the years and how chemistry affected them.  Ozzie responded:

“You spell chemistry W-I-N.”

This brings up an interesting question for me.  While I agree that good chemistry can certainly be critical in a team’s success, can’t you also have WINS without chemistry?  And, what about all the teams, both in sports and at work who may have great chemistry but have other barriers to their success?

What do you think?  Weigh in with your comments….

There are so many things to love about the Rocky movies.  You know he’s always the underdog.  Yet he often comes out on top.  Notice that I didn’t say he always wins?  It is because he doesn’t.  Do you remember the last scene in Rocky Balboa?  He’s fighting Mason Dixon and at the end of a dramatic fight it’s a split decision by many of the judges.  Ultimately, Dixon wins.  But, as Rocky leaves the arena, the fans are chanting “Rocky, Rocky, Rocky”.  Because he has heart.  He wins their hearts. 

Even though he doesn’t win, he is still an inspiration.  Rocky shows us a couple key things:

• Work hard
• Stay focused
• Don’t be afraid of challenges
• Don’t let fear run your life
• Love you family and friends
• Always keep trying to do better- to BE better

It isn’t rocket science, I know.  It’s Rocky.  But…………..I love him.  Yo Adrian!!