Lead with Help

Posted By: Will Koppenhaver
Posted On: December 6th, 2016
Attending: Ulster University

“True strength is the courage to admit weakness.” –Simon Sinek, Leadership Expert

 

            As I woke up on Monday, I did my normal routine before going to class.  I made breakfast, showered, brushed my teeth, and got dressed for class.  I went to my first of two classes on Monday, Financial Management.  Three hours of calculating breakeven points, margins of safety, and net profit margins.  Nothing could be more riveting for a three-hour period.  Okay I will admit, even with a B.S. in business management, finance could not be more of a foreign language to me.  The way that I get through this finance course is the same way that I did in college.  I asked for help.  Pat Hartnett, fellow Victory Scholar at Ulster University is a finance guru.  It’s honestly a little weird how much this guy enjoys finance.  But Pat is my finance angel from heaven because he has helped me understand finance in ways that I couldn’t before.  He has the patience to sit with me for hours to help me understand it while I struggle to comprehend the work.

            My second class on Monday is my Sport Policy, Planning, and Implementation class that is very interesting.  In this class I was struggling to find academic research material for my assignment that was coming up.  I began to panic and reached out to my dad for help.  He helped me refine my research strategies and narrow down my topic.  Even though he was my own father, he too had the patience to work with me when it mattered most.

            My third class of this semester is on Wednesday and it is my Enterprise and New Venture Creation class.  This class requires us to work in groups to create a product of our own and sell it within the 12 weeks of class.  I definitely don’t know everything about creating and selling a product, but between everyone in our group and the different skills we bring, we have absolutely crushed it so far as the best-selling product in the class.

            The quote above is one that I recently found in a magazine by Simon Sinek.  I may not be the smartest person but I know when I need to ask for help.  I think this has been my secret to success throughout my life and especially while being in the Sport Changes Life program.  Having the courage to reach out for help has gotten me this far, so why stop now?  #StayHumble

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