Tag Archives: Greg Hague

Coach Crosby

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by Greg Hague

BrandonCrosby

Crosby and Brandon

Have you ever witnessed a full moon appear while the sun is still shining?  Or a rainbow emerge in the fury of a thunderstorm?

Sometimes things aren’t what we naturally expect. It’s true in science.

It’s also the case with fathers and sons.

Dads are supposed to mentor their sons. But when dads do it well, sons often become the guiding light for their dads.

That has certainly been the case with my boys. These days I learn as much from them as they do from me.  My friend, Brandon, is enjoying a similar experience.

Brandon Steiner is a brilliant, successful entrepreneur. His New York-based Steiner Sports is the largest sports memorabilia company in the world.

In a recent blog, Brandon shared some words of wisdom from his son, Crosby. I asked Brandon if I might share some of “Coach Crosby’s” insightful son-to-father wisdom with my Savvy Dad readers.

Enjoy . . .

High School

Pick where you go to college for the “wrong” reasons. Sports, weather, social scene, etc.  If those things are important to you now, they will still matter when you’re there.

Savor your fleeting moments. There are a lot of experiences you’ll have that you just won’t ever be able to recreate.

 

College

Freshman Year

Meeting people should be your number one priority.

Classes are easy…a lot easier than upper level classes. Set the bar high for your GPA.

Effectively manage your time. If you don’t go to class, your grade suffers. Period. But, just being in class doesn’t mean you’re going to learn (especially if you spend the entire time playing snake on your phone).

 

Sophomore Year

Write a resume: You might not think you have enough to put on there now, but you will. Use what you do have as a base to start with. Always ask someone to review it.

Recruiters have great memories: Go to career fairs, corporate events and presentations. They’ll be calling you when you do need an internship/job. Besides, you get free food.

Join a club. Become president of said club. Fill formerly empty resume.

 

Junior Year

The people you choose to spend the most time with will have the greatest effect on your happiness. Choose wisely, and don’t be afraid to re-evaluate who you’re hanging out with every so often

See the value in any experience: I passed up the chance to spend three months roaming around Europe so I could take an internship and add another line on my resume. I quickly learned the true value of those two options.

 

Senior Year

Enjoy yourself: Reap the rewards of your hard work by taking every opportunity to enjoy time with friends and family.

Go on a road trip: There is nothing more exciting than getting in a car and seeing the country.  Stop anywhere and everywhere you can south of the mason dixon line for BBQ and/or Chik-fil-A.

Savor your fleeting moments. There are a lot of experiences you’ll have that you just won’t ever be able to recreate. (Sound familiar?).

 

Now

Get a job: Take the process seriously, but don’t get caught up in what opportunities your friends are getting. Run your own race.

Seize the moment: I once got a call from a buddy during class. He said he had a ticket to the Michigan-OSU basketball game in Columbus. Tip-off was in six hours and we were 200 miles away…it was a great game.

 

Final Thought

At an event for students in my five-year program, I had a conversation with the program’s benefactor and namesake, an extremely successful real estate developer. As he discussed his houses in Vail, Florida and New York, I exclaimed how exciting that must be. I’ll never forget his reply:

“Yeah, having houses across the globe gives my wife something to do, but it’s all B.S. I couldn’t care less about them. The only thing that matters in life is relationships with friends and family. That’s it.”

Here is the link to Brandon’s Full Blog.

Writing Killer Emails

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by Greg Hague

This is part one of a three part series.

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DELETION MACHINE

I often feel like a deletion machine. Bang, bang, bang . . . how fast can I dump all those unwanted emails?  Bet you do too.

But then you hesitate. An email subject line grabs your eye. You think, I don’t want to take the time to read this – but you do.

You don’t know the sender, but you’re compelled to open the darn thing anyway. The subject line is so intriguing, you have to take a quick peek.

Emails from people you know?  When I see a killer subject line from family or friends, I think, Wow, my son, wife or buddy really came up with a good one.

Pretty cool . . . always impressive.

What about when looking for a job?  Right now I am interviewing candidates to find a top-notch executive assistant. I won’t bother to meet with an applicant until I assess their communication skills through a few emails.

What do I look for first?

An engaging subject line.

 

THE KILLER SUBJECT LINE

There are two general subject line strategies depending upon the impression you want to make.

 

A “CUT TO THE CHASE” SUBJECT LINE . . . it’s the essence of your email.

* Use it to ask a key question.

* Use it to summarize what you want them to do.

* Use it to make a key point.

 

A “DON’T BE BORING” SUBJECT LINE . . . it appeals to an emotional trigger.

*  The fear-invoking line:

Don’t let your child be embarrassed on the first day of school.

*  The newspaper headline:

Savvy Dad discovers secret to eternal happiness.

*  The curiosity line:

How to identify when people lie.

*  The benefits line:

Earn $1000 a day while you travel and play.

*  The question line:

Do you know how to make people like you in 90 seconds or less?

 

The bottom line on the subject line?  It’s the gist of your email.

 

Savvy Says . . .

The subject line is your first impression – and you know what is said about first impressions.

 

Are You Digging Your Well?

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by Greg Hague

“Every night I go to sleep

And dream of a life I wish was mine.”

-from “My Dream” by Jenny Wagner

 bigstock-Centered-Water-Well-1929630 What is your dream? What do you aspire for day after day? The 100 foot yacht? A cheering crowd with you on the stage? A cafe au lait and warm croissants in a Paris patisserie? Here’s the thing . . .

Whatever you want, someone else has.

The exceptions are rare.   Aside from your health, your physical you, and certain God-given talents, the key to your dreams usually lies squarely in the hands of someone else. Sometimes, no matter who you know, you may not have the “chops” to have what you want. For example, you may not have the physical lung capacity to win Olympic gold. But, if you know the right people, you can carry the torch at the opening ceremony and sit in the front row. That ain’t half bad.

When I was in law school in Washington D.C., I wanted to make a few extra bucks. I answered a law student ad for a Securities & Exchange Commission job.  I was hired to review and assess SEC enforcement actions. Sounded pretty exciting, right? It was awful . . . the most boring, tedious work you can imagine. I was earning something like $5 an hour. I remember thinking I’d rather mow lawns . . . at least I’d be out in the sunshine.

During summers while in college, I had sold real estate for my dad’s firm. That’s a business where, if you know your stuff, you can make very big bucks. Because of my dad’s training and my hard work, I did.

That’s why this $5 an hour cubicle job was torture for me!

What did I do? The wife of the dean at my law school was the aunt of one of dad’s friends. I called Dad. Dad called his friend. The friend called his aunt. His aunt called an executive at the Taubman Company, a commercial land development firm in D.C. Within days I was a Taubman Company employee.

My job?  Meeting with farmers in Northern Virginia to negotiate options on land for future shopping centers. I was paid only if I put deals together, an all or nothing kind of thing. Because the right person opened the door I was given a chance to “show my stuff.” Because I knew real estate, I made big bucks for the firm – and for me.

I worked with Taubman until I graduated and moved back to Cincinnati. But it wouldn’t have happened if someone hadn’t opened the door. I was thirsty for a job and needed help. My dad was smart . . . He dug his son’s well before I was thirsty. My friend, Harvey Mackay, wrote a New York Times bestselling book entitled “Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty” that says it all. It’s the definitive guide to how to nurture deep, meaningful, needle-moving relationships.

The book is a bible for how to cultivate connections today that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

In law school, I was lucky. Dad knew someone who thought highly enough of him to open a door for his son. It was a great lesson for me – the value of connections. You’ve heard the advice “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” That’s not 100% true . . .

It’s who you know AND what they think of you.

Harvey Mackay observes, “People don’t care how much you know about them once they know how much you care about them.” Some people mistakenly believe that success comes from hard work and smart moves. This is not the whole story. You need a few breaks. Breaks come from open doors. And open doors come from people who care about you because you showed you care about them. 

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There are 7 Key Steps to Networking Gold.

Step One is completely unknown, like nothing you’ve heard.

Next time I’ll tell you this savvy first move. 

Three Calls A Day was Chubby’s Way

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Chubby (my dad) followed an ironclad “act of kindness” regimen every day, seven days a week.

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He called three people for one reason – to ask how he could help.

Three calls a day.  No exceptions.  Even on holidays.

Dad was meticulous about keeping each conversation short (he told me he tried to limit calls to less than ten minutes) and linear (he said the calls should be focused on only one thing – how he could help them.).

After a brief hello and some small talk, Dad would ask if everything was going well – in business, family and health – and then ask, READ MORE 

Skull ☠Kickers Dad

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“What interests me? What interests you, my friend.”

—Greg Hague

Today’s story is contributed by Jim Zub.

My Dad wasn’t into comic books when I was young. But he knew my brother and I were crazy about them.
Skull-Kickers Comic Books

Jim’s dad, Joe Zubkavich

It felt like every waking moment was a cavalcade of reading, collecting and nonstop chatter about our favorite characters. He’d bring us along when he went downtown once or twice a month. My brother and I would immediately go to the comic book shop.

I don’t actually ever recall Dad going into the store with us. He’d run his errands and then wait for us outside. He didn’t “get” the comic book thing, didn’t have any interest, and I think staying away from the store kept us from asking him for extra money.

Dad never bought comics for my brother and me. We used the money we earned. And, Dad had zero knowledge of the ins and outs of four-color fandom beyond the occasional episode of Batman or the Incredible Hulk on TV. READ MORE 

Thank God He Picked Me

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“If you have one true friend you have more than your share.”

—Thomas Fuller

by Greg Hague

1971. I was a college grad with a dream. Clarence Darrow. Silver tongue. Courtroom master. So off to law school I went in Washington D.C. An attorney. That would be me.

First day. First class. The professor’s first words? “Look at the person to your left, and then to your right… one of you won’t make it past the first year.”

friends then

Bob and Greg then.

I looked to my right — there sat Bob looking at me. No doubt we were both thinking the same. At the end of semester, who would remain?

A liberal, bold, outspoken kid from New York. A far cry from conservative, Catholic, Republican me. I soon learned most of my classmates were from the east coast. To them, I was a bit strange. I felt the same about them.

The first week, a law student mixer was planned. Bob was there. So was I. Someone suggested forming two informal law student softball teams. A way to blow off steam when we weren’t studying to avoid flunking out. READ MORE 

Earl Woods – Tiger Tough Dad

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“How tough to be on a son? As strong as you want him to be.”

—Greg Hague

This story is about Tiger Woods’ dad, Earl Woods.

It’s been called “one of the greatest father-son relationships in the history of sport.” He was devoted and loving, but brutally tough. A friend at all times, but antagonist, too.

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Tiger with his dad, Earl

Earl Woods was no normal dad. He had a vision for Tiger, his boy. There would be no variance. His son would be great. Dad would make sure.

Training for hardships — in sports, in life — started when Tiger was a toddler. Through the years Earl tested him, prodded him, taunted him incessantly.

A retired Army Lt. Colonel, Earl commented, “I tried to break him down mentally, tried to intimidate him verbally, by saying, ‘Water on the right, OB (out of bounds) on the left,’ just before his downswing.” READ MORE