Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Hands-On ... - always yours

248 LEADING WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
again, but staying back turned out to be a gift. Since I was older
than everyone else, I naturally had more physical and emotional
maturity. And so, I decided I had to get my act together and stop
being a loser.”
Sports helped build his confidence. He played football, ran
track and cross-country, and wrestled. During sixth grade his gym
teacher, Don Edick, had kind words for him just as he was beginning
to feel his oats. He shared with Davies that he was a late
bloomer and would be good in sports someday because he was fast.
“You are just like my son; you are smart but no one has fi gured it out
including you, and you are a really fast runner!” Edick’s comments
were a moment that Davies remembered as he faced Round Two of
his communication challenges.
Another defining moment for Davies was being part of the wrestling
team, with a coach who happened to teach the advanced English
courses and recruited his students for the team. So Davies ended up
on a team that featured an unusually high percentage of the smartest
kids in the school. He realized he could actually keep up with them
and began to embrace more of his own strengths. At the age of 17 or
so, he became involved in the student government and ran for president.
Naturally, he had to make a speech. He pulled it off but lost by
one vote. Why? He admitted he didn’t vote for himself! But Davies
became the vice president and this turned out to be a critical learning
period as he immersed himself in the political arena.
Davies was one of the student officers who dealt with state
issues through the Principals’ Association. He realized then that the
school principals were hesitant to take a stand on important issues
because of political ramifications. This was frustrating for Davies
because he wanted to get things done. Important ideas that foretold
his future began to crystallize in his mind as he came to understand
that, in order to succeed, a person needed to learn how to craft a
message and deliver powerful communications.