Here is a topic for your family to wrap a conversation around at tonight’s dinner table. Perhaps your employees or co-workers need some GREAT discussion material for the water-cooler!
When we live and work in the public space, criticism is inevitable. In my years of working with teams—whether corporate or athletic—what you are about to read is the best response to unfounded criticism I have ever seen or heard.
To keep one's cool while being criticized is tough… To remain calm hearing unfounded criticism is tougher still… But to be publicly informed of unfounded criticism and manage to keep one's cool, exhibit dignity and class, while responding with humor and honoring the offender with your words seems beyond human ability!!
Yes…it does seem super-human, but a choice of behavior is always within our control. Please check out the short article below by Scott Keepfer of The Greenville News.
THIS is public behavior to which we can all aspire. Thank you, Coach Swinney... for the example you present for my boys. And for me.
Andy Andrews
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney responded to critical comments made by SEC Network host Paul Finebaum on Tuesday.
Clemson— Earlier in the day, Finebaum called Swinney “the most annoying winner in all of sports” during ESPN’s “Get Up” program. “The guy just can’t keep his trap shut,” Finebaum said of Swinney. “Somebody just give the man a pacifier, send him to timeout and we’ll check in with him on Dec. 28 when he finally plays a legitimate team during this entire college football season.”
Swinney was unaware of Finebaum’s comments.
“I hate I missed it – I’m sure it was riveting,” Swinney said. “I’d like some timeout, I’d like to take a nap. We should have adult timeout time. Let’s just all bring a mat and take a nap. It would be good. Never had a pacifier, though.”
Swinney, whose team is ranked No. 3 and will take a 27-game winning streak into Saturday night's ACC Championship Game against Virginia, then proceeded to praise Finebaum….
“I like Paul,” Swinney said. “Paul’s great at what he does. I’m not going to dislike somebody because he’s great at his job. A lot of people don’t like me because I’m good at my job or because I wear this logo. They don’t know me as a person. They just don’t like me because I’m passionate about doing a good job. He works for the SEC. … That’s what he does. That’s his job.
“Finebaum is great at what he does. What does he do? Which way do we need it to go? He creates great conversation and great drama. We’re the Red Sox; he’s the Yankees. You’re not going to have a Yankees guy stand up and talk great things about the Red Sox; that’s not what he’s paid to do.
“One of the best lessons I’ve learned is that you don’t worry about criticism from people you wouldn’t seek advice from.
