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- 🏆 Dad...I did it!
👋 Good morning! ‘Great Teams Better Leaders’ is written by Greg Berge. Do you have an idea or something to share? Just hit reply - I read and respond to every message. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free.
Let’s dive in…this one is personal.
💭 ONE THOUGHT
Dad…I Did It!
Those were the words my daughter said last week after one of the proudest moments of her athletic career.
Her journey has not been easy.
A dislocated shoulder in high school derailed her basketball season, forcing her to change her golf swing.
Another scary medical issue forced her to miss more even time on the court.
Through it all, she turned into a pretty good golfer and a great leader, helping her team win two state championships along the way.
She went off to college as a Division II golfer, and the competition was tough.
She has not had many chances.
And whenever she got one, bad breaks always seemed to follow. A tough bounce. A club issue. A tree branch at the wrong time. Her bag strap ripping. An untimely illness. You name it, it happened.
In a tournament in Arizona, she had been playing great, but both of her hands developed a severe reaction to the heat. Cracked, blistered, and painful.
Imagine playing 36 holes with blistered hands.
She refused to withdraw and plugged her way through it. Mind over Matter.
After a really rough first day, she somehow managed to shoot a 78 on day two.
It felt like every time she got an opportunity, adversity punched back harder.
But she never quit. She kept showing up.
She controlled what she could control.
She was a great teammate.
She worked hard.
She was a leader.
She stayed positive even when things did not go her way.
And how did she lead? When her team won its first conference championship in years, she did not make the cut to play.
What did she do? She drove 7 hours to Missouri, on her own, to support her teammates and watch them win. Her coaches said no one had ever done that before.
Then came her moment last week. One final qualifier. One last chance in her final year of college golf.
Adversity showed up again and said, “Let’s see what this girl really has.”
She opened the round with more brutal luck, taking a nine on the second hole, a par four.
Five over after two holes.
Most players would have folded.
She did not.
She stayed positive.
She had been through this before.
She battled back and finished with a 79, low enough to qualify.
That day was not just about golf. It was about grit.
It was about years of doing the right things when no one was watching, finally paying off.
I know she didn't win the Masters or any other major golf tournament. But she won something far more significant.
She won the fight to keep believing in herself when it would have been easier to give up.
As coaches and parents, we preach these lessons:
Control what you can control.
Keep working.
Be a good teammate.
Stay ready.
Trust the process.
And when you do, life eventually rewards you.
“Dad… I did it.”
Those four words meant more to me than any score ever could.
Why? Because the life lessons she has learned through sport have shaped her more than anything else ever could.
This is why we coach.
This is why sports matter.
P.S.
What makes me even prouder is how she’s led through it all.
Golf celebrates the individual, but she’s always been the kind of teammate who lifts others, encourages, and celebrates the team.
Those leadership skills not only helped her team but also prepared her for moments like this. That’s what real leadership does. It builds character that shows up when it matters most.
This is precisely why I built the Team Leader OS: to help coaches teach the skills that win in sports and in life.
🔗 LINKS FOR LEADERS
🎥 Video: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance By Angela Duckworth [LINK]
🆇 ICYMI: Remember Your Why [LINK]
📰 Article: Why Words Matter
📜 GREAT QUOTES
"You can't beat the person who never gives up."
"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."
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𝐗 POSTS FROM OTHERS
Over and over and over again.
— Reid Ouse (@reidouse)
5:25 PM • Dec 30, 2023
9 Things Mentally Tough Athletes DON'T DO ...
🚫 Panic
🚫 Complain
🚫 Blame others
🚫 Make excuses
🚫 Take part in drama
🚫 Fixate on the negative
🚫 Stay in the comfort zone
🚫 See their perspective only
🚫 Quit when adversity strikes— Jamy Bechler (@CoachBechler)
2:09 PM • Sep 13, 2025
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The Team Leader OS: The Team Leader OS is a simple, powerful leadership system for coaches who want to build real leaders. It’s packed with short videos, ready-to-use tools, and practical strategies you can implement immediately. Whether you're starting a leadership program or looking to strengthen your team culture, this gives you a clear path forward without adding to your workload. |  |
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Check out my website for more: www.gb1leadership.com
Need resources? www.gberge.gumroad.com
Contact Me: Greg Berge, [email protected]
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