As I’ve shared before, I enjoy watching documentaries while on the elliptical in the morning. They keep me focused on moving as well as absorbing good, helpful information, and stories. I recently watched Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott. The story was heartfelt, emotional, and certainly sad in the end. I don’t want to give it away if you don’t know his story, but I was crying at the end of it. One line jumped out at me. “Write with your own voice, and speak with your own spirit.” Stuart did things differently. He beat his own drum. He was a person of color in a white dominated field of sports reporting. Yet he spoke with pizzazz, slang language, and captured his audiences with his humor and personal wit. The leadership at ESPN didn’t know how to handle him until he just exploded on the scene. Stuart wrote with his own voice and spoke with his own spirit.
It made me reflect on my own leadership and reminded me to be myself. I see other great leaders who I admire and like the way they do things. Yet, I need to do it in my own spirit. I can’t be an exact copy of that person. I certainly can use traits and characteristics they might possess, but I need to write in my own voice and be my own spirit. God gave me gifts and talents, and as I’ve shared many times in my talks and books, the self affirmation of “you have everything inside you that you need to be successful” rings in my ears. I say that over and over when I look in the mirror.
Stuart’s story and journey, with his family, with ESPN, and trying to make it to the top of that organization reminded me to use the gifts I have. To be the most authentic, warm, inviting person I can be and lastly, nothing can replace enthusiasm! Stuart came up with the keyword Boo-yah! When someone had a great play or a moment in the game, he would shout that out, and it became a tagline. His signature tagline and something men and women would repeat for decades. It lives on today. I challenge you to summon your inner boo-yah and get after it! RIP Stuart Scott! Keep rolling friends.
