I attended an event led by Jim Canterucci in January. E. Gordon Gee the President of The Ohio State University was there and talked about being brilliant too. Something he said has been rattling around in my brain since that day. He spoke about having “nerves like sewer pipes”.
That’s a memorable line just because it was not an analogy I’m familiar with. In fact in a totally unscientific survey of the 8 people in the tweet seats no one had. I think it’s a Gee-ism. He went on to talk about what that means and how one develops such a trait.
Think focus and mental toughness. He shared with everyone that in his life this routinely comes into play whenever the topic of an NCAA Football playoff system is written about or discussed in the media. His position is unpopular even in OSU crazed Columbus where he can usually do no wrong. He indicated that he has thousands of letters (which he keeps) telling him how wrong, misguided, and clueless his opinion really is. He has been quoted in Sports Illustrated and on ESPN and the sports pages in major college football towns.
Not the type of press an academic, bow-tie-wearing guy gets. And it probably isn’t going to stop any time soon.
He says nerves like sewer pipes keep him going. He’s public about his opinion because it’s expected of him. He didn’t defend it but you can tell he’s not likely to change his mind anytime soon.
I’m working on getting better pipes. I don’t want to be deaf to criticism but I surely don’t want to be fearful to take a stand. I started a business to help small business owners gain and retain customers. The services offered will help entrepreneurs who are feeling pretty stressed, depressed and maybe even a little desperate.
I’ve decided to take a stand for entrepreneurs who are nervous about moving forward, or taking their business to the next level. Doing nothing may feel safe, but we all know better. Sales strategy, planning and execution aren’t flashy but they work.
Sewer pipes. Thanks President Gee. It’s a visual I can’t shake and I’ve tried. Time to develop my own!
Do you have other Gee-ism’s? I’d love to hear them. He’s a witty colorful speaker and was genuinely funny. I’m betting there are more of them out there with a little lesson attached. He is an educator after all!
