If you're a sports fan, you know that Adrian Gonzalez is best known for power hitting and Tedy Bruschi is best known for power defense.
Yesterday, both were known for a completely different sort of power - the power of the spoken word. And, we think aspiring leaders should stand up and take notice.
Newly-acquired Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez wowed the Boston news media with his personal reflections about iconic slugger Ted Williams. And, it didn't hurt a bit that one of the first lines out of his mouth as a Red Sox player were the words, "I’m very excited to be in Boston and ready to beat the Yanks." Check out Herald columnist Steve Buckley's description here.
Meanwhile, Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi charmed fans with his eloquent halftime talk of playing for the team during some of its most successful years. Check out the full text of what he said at this link from ESPN.com blogger Mike Reiss.
What's the common thread? Well, both Bruschi and Gonzalez spoke humbly and simply, without prepared remarks. They captured the essence of what matters to people and they spoke about it from the heart. No frills, no exaggeration, just plain talk.
It worked. It got us talking this morning. And, we think it's a style more politicians should adopt if they want to inspire people with the power of their words.
Your point is well taken. But without speech writers and teleprompters, many politicians would be at a loss for words.......maybe that would be a good thing !
ReplyDeletetoo bad what politicians say actually matter, unlike what some guy wearing a silly outfit playing a game for a living says.
ReplyDeletePolitics doesn't need to come from the heart, it should come from the brain, and that takes a little more than off the cuff moments that have zero risk if they screw it up.
And if you don't think Gonzales practiced those lines in his sleep you are a little naive. Just because Theo didn't write it for him, doesn't mean it wasn't prepared.