There is one universal truth about Hall of Fame College Basketball Coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell. He is the kind of guy you never forget meeting. A chance encounter at the beach. A brief talk at a basketball camp. A handshake at an alumni event or a wink and a wave at a game. Everyone has their own “Lefty” story.

His personality is larger than life and yet, paradoxically, self-deprecating. If you have been a fan of college basketball or involved with any of the two high school or four college programs he has coached and taken to unprecedented prominence, you understand the charisma and the character that is Lefty Driesell.

My “Lefty” story started, ironically, at a football banquet. Every year, my friend Jeff Gottshall generously invites me to the DC Touchdown Club Football Awards Dinner. It is a glorious event headlined by local high school football standouts, college football All-Americans, and Hall of Fame Washington Redskin legends. This past year, in honor of his election in to the Naismith Hall of Fame, Lefty Driesell was inducted into the DC “Circle of Legends” as part of the evening’s festivities.

Lefty was too tired to make it in person so they “skyped” him in on the big screen. At 86 years old (at the time), it was unclear if he could master the technology or deliver a fiery speech. Speaking from a wheelchair, he ABSOLUTELY crushed it. Hilarious one-liners. Self-deprecating humor. Fascinating perspective on basketball and life. There was a magical and electrifying spin to his presence on the screen. And after his speech, I couldn’t shake one goal from my head: Lefty must sit down for a Resilient Worker interview!

The Pursuit of Lefty

Goals are important. Achieving small goals requires discipline. But achieving lofty goals requires discipline AND resilience.

The Resilient Worker is known within a small pocket of readers, but hardly has the national cache of a Sports illustrated or other sports publications. I had no personal network into the basketball community and none into Lefty or his family. But I was driven by a deeper desire to deliver Lefty’s story to my audience and uber-focused on that goal.

I had the passion, but couldn’t do it alone. I needed help. Encouragement and support from Chad Thompson kept me going. And questions and background from Dave Giulieri helped me prepare. But I also needed access. Kevin Sheehan, a Resilient Worker Profile alum, offered invaluable advice as well as access to people who felt comfortable sharing his contact information. I had everything I needed. Game on.

I left ten messages for Lefty over the course of the next three weeks. Some detailed. Some vague. All of them with a brief overview of resilience. Nothing. On the eleventh try, I heard a raspy Southern drawl on the other end of the line.

“Yallo?”

“Hey Lefty, it’s Rob Clark.”

“Who?”

“Rob Clark with The Resilient Worker.”

Silence.

“Is this a good time?”

“It’s a good time if you got a million dollars for me!”

And so it began. Ten more calls over the next ten weeks. Each time detailing the “elevator speech” of The Resilient Worker. Each time reiterating that I really didn’t have any money. The interview would have to be for the love of the game.

After three months, it was clear we were at an impasse. I had failed to convince Lefty this was a worthwhile cause for him. In a Hail Mary move, I reached out to sports columnist, author and speaker, John Feinstein (his daughter and my daughter swim together). John knew of The Resilient Worker through our conversations regarding Roger Staubach. He offered to help.

As fate would have it, John had a dinner scheduled with Lefty down in Virginia Beach the following week. Two days after the dinner, Lefty actually called me.

“You know, I don’t know why I’m doing this and I don’t see how I’ve been resilient, but call me next Tuesday at 10am. I’ve got 15 minutes for ya.” 

It was a start! I connected with Lefty that Tuesday morning.

“Yallo?”

“Hey Lefty, it’s Rob Clark.”

Silence.  

“…from The Resilient Worker…”

“Ya know, Rob, do you believe in horoscopes?”

“No, actually, I don’t”.

Silence.

“Well, hell, I’m gonna read you my horoscope anyway. It says ‘Do not be enticed by someone who wants you to do something you don’t want to do!’ And I don’t want to do this interview!”

Deep breath. I told Lefty he would be doing it for the greater good. I told Lefty that people needed to hear the resilient angle to his incredible story. I told Lefty he had helped people his whole life, and this would be another way he could positively impact society. Above all else, I told Lefty that he could  trust me.

Silence.  

“Ya know, Rob, we’re gonna do this thing.” 

Silence.

Thanks for putting up with all my bullsh*t!”

Pause.

 “Most people don’t know how I got started in coaching…”

Two hours later, Lefty had covered every aspect of his resilient life journey. And the incredible story from a truly genuine and (yes!) warm and friendly man will appear in next Monday’s blog post!

What Does It Mean for Us?

We have to stay resilient. We all have goals. We all have dreams. And the bigger the goal, the bigger the dream, the more resilience we will need. Rarely does a worthwhile venture come without difficulty and doubts. Nothing bold comes easy.

We have to make the calls. If we are in sales (and we are ALL in sales), we can’t stop after ten calls. We might make that connection on the eleventh! We just never know how close we are. That goes for our relationships. That goes for any goal or connection that we are passionate about pursuing.

We can’t do it alone. Passion and effort will only get us so far. At some point, we all need encouragement.  We all need direction. There are people who care about us. There are people who want to help us. Do not be afraid to lean on this inner circle. Wouldn’t we do the same for them if they asked for our help?

People will glamorize resilience. They will tell us cliches such as “the greater the struggle, the greater the reward.” They are not wrong. But the fact is, resilience is hard. The effort is exhausting. The doubt is deep and real. The dark times are scary. It can be enough to drive us to the brink.

But we have to keep grinding. We have to maintain our grit. We have to take a breath during the struggle and find our motivation. We have to believe, in spite of overwhelming odds, that we are capable of success. It’s not easy. But all of us can do it.

Everyone has their own Lefty story. And now I have mine.