WF Pride Excel in Communication Chad Cottingham One of my favorite commercials took place about eight years ago. A German Coast Guard trainee sits behind a display of computers, gadgets and a big communications radio. I assume it’s his first day alone behind the control panel. A distress call from German waters comes across the airwaves in English. “Mayday! Mayday! We …
WF Pride: Discipline and Accountability
WF Pride Discipline and Accountability Chad Cottingham Larry Bird is one of my favorite basketball players of all time. He was a 12 time NBA All-Star, three-time NBA Champion and three-time NBA MVP. He was a two-time Finals MVP, All-Star Game MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, three-time Three Point Shootout Champion. Larry Bird was part of the 1992 Dream Team, …
WF Pride: Integrity
WF Pride Integrity Chad Cottingham My mother pulled into the garage and headed inside the house. I was fearful and worried that I was going to be in trouble for breaking the lamp in the living room. Being a normal 14 year old, I stayed in the basement and didn’t come upstairs when she walked in. A few minutes later I …
WF Pride: Recognition and Respect of Others
WF Pride Recognition and Respect of Others Chad Cottingham I can remember sitting in the principal’s office for the first time. Not as a student, but as a teacher, going over my year-end evaluation. It was nerve wracking for someone just out of college and trying to make a mark on the world. What was he going to say? What did …
WF Pride: Positive Attitude and Passion for Life & Work
WF Pride Positive Attitude and Passion for Life & Work Chad Cottingham We all want to be happy in life, and we all know that having a positive attitude feels better than a negative one. But for some reason, we’re all attracted to and can be easily drawn to the negative side – the comments, the snide remarks, the gossiping and …
WF Pride: Focus on Unity and Humility
WF Pride Focus on Unity and Humility Chad Cottingham My friend Rob and I decided to head to campus a few days early before starting classes our sophomore year at Liberty University. We were hoping to meet some of the ‘new’ freshman girls. There the two of us stood, in the middle of the ‘courtyard’, talking and having a good time. …
WF Pride: Willingness and Desire to Sacrifice and Serve
WF Pride Willingness and Desire to Sacrifice and Serve Chad Cottingham A guide dog’s life is one of service. And a boxer trained as a seeing-eye dog, belonging to an Atlanta man, committed the ultimate act of service by laying down his life for his family. The dog, named Simon, helped lead legally blind Dave Furukawa for four years, but died …
WF Pride: Excel in Communication
WF Pride Excel in Communication Chad Cottingham When I was teacher, I used to love playing the ‘telephone’ game with my students. The game was simple but the impact was huge. Five students would be removed from the class. One student at a time would enter the room and be told information that they had to repeat to a classmate – …
WF Pride: Discipline and Accountability
WF Pride Discipline and Accountability Chad Cottingham Athletics have always been a huge part of my life. I grew up playing and competing in everything I could. It didn’t matter what it was, football, basketball, checkers, chess, Atari, marbles, etc… I wanted to win no matter what. Playing against two younger brothers forced me to never let down, to always give …
WF Pride: Integrity
WF Pride Integrity Chad Cottingham In southern California, a man and the woman went through a KFC drive through and ordered a chicken dinner for two. It was handed to them and they drove off. Come to find out, the man who was filling their order had taken a box where they had emptied the proceeds from one of the cash …