Two outstanding leaders and former members of the WVU Swim Team spoke to Cohort 10 of the West Virginia University Presidential Student Ambassadors o provide leadership guidelines. A semester favorite, Dr. John Havlik, a former US Navy SEAL, and his co-author, Bill Treasurer, distributed copies of their book, The Leadership Killer, to the PSAs.
A 4-year letterman, Dr. John Havlik was the first swimmer in school history to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials (1980) and served as tri-captain of the first undefeated men’s swim team his senior year. In 2017, he was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 and into into the Mountaineer Legends Society in 2018.
Bill Treasurer is the founder of Giant Leap Consulting, a courage-building company and has worked with leaders in twelve different countries and for organizations as NASA, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Home Depot, UBS Bank, Spanx, eBay, Southern Company, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and universities including Harvard, MIT and Yale. He also was the first WVU diver to win an athletic scholarship, go to NCAA Division 1 nationals, and win the Outstanding Swimmer Award.
While there were a number of leadership takeaways, these four are most memorable (1 and 2 from Treasurer; 3 and 4 from Havlik).
1. Remember ODAAT (one day at a time): It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Except when it’s a sprint.
2. Respect yourself. Do things that make you sane and proud.
3. Walk the deck plates. Talk to your people. Learn what makes them tick.
4. Check your attitude at the door. Personal hubris/ego will lead to mission failure. Starts with the leader.
Once a Mountaineer…always a Mountaineer!