Monday, August 10, 2009

Stand and Deliver...

"There will be no free rides, no excuses. You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion. Because of those two strikes, there are some people in this world who will assume that you know less than you do. *Math* is the great equalizer... When you go for a job, the person giving you that job will not want to hear your problems; ergo, neither do I. You're going to work harder here than you've ever worked anywhere else. And the only thing I ask from you is *ganas.* *Desire.* ...
...If you don't have the *ganas,* I will give it to you because I'm an expert. "

In that last line, is the secret to great leadership... to give another person the desire to better themselves... to expect great things from them.. to give them dignity and skill.. to show them who they really are and what they can really do.
Stand and Deliver is one of my very favorite of all time films. If you haven't seen it in awhile... check it out... It's a beautiful thing.

5 comments:

Mo said...

This was a great movie. I remember seeing it with Dad many years ago.

Michelle said...

I still remember seeing it in High School.

Amy said...

I also love this movie. I used to watch it over and over. It's one of the films that inspired me to become a teacher. I haven't seen it in a long time. Great quote!

Janice said...

I saw that forever ago.

Unknown said...

This is a great show. We just showed it to our 13 year old.