If—: The Blueprint for Becoming Unshakable
I talk a lot about culture. About standards. About what it means to grow into the kind of teammate, leader, and person others can depend on. Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem over a century ago called “If—.” It might be old, but every line still describes what elite culture looks like today — not just in sports, but in life. Joe Paterno used to reference it often, in fact it was on the pamphlet at his funeral. After recent set backs, interim head coach Terry Smith has brought it back to life in Penn State football. The team was wearing shirts with a huge IF on the front as they entered the stadium to play Iowa. When I read this poem, I see the DNA of every great team ever established: calm under pressure, confident yet humble, patient through struggle, and relentless when things get hard. If— by Rudyard Kipling If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men...