257
sincerity
The days of Sammy Glick are over. If you want to get
anywhere, you have to be authentic. That not only
means in your writing, but also in your dealings with
other people.
Fred Allen, the old radio comedian, once said, “You
can take all the sincerity in Hollywood and put it in a
gnat’s navel, and still have room for two caraway seeds
and an agent’s heart.”
Make sure your sincerity is more expansive than that.
benevolence
When Ryne Sandberg, the great Chicago Cubs second
baseman, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame,
he said this in his speech:
“I was in awe every time I walked onto the fi eld. That’s
respect. I was taught you never, ever disrespect your op-
ponents or your teammates or your organization or your
manager and never, ever your uniform. You make a great
play, act like you’ve done it before; get a big hit, look for the
third base coach and get ready to run the bases. … Respect.
A lot of people say this honor validates my career, but I
didn’t work hard for validation. I didn’t play the game right
because I saw a reward at the end of the tunnel. I played
it right because that’s what you’re supposed to do, play it
right and with respect. … If this validates anything, it’s that
guys who taught me the game … did what they were sup-
posed to do, and I did what I was supposed to do.”
Z4273i_243-259.indd 257Z4273i_243-259.indd 257 9/24/09 11:21:45 AM9/24/09 11:21:45 AM