Robert Luckadoo - Grit in Your Craw: The 8 Strengths You Need to Succeed in Business and in Life

GRIT

IN YOUR

CRAW

THE 8 STRENGTHS YOU NEED

TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS AND IN LIFE

ROBERT

LUCKADOO

Copyrighted Material

Grit in Your Craw

Copyright 2015 by Southern Flair Communications

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwisewithout prior written permission, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

For information about this title or to order other books and/or electronic media, contact the publisher:

Southern Flair Communications

Jackson, MS

www.robertluckadoo.com

ISBN: 978-0-9907856-0-6 (Print)

978-0-9907856-1-3 (Ebook)

Printed in the United States of America

Cover and Interior design by: 1106 Design

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my wonderful wife, Paula.

You are an inspiration to me for all things big and small. Thank you for all the sacrifices you have made for us and for the endless support you have given to me through each of my endeavors. Not only are you a great partner, but you are truly an inspiration to me and I love you with all my heart!

And to our daughters, Lindsay and Sara.

Allow God to help you use the eight strengths found in this book to make your lives everything you want them to be. The blessings are out there for you. You just have to see them, recognize them for what they are and seize the opportunity to receive them!

And to my sister, Amanda.

Thank you for always being there for me, even during the most difficult times in my life. I know our childhood wasnt always the easiest, but you and I were always a great team. I am so proud of you for all that you have accomplished in your life. May Gods blessings be upon you and Todd in all that you do.

And to my late mother, Lucille Toney Luckadoo.

Without you, none of the successes in my life would have been possible. Thank you for the struggles, sacrifices and tribulations you endured to make our lives better. Thank you for taking us to church every Sunday even when there were times when it was a hardship to put gas in the car to drive us there. I know that all things are part of Gods plan, even the hard things. Thank you for your high expectations of Amanda and me. Without your expectations, we wouldnt have had any expectations of ourselves. We miss you, and I look forward to the day when I see you again.

And to my late grandfather and grandmother, Robert Glen and Cora Toney.

Your loving hands played a huge role in raising me to be the person I am today. Your lasting memories have remained vivid in my mind over these last five decades. We miss you!

FOREWORD

Grit Matters

Y ESTERDAYS HOME RUNS dont win todays games. Babe Ruths words were shared during our first sales meeting of the yeara reminder that each member of our leadership team needed to be in a different place next year from where we were then. How would this be achieved?

As a walk-on basketball player at Wake Forest, I played only fifty-nine minutes during my career. I was cut from the team twice. Physically, I was outmatched in every way, and even though my job was to be ready for the role the coach assigned me, the thought of doing this for four years was daunting. Looking back, I realize that I learned the value of showing up, the significance of continuous improvement and the fact that Gods grace is sufficient for each day. Whether in basketball or business, winning matters, but producing for your team, company or family is tough, and it takes endurance to survive.

In a 2007 study at the University of Pennsylvania, psychologist Angela Duckworth looked at a variety of challenging settings for both children and adults. Her main question in each case was, Who is successful and why? She went to West Point military academy to see which cadets would survive training. Her team attended the National Spelling Bee to see which kids would advance to the finals. They visited schools in tough neighborhoods to see which first-year teachers would still be teaching at the end of the year. And she partnered with various companies in the private sector to see which salespeople would keep their jobs and even earn the most money.

In all of those very different contexts, one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success, Duckworth says, and it wasnt social intelligence, it wasnt good looks, physical health, and it wasnt IQ. It was grit. Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Its having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future day-in day-outnot just for the week, not just for the month, but for years.

Whatever grit is, Robert Luckadoo has it. His story is a reminder that while challenge is inevitable, we dont have to be defined by our adversities. We dont have to stopwe can keep going.

I recently had a chance to play golf with Robert, and as we were riding in the cart, he shared bits and pieces of his testimony, including tough moments from his childhood that required a young man to take ownership of his life quicker than most. During all of these recollections, however, I could feel the joy and fulfillment derived from his trusting that even our trials are gifts from God. It was clear that a choice was made to press onward and never stop running the race.

The Gospel makes the worst times tolerable
and the best times leavable.

JOHN NEWTON

Through his recounting of genuine experiences and with a Gospel-centered worldview in mind, Robert outlines eight principles of leadership that reflect what it means to have grit in your craw. As Robert will convey, grit is not about circumstance and social position but about a certain kind of determination and toughness that doesnt always show up in the box score.

You could describe Robert Luckadoo as a renaissance man. Coach, entrepreneur, pilot, race car driver, insurance professional, husband, fatherhes done it all, and hes done it all with great success! I believe hes been able to embrace new challenges not only because he shows up but because he is the kind of person who gets up in the morning and gives everything he has even though he doesnt necessarily know what the result will be.

Whether youre in real estate, insurance, financial services, athletics, or another performance-based position, the ensuing pages will challenge you to be the best possible version of yourself within the role that you play. This book fills a major need for anyone with production-based job requirements.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I took the road less traveled, Robert Frost wrote. On the less traveled road, Robert Luckadoowith much humility and gracenot only encourages us to have grit in our craw but also points us toward the things in life that endure.

Alan Williams

Teammates Matter, author | founder

Teammatesmatter.com

Co-president, BCW Food Products

EIGHT STRENGTHS YOU CANT SUCCEED WITHOUT

I DONT BELIEVE IN LUCK. Even though its right there in my last nameLuckadooI just dont buy it. I dont believe in good luck, I dont believe in bad luck. What I do believe is that you can create your own good fortune through the blessings God has given you, the opportunities youve been presented with in life. He has also given us the ability to make choices, and its up to us to see our blessings for what they are and make the most of them. With perseverance and hard work, we can use our blessings to make our own luck.

Its amazing how lucky you can be if you just make the choice to work hard and persevere. When it comes to your career, it starts with simply choosing to get up and go to work in the morning. And it continues with choosing to be productive when you get therechoosing to be a positive beacon at the office rather than spending the morning visiting with your colleagues and grumbling about something you have no control over, or hanging out at the water cooler and sharing your disdain with anyone who will listen.