← Earn the Right to Live Your Dreams
Earn the Right to Live Your Dreams
08 Interview: Scott Grant on Adding CRAZY Value to People
00:24:18
In this episode, I sit down with an AMAZING educator Scott Grant to discuss his philosophy on adding value to his students in the classroom. He also discusses some of the wild things he is willing to do to get his students to engage in...
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Welcome to the earn the right to live your dreams podcast. This is Coy Cooper. Welcome back everybody to the earn the right to live your dreams podcast. This is Coit Cooper, your host and today we're going to take it back to the classroom where we are going to learn from an amazing educator, Scott Grant. Scott is a former two time golfer coach of the year for the Northwest District, A former director of athletics for the Van Buren school district, he is currently an assistant professor in sport business and director of sport and event management at the University of Findlay. There he has created the Success 101 guide for freshmen. He's an academic success coach there and he was recently instrumental in creating the EDGE partnership with the Browns. And then this is the coolest thing in the last few months was honored with the old main award which is given to the outstanding alum from the entire university. This is an elite teacher and so now it's time to go to the classroom. Let's do some learning in 3, 2, 1. Scott, welcome to the show. How's it going, my man?
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Man, things are great. Thanks so much for having me on. I'm super excited to hang out today.
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B
Cool. You know, I just, I talked about in the intro about all the things that you've been able to accomplish and you've done some amazing things as an educator and as a person. When you look back on all of these things, like what are the accomplishments or accomplishment that you're most proud of.
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You know, and as I'm thinking about this, the most important thing for me and probably the thing I'm so proud of is now that I've been in education long enough where I'm starting to have kids go through the cycle. The ones when they come back and they're willing to spend time in the classroom with the current students, I just, my heart fills and you know, the ones that have gone out and they've gone through the process and now they're willing to come back and share their story and be mentors and support systems. That by far has been the absolute best thing about my job where I've kind of gotten and I truly enjoy that process every time it's been able to occur.
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B
Cool. That's amazing, man. That's something I love to hear from somebody who is, you know, working with young individuals and just people in general. And this is one of the primary reasons I believe, of course I wasn't on the committee, but why I believe you were given this old prestigious, the prestigious old main award by the University of Findlay it's an award that is for the outstanding alum based on achievement and service. Tell us a little bit more about the award and then just what was it like for you to win that?
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You know, as far as the award goes, there's a committee that takes applications and people nominate certain individuals. And the old main award specifically is there's one given to a person under the age of 35 that has really shown some initiative to really give back to the community, to the campus community in a lot of different ways. And I think it's the ultimate honor for me being honored by the institution. Your alma mater, Findlay, holds a very special place in my heart. My parents were both alums. I'm an alum. I have some extended family that are alums. I'm not from Findlay, Ohio, the town, but I've become part of this place. And anytime you have individuals and co workers put you up for an honor like this and you have the opportunity to stand in front of a large group of the campus community and explain to them how important this place is to you, it's unbelievable. One of the gentlemen who was really instrumental in putting me up for this award was a teacher I had here. And he was my student teaching observation personnel. And he put together this five minute video and they played at the awards ceremony. And he told me, he was like, hey, you need to be ready. It's going to be pretty emotional. And I was like, no, I got this. Not a big deal. And I walked up there and I just got choked up because you realize how important every little relationship and the value add that you can have on people is. Having my wife and my kids there. I just felt so appreciative for the University of Findlay for everything they've done for me. And to be able to, to stand up there and kind of share my story a little bit was absolutely incredible.
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B
That's awesome, man. And you know, the thing that comes out for me is just the way that you care about students, you care about people. I've felt that from you. I've had the chance to see that kind of up close and personal. Where does that passion to make a difference in people's lives come from? Is that a natural thing? Did it come from people that influence you? Tell us a little bit about that.
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You know, I don't think it's natural, but I think I was pre exposed to it very early. My parents are both teachers, so my life always involved education. My dad was also a coach and my mom, you know, was a guidance counselor. As well. So my life, pretty much 24 hours a day, seven days a week, centered around education and helping people. I remember my mom sitting at the kitchen table late at night tutoring kids in math, and my dad, I would always go to the gym with him for practice. So I just saw them from a very young age continually giving back and adding value to people, and I loved it. You know, I had an 8th grade teacher named Mr. Todd Graham, and I wrote him a note when I became a teacher. And I walked in the first day and I remember I was saying, oh, I'm going to be a lawyer someday, or whatever that might be. And he jumped on top of his desk and pulled a bow and arrow back like he was faking. And I was like, I want to do that. That's awesome. And it was just something that I continuously got to be a part of it. And I knew it was going to be my life. So I don't necess think it was natural, but I was lucky enough to be exposed to it at a very young age and all the way throughout my life.
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So you just said a bow and arrow?
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Yeah, well, it was like a Nerf bow and arrow. It's probably illegal now. They couldn't do it. But, you know, he jumped on top of his desk, he was teaching a lesson, he pulled it back, and I was just like, that's what I want to do. People can do this? Yes.
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B
Have you done that then?
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I did not. But I have stood on top of a desk numerous times, depending on how I think I'm going to be able to get the point across the best, you know, I'm willing to do about anything in my classroom for my kids to make sure that if I think it's going to be beneficial for them for learning whatever it is that we're trying to get after, we're going to do it.
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B
I love it, man. I feel you on that one. So that transitions really well into philosophy. Your philosophy on teaching, your philosophy on interacting with people. When you're doing those things, how do you approach that? What do you want to accomplish when you're interacting with people in general?
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You know, my biggest thing, and I always think about that quote, people never, you know, they don't usually listen to what you tell them unless they truly feel as if they care about you. And that's always been really important to me. And I want to make sure that the kids that walk through my classroom door, if I told them they didn't have to come back, if they didn't want to are gonna be there. I wanna make sure that they're not only having a good time, but they're engaged. And I'm thinking about them. This is not about me, right? I went through education, I learned. I did everything I could. But I want. I want to be putting together lessons, and I want to be doing things in a classroom that are gonna help them be beneficial for their lives. This is not about me. And I wanna make sure that those kids have ownership of the classroom. If there's something that they wanna focus on, well, let's do it. Let's get after it. And I want them to have a good time in class. I hate it when I hear a kid say, oh, I gotta, man, you get to go to that class. That's how I want them to be able to approach my classroom. And I'm hopeful that many of them feel that way.
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B
Yeah, man, that's great. So tying this together, you just talked about a lot of things that you try to do when you're going into class. When you tie all that together. What is it that you want them to think about you? What do you want your brand to be, your legacy? To be with the students and the people that you're interacting with.
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You know, at the end of the day. And I've thought about this a lot, especially when I transitioned from the high school environment to the college environment, and I wanted it to be consistent. I want every kid that I deal with to know that they have an advocate for everything that they want to do, right? If a kid comes to me and says, hey, Mr. Grant, I'd really like to do this internship, I just. I don't have the money. I don't know where to figure out. Like, I will help you figure it out, right? I can't necessarily teach you motivation, but I can help you figure out all those other pieces. And I want them to just. I told my class the other day, I said, you probably think I'm crazy, and that's completely fine because I'm good with it. But you're gonna remember this, and you're going to use this to add value to other people when you walk out that door. That is the number one most important thing to me is that they feel like we have a relationship, we build it, and if they need something, they come to me because I will do whatever I can to help them.
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Yeah, man, it's just crazy. You know, when I'm talking to you, I just. I can feel, like, the energy coming through my headphones. Like, it's just. It's crazy. And I know that this is real because I've had a chance to talk to you and get to know you over the last couple years. But I honestly believe you're one of the most energetic and passionate people I've ever met in my entire life. And what I'm curious about with you, is this something you work at? Is it something that comes naturally? Is it a combination? But just tell me, where the heck does all that energy come from?
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You know, I think I was blessed a little bit with. I've always been a very upbeat and energetic person. I read an article one time and it talked about your personal force field and whether you were an energy giver and an energy sucker. And I've always consistently and consciously tried to be a person that when anyone's close by me, like they're going to remember a positive environment, you know, they walk away from me. I want them to be better than when they first showed up. And you know, I have 14 month old twin boys and you know, there are nights where I get 45 minutes of sleep, but I am beyond blessed with everything I've given. And I just, it's just exciting. Life is exciting. And I've truly been able to. And part of it is with the help of your book and impressions and those types of things, continually focus on the most important things in my life and be thankful. So even when I might have a little bit of a negative interaction or something occurs like it's, you can still see the positives in those and go. Because that's, that's my job. That's my job. At the end of the day, I create a positive environment for people to, when they're ready to learn. Let's go, man.
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Yeah, that's 45 minutes of sleep. 45 minutes of sleep. And you still, you're still rolling into class all fired up on 45 minutes of sleep.
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Hey, you know, sometimes they're like, Mr. Grant, can you please stop drinking coffee before you get to class? And I'm like, nope, let's go, man.
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No, that's, that's, that's amazing. And you know, I work with students, I work with faculty, I work with coaches and a lot of different people. And it's so rare to come upon somebody that has that mentality. And I want to jump into that a little bit more. And I love how you, just a second ago you talked about you got 45 minutes of sleep, but you're blessed. You have amazing things. And is that, is that something you intentionally work at? Is it something that again, is it natural, or is it something you have to stop and go? You might be frustrated, but you have to redirect. Tell us about that.
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Yeah, you know, I think there's always times where you become frustrated. You know, it's. You get tired and things like that. But at the same time, my mom did a very good job when I was growing up. And she used to tell me, she'd say, you know, Scott, you get one December 4, 2015, in your life. This is the one shot you get at this day. When it's over, it's done. So you have two options when you go through it. You can make it the absolute best with the positive attitude, or you can kind of float through it. I always thought about that. Am I a floater? Am I doing enough to get above everyone else? Am I pushing myself to really make an impact? Or am I just kind of going through the day like everybody else? And I didn't want to be like that. So there is an intentional piece to it. You know, I've always tried to do a lot of personal development, but at the end of the day, I'm like you, man. I want to be surrounded by people who want to get after it. And it's just. You can create it. You walk into a room when someone has done that, and there's a group of people like you just feel it. It's tangible. You can wring it out of a towel. And that's what I want it always to be. And, you know, until I can't do that anymore, I'm going to keep trucking along and bringing people with me.
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B
Yeah. Listen, what I want to know is you. You do that. You're very good at connecting. You're very good at networking. You teach your students how to do that as well. How do you go about finding people that you want to surround yourself, you know, to create your network and your people that will not only, you know, elevate you, but just be a part of your life.
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Yeah. You know, I think. And it's funny, too, I think about when I first met you, and it was out of the blue, and when I became a college professor, I remember I found some of the things that you were doing on social media, and I was beyond impressed. And I just reached out to you and said, hey, can I have 20 minutes of your time? I want to ask you some questions. And you were gracious enough to grant that. And I still remember that exact time. It was in my old office. And I try to find people that, you know, I Don't want to just take. I want to be able to provide and I want to ask questions. I want to see if there's anything I can do to help. But I've noticed that most people want to be able to talk about the great things that they're doing and they want to give back. And I really look forward, you know, if I'm going on a trip somewhere. And my wife used to make fun of me a lot. We went on a vacation one time and I remember there was a university nearby and one of their top level executives, I was like, you know what, I'm going to email him and see if I can get 30 minutes of his time to take him to lunch. My wife was like, you're nuts. I'm like, no, I'm going to do this. Because he's unbelievable. And he opened up his office, he took me in and we talked for about an hour. And I've kept in contact. I always tell students all the time, at the end of the day, people are going to look to surround themselves with people that are continuously adding value, building relationships. And that is the key so much is what are you doing on the front end to really be a person that people want to be around. And I hope I'm offering things to the people that I'm reaching out to. But at the end of the day, I look for people like you and who are they connecting with and what are those people doing and what can I do to really get to that next level? I got to continue to push.
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Yeah, man. Yeah. I love it. And if you. I wish you could see me. I like when you're talking, I just, you're just one of those people. I'm just, I'm so excited to listen and even learn from you. You know, when you're talking about reaching out, you know, to these people, you know the amazing thing, and I've talked to students about this and most of the time they're like, oh, well, they'll, they'll probably say no or they won't be interested and they won't even, they won't even put themselves out there. And I always tell people, I'm like, you got nothing to lose. I mean, if they say no, worst case scenario is you don't have a meeting. So, you know, what's your philosophy on that? Is it the same? Is it a little bit different? You know, tell me about that.
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No, by far, absolutely the same. And I try to take kids on external trips as much as possible. And I remember we were on an External trip at a sport facility. And it was an NBA organization, and we were taking the kids around, and our tour guide at the end, who worked in their corporate partnership department, said, hey, I'm gonna give everybody here my card, and I'm gonna tell you what's gonna happen. He goes, I've done this tour probably about 20 times. I've given out my card probably a thousand to over a thousand kids. Guess how many people have contacted me to follow up with that relationship? And the kids were all guessing, oh, like, 100, 200? He said, three. He goes, three out of all of those people? He goes, I'm willing to offer my network, my connections, build a relationship, and help you in any way I can. Now it's up to you. And I tell students all the time, people are willing to help if you approach it in the right manner and you're willing to do the legwork. You know, I feel like a lot of people just want it to come to them, and they want it to be easy. It's hard, and it should be hard because it's valuable. You know, I've never. The old adage where it's everything. Everything that's worth doing should be. Should be difficult. And that's the good part. Still, about networking, it's. You push a little bit, and I think people are open to it. And I know that kids are now starting to get that. It's just they got to step out of their comfort zone a little bit. And that's been a fun part of the education process is really keying in on that. I took kids to Chicago about two weeks ago, and we went to a networking event, and I had a student, and they're surrounded by professionals. And I go, okay, we're gonna turn around about two seconds. There's a gentleman over here to your right. You're gonna go up and you're gonna start up a conversation. The kid looked at me like whited as a ghost. I said, good luck. And I flipped him around and I walked away. And he was unbelievable. He went over there, he did his thing. He came back. He's like, hey, give me his card. He works here and here. I'm like, you can do this. You can do this. And that's what's so impactful for me. And I just. It gets me excited.
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B
Yeah, that's. Yeah, I'm excited as well. I'm excited for you as a teacher, as a person, what you're going to accomplish in the future. And as a teacher, you know, I think there's something you do. When you're a passionate teacher, there's always something. There's a lesson or something that you want your students to get. It's the man. I wish they got this. And then maybe it's a blank there for you to fill in. If I was to ask you, I wish every one of my students got this, what would that thing be for you?
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You know, it's funny. Today was our last day of class, and we were finishing up, we were walking out of class, and I always play them this one video. It's a favorite of mine, and we talk about it all the time. And I try to get them to understand, at the end of the day, they're all sincerely, sincerely capable of making an unbelievable contribution to whatever environment they want to be in. You know what I mean? And I think a lot of times, far too often, students don't have a support system to really push them. And I just want them to understand that whatever it is that they want to do, if you have big dreams, get after it. Right? They can do this, and they can really, really build the life that they want. There's just far too often I see students that just kind of. They're not willing to push because no one's ever told them, you know what? No is not an answer anymore. Like, go and do it. Let's do this. And that was one thing that I took from you. And it's been so impactful for me and so impactful for my kids, and I'm hoping that everyone that walks out of my classroom has a little bit more of a pep in their step and just, you know, thinks of themselves in a manner a little bit differently than the day they walked in.
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B
Yeah, man, buddy, you're flat out putting it out there. You're, you know, there's a, you know, being vulnerable, being willing to go for it. I think that's so rare in people. So many people hold back. And that's one of the coolest things I think about you, is you're not holding back. I mean, you're going all out with your students, and I think you just gave me a perfect transition. It's time to talk dreams for you, man. You know what? When you. When you. You're just sitting at home listening to music, whatever motivates you, what do you. What are you thinking about accomplishing? What would you like to be able to do in your life as a human being?
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A
You know? You know, it's funny and people. I've gotten this question a couple times in the past couple months. And I struggle with it. And that's interesting because I push a lot from that perspective. Every day I wake up and I come to work and I absolutely love what I do, and I love getting the opportunity to work with students. And part of it now is having kids, is I want to be able to create an environment within the educational system where it's 100% student focused, where it's, you know, kids come in, they explore their passions and they go after it. I want to. I see education starting to change, and I see higher ed starting to evolve a little bit more to more of a individualized, centered focus. And I like it. And I want to push harder because my kids are one year old and there's 17 years until they go to college, and I gotta help figure all of this out so that when they're in 17 years, there's somebody who's gonna be able to take them and say, you know what? Here's what we're gonna do, and we're gonna add some serious value to your lives and get you guys ready to continue moving. I'm gonna do that on the back end as a parent, but all these kids that walk in every day, like, I just, I'm so excited for the opportunity to work with him. And I just. My dream, I guess, is just to continue doing that, but on a much larger scale and making sure that my children, everything's ready for them when they get to that point.
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B
Yeah, man, push. Just keep pushing. You got to go, man. You're a leader. You got to make that happen. So let's. The leader in you, the person who's going out and making an impact, you know, let's step away from even students. And this might be the same advice, but for all those people out there that are. That are kind of on the border thinking about going all out and pursuing their aspirations, what's the piece of advice you'd give them? And maybe it's not even pursuing their dreams. Maybe it's just one piece of advice you would give them to live an amazing life. Scott Grant, the motivator, the energy guy, tell us what that is.
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You know what? So here's the best thing that I can say. There have always been points where people struggle and they find themselves at those, the whys in the road. And my wife one time told me, she said the most important thing that we can ever teach our kids and anyone around us is to find ourselves getting lost in the service of others. Right? And I consistently, I have that hanging above my computer in my office. And I read it all the time, find myself getting lost in the service of others, and it's truly helped me really understand who I am as a person. You know, when I was in high school, I wanted to be a teacher, but now, like, it's time. I mean, every day, you know, if I can impact lives and I can. I can help these people build better. Like, I've found who I am, and I don't want to wait anymore to do that. And, you know, for other people, when you find that, add value to others, and you will figure out where you're supposed to be if you haven't just yet.
- [22:09]
B
I love it, Scott. And I just. I'm so impressed with the way that you're living, the impact you're making on people. I just. I can't tell you how thankful I am, you know, to be able to call you a friend, to have you as a person who is a colleague. And I'm just hoping someday that our professional past, you know, they cross and we work together on some of this stuff, because I think we're both passionate about making a difference, and that's what this podcast is all about. You know, we talk about it being dreams, but at the end of the day, when you get to the point where you're living at a really high level, that is a transition. It's. It's a point where you start to focus on making the world a better place, and you are making the world a better place, and I can't wait to see where that leads you and the impact that you make on people. So, man, just thank you so much for being a part of this podcast. I think the listeners are going to love it. They're gonna love your energy. They're gonna love your passion. They're gonna feel it. I think they're gonna be like, I was right now, like, smiling when you were talking, like, loving it. And so, man, thank you so much for being a part of it. Just keep going out and just impacting lives, my man.
- [23:14]
A
Hey, my absolute pleasure, Coyton. And I'll tell you everything that you're doing and everything that you've done. It's been an unbelievable asset to me, my students, and everybody else. And I know these people that are taking part in everything that you're doing, their lives are going to continue to get better, which is absolutely incredible. So thank you for even allowing me to be a part of this.
- [23:35]
B
All right, buddy, keep it rolling.
- [23:37]
A
Hey, thanks so much, sir. You have a great day.
- [23:40]
B
Hey, everybody. I hope you love this episode if so make sure that you subscribe to this podcast and you if and tell other people about it. We want to spread the word. We want to impact more lives, and so make sure that you do that. If you're interested in personal development resources, head on over to coitcooper.com, c-O Y T E C-O-O-P-E-R.com and check it out. And, as always, go out and live a charged life. You know, one where you're going out and you're pursuing your full potential and earn the right to live all your dreams. Have a great day, everybody.