Publisher: London games point up the value of training

Published Aug 23, 2012 at 9:00 am (Updated Aug 23, 2012)

Many want to "try" to be successful, says Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister in his latest column. But as the 2012 Summer Olympics showed us, those who end up with a medal are almost always those who truly "train" for success. "These great Olympians trained long before they arrived at the Olympics and the starting line. And for those who didn't win—as you often heard—they reset their goals and begin another four years of training for the next opportunity. Now that is inspiring and a lesson for us all," McCollister says. And speaking of talent, training, dedication and winning, McCollister says Tim Barfield is a great example. Barfield was tapped last week by Gov. Bobby Jindal to be the state's revenue secretary. It was the second time Barfield answered Jindal's call to serve. In 2008 the former Shaw Group president took on the job of transforming the Labor Department into the Workforce Commission. "You don't find many like him who will leave the private sector—and top salary—to do public service once, much less twice," McCollister says. "Jindal will take on a major issue next session—tax reform—and he knows getting the right quarterback to lead the Department of Revenue is essential." And if you're wondering if tax reform is really possible, McCollister points to the early impact sweeping education reforms are having in Louisiana. A record number of new charter school application have been filed; performance-based evaluations of educators are about to begin; and the "Course Choice" program—which allows businesses to be an official course provider for K-12 schools—is also launching. Read the full column here; and send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.