Joe Paterno's Thoughts on Coaching/ Teaching

From Joe Paterno:

Basic Beliefs
1. The Coach is a Teacher, not a Strategist.
a. Coaching is one thing. It is creating in practice the situation the player will face in the game, and then repeating it until he can react by rote memory.

2. Have a directed work effort toward constructive things.

3. Performance is what counts.
a. Potential makes no difference.
b. Don't ever get sold on what defeats the teams you can beat anyway. Devote yourself only to those plays which will win the championship game for you.
c. Practice to beat great teams.

4. Consistency
a. Team that wins is the team that makes the fewest number of bad plays.
b. The best player is the player who makes the fewest bad individual plays.

Process Oriented Thinking & Fear--Vision

We continue to work daily on our Process oriented thinking. We truly believe that we must work just as hard, if not harder, developing our player's mental skills as their physical skills.

We have noticed the words,"fear, afraid, failure" etc come up in conversations. Afraid of failure, afraid of letting others down, etc. So how then, can we make a fear of failure work work as a strength.

Dr. Kevin Elko has the following suggestions:

Fear is an Acronym:
False Evidence Appearing Real

If you hold onto fear, then that worrisome, awful vision is clearly and consistently established in your mind and it will occur--because you have made it so.

A vision isn't a vision until it is tested. Make your vision last longer than your fear.

Do not surrender to the greatest temptation--Self pity. With self pity you are not thinking something is just hard but rather that something is too hard. It is beyond you; it is more than you can handle.

To accomplish the seemingly impossible:
1. Thinking it
2. Speaking it
3. Acting it

The Greatest Teachers/ Leaders

The Greatest Teachers

“The greatest teacher makes a few simple points. The powerful teacher leaves one or two fundamental truths. And the memorable makes the point not by telling, but by helping the students discover on their own. Learning takes place through discovery, not when you’re told something, but when you figure it out for yourself. All a really fine teacher does is to make suggestions, point out problems, above all, ask questions, and more questions and more questions…teaching encourages not only discovery but initiative.”

--William Safire, “Lend Me Your Ears”

Screening Situations To Cover

Screening Situations We Must Cover
1. Ballscreens
a. Trap and Rotate
b. Hard Show
c. Trap & Recover
d. Squeeze and Go Under
e. Switch

2. Backscreens
a. Squeeze and deny shooter
b. Absorb and recover non-shooter or open cutter
c. Man on cutter must jump to ball

3. Downscreens
a. Open tunnel
b. Bo ballside if ball is in the outer third of floor
c. Tunnel or chase shortest distance otherwise
d. Bumping curler’s keep contact with screener to stop slips

4. Side by Side Double
a. Chase the cutter
b. Zone for slips if furtherest screen from ball
c. Extend if closest screen from ball—on great shooter make screener flash to ball

5. Double Stagger
a. Same as above

6. Cross Screens
a. If a shooter sets it, no separation
b. Zone or absorb otherwise
c. Tag the cutter and force him high
d. If he cuts below or under cuts, he goes out of bounds

7. Flare
a. Man on cutter over the top
b. Man on screener zone lane for slip
c. Take away the reverse curl pass

8. Handoff/ Weave
a. Switch
b. Trip if switch hurts
c. Stay if mismatch hurts

3 Essentials For Rebounding

Three Essentials For Rebounding

1. Assume every shot will be missed
2. Get your hands above your shoulders
3. Go get the ball (Pursue it)

Teaching Points on Excuses

Wooden’s Two Sets of Threes:
1. Never Lie
2. Never Cheat
3. Never Steal

1. Don’t Whine
2. Don’t Complain
3. Don’t Make Excuses

Excuses
We have been focusing on the Two Sets of Threes with our team. Here are a few thoughts we are teaching about excuses.
1. To make an excuse is to transfer responsibility.
2. We teach that mistakes are meant to be learned from and the excuses get in the way of that process.
3. Responsibility is power.
4. Honest introspection is the first step to changing negative habits. Awareness is the first step to change.
5. The conscious acceptance of responsibility is on e of the greatest indicators of a player’s maturity.

Simplify--Simplify--Teach--Simplify

SIMPLICITY

Pete Newell described two groups of coaches: those who believe in simplicity and execution and those who believe in surprise and change. Obviously, he and I are part of the simplicity and execution group
—Bob Knight

Simplicity and execution: How something is most effectively done.
Simplicity says, “Less is more.” It allows players to have a sense that there are specific techniques and strategies that are basic for their success—the success of the team. They gain confidence because of their familiarity and consistency of purpose.

Simplicity demands execution. If every athlete knows what to do and every opponent know what will be done, the anticipation is one of predictability. This is comforting for those who execute and seemingly comfortable for those who believe themselves to be ready to respond.
The coach who uses complex strategies and trickery cannot expect his players to execute them with any consistency, because they are not easy or familiar.

Simplicity says, “I will eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary can be perfectly expressed.”

The greatest truths are the simplest.

Simplicity is an indication of trust of what a coach believes in. No garnishes, no garbage. The desire to be clever sometimes overwhelms the understanding of how to be effective.

Emerson said, “To be simple, is to be great.”

Servant Leadership From Ken Blanchard

Simple leadership thought taken from Ken Blanchard's book about servant leadership.

Blanchard uses SERVE as an acrostic throughout the book.

S--see the future.

E--engage and develop others

R--reinvent continuously

V--value results and relationships

E--embody the values

Team Veteran's Day Handout

VETERAN'S DAY HISTORY

As part of our player development, we include handouts like this in our daily motivation section of our notebooks.

Veterans Day is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. A federal holiday, it is observed on November 11. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)

The holiday is commonly printed as Veteran's Day or Veterans' Day in calendars and advertisements. While these spellings are grammatically acceptable, the United States government has declared that the attributive (no apostrophe) rather than the possessive case is the official spelling.

HISTORY

The U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. In proclaiming the holiday, he said
"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with lots of pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."

The United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later on June 4, 1926, requesting that the President (Calvin Coolidge) issue another proclamation to observe November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. An Act approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday; "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'."

In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas shoe store owner named Alfred King had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who served in World War I. King had been actively involved with the American War Dads during World War II. He began a campaign to turn Armistice Day into "All" Veterans Day. The Emporia Chamber of Commerce took up the cause after determining that 90% of Emporia merchants as well as the Board of Education supported closing their doors on November 11 to honor veterans. With the help of then-U.S. Rep. Ed Rees, also from Emporia, a bill for the holiday was pushed through Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law on May 26, 1954.

Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with Veterans, and it has been known as Veterans Day since.

4 QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. WHY?
a. When “why” gets powerful, the “how” gets easy.
b. Why=Reasons

2. WHY NOT?
a. What else do you have to do?
b. Why not see all you can see, do all you can do?
c. Why not engage in as many things as you can?

3. WHY NOT ME?
a. If ____ can do it, anyone can.
b. Change. Set up some simple daily disciplines.
c. Take full responsibility.
d. Don’t settle for less.

4. ASK FOR GOD’S HELP

Law of the Harvest--Life Is Set Up To Respond To Deserve

Life is set up to respond to DESERVE, not NEED

1. Life responds to what we deserve by activity.
2. We will get what we deserve in the long run.
3. In order to get what we deserve, in order to reap, we must plant.
4. We all need to plant and press the seeds into the ground, to reap the harvest.
5. We must learn to work with people who deserve it, not need it.
6. As leaders we must teach people how to deserve it. It takes steps in the right direction. Without steps in the right direction, there is no progress.

The Six Toughest Challenges of Being a Captain (in their own words)

1. Confronting teammates who are doing what they should be doing
a. Captains, like many people, dislike confrontation and find it easier to avoid difficult situations.

2. Coaches holding them (the captains) accountable when things go wrong
a. Captains may feel that they are being treated unfairly when they are punished for another teammate’s misconduct (it goes with the territory)

3. Maintaining the respect of both coaches and teammates when the two disagree
a. Captains find it difficult to maintain an allegiance with two different groups. It’s like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

4. Teammates being jealous of their (the captains) leadership role
a. Teammates may feel that the captains were selected because of politics and hold that against the captains.

5. Teammates not liking them or the decisions they must make
a. Captains feel pressure and have a hard time choosing the hard right thing to do over the easy wrong thing to do.

6. Being expected to lead even when they are not playing or performing well.
a. Captains may feel that they don’t have the right to lead when performing poorly—“How can I tell someone else what to do when I am not getting it done myself?”

--Taken from Jeff Janssen Peak Performance

Coach Meyer 9/25/85 Rules On Winning

Taken from Richard Taylor’s notebook, In Buster Olney’s Book, “How Lucky You Can Be”

1. Work hard
2. Stick together
3. Have the right mental attitude.
4. Be positive; don’t criticize, look to compliment.
5. Improve every day, especially as a person.
6. “How badly do I want it?”
7. Know that no one can beat you; you beat yourself. Morale is what motivates the best to get better. As you think, so you shall be. A spirit of devotion and enthusiasm for the team and purpose…Until you find a purpose higher than winning, you will never win.

Jim Rohn's "BE's" On Refining Leadership Skills

Jim Rohn’s “BE’s” On Refining Leadership Skills

1. Be strong, but not rude. Rudeness isn’t strength.
2. Be kind, but not weak. Be kind enough to lay it on the line and tell the truth.
3. Be bold, but not a bully. Stride out front.
4. Be humble, but not timid.
5. Be thoughtful, but not lazy.
6. Be proud, but not arrogant.
7. Be willing to deal in the realities of truth.s

Marine Corp Team Leadership Principles

I came across some Marine Corp leadership information and guidelines. There's no better place to look at leadership training than the military.

Every waking hour Marines should be trained, schooled, challenged and tested, corrected and encouraged with perfection and teamwork as a goal. When not at war, Marines are judged in peacetime roles: perfection in drill, dress, bearing and demeanor; shooting; self-improvement; and most importantly, performance. No excuse can be made for the failure of leaders to train their Marines to the highest state of physical condition and to instruct them to be the very best in the profession of arms. Train with a purpose and emphasize the essential element of teamwork.
The sharing of hardships, dangers and hard work strengthens a unit and reduces problems, it develops teamwork, improves morale and esprit and molds a feeling of unbounded loyalty and this is the basis for what makes men fight in combat; it is the foundation for bravery, for advancing under fire. Troops don’t complain of tough training, they seek and brag about it.
Teamwork is the key to successful operations. Teamwork is essential from the smallest unit to the entire Marine Corps. As a Marine officer, you must insist on teamwork from your Marines. Train, play and operate as a team. Be sure that each Marine know his/her position and responsibilities within the team framework.

When team spirit is in evidence, the most difficult tasks become much easier to accomplish. Teamwork is a two-way street. Individual Marines give their best and in return the team provides the Marine with security, recognition and a sense of accomplishment.

Thoughts On Thinking

THINKING
1. Ideas—concept thinking
2. Suggestion
3. Organization—how do you think
4. Does it make sense in my: environment, circumstances, situations
5. Vision 20/20
6. Information
a. Gather
b. Acquisition
7. Attach your feet to your thinking

Accountability Thoughts From The Orange Revolution

Accountability

1. Quite simply, accountability means that a person, or a group of people, is responsible for an outcome—good or bad.
2. Members own their actions and outcomes.
3. Members of breakthrough teams see accountability as a positive. They personally embrace equal accountability for their successes and mistakes, because they have a voice in establishing expectations.
4. There is a critical difference between imposed and voluntary accountability.
5. The difference between imposed and voluntary is empowerment.

Raise Level of Quality Daily

Raise the Level of Quality Daily In:

1. Technique
2. Discipline
3. Attitude

Reading Screens Ideas

Reading Screens Ideas

1. Great perimeter players use screens to their advantage. Some players can’t get a shot off of the dribble, but are extremely hard to guard because they are active and know how to use screens to get open shots. We try to teach our players how to use screens to their advantage.

2. In general, we teach our player’s to react to what the defense is giving us. For example, if a down screen is set and the defender chases us, we will automatically curl. Conversely, if the defender goes ball-side to cheat the screen, we teach our player’s to fade.

3. We want our player’s to Wait, Read the Defense and then use a Change of Pace to make the appropriate cut. We want to use deception in our game, but once we commit to a cut, we must be explosive to beat the defense. There can be no separation between screener and cutter to allow the defense through. The cutter must put their shoulder on the screener’s hip. Before receiving the pass, the cutter must show hand targets.

4. The four types of cuts off of a basic down screen are—Straight, Curl, Fade and Back

5. Most players can only do 1 or 2 cuts successfully. Only the most complete multi-dimensional players can successfully use all 4 cuts to put themselves in a position to score.

Thoughts On Being A Great Coach

1. Team is an extension of the coaching staff
2. Each year improve every aspect of your program
3. Evaluate every year as your first year on the job
4. Teach team roles and coach them
5. Teach kids courtesy
6. Know players and what it takes to motivate
7. Don’t sit behind a desk and be judge, jury and executioner.
8. Touch 1/3 of the team daily
9. Make % plays vs Non % plays
10. Get past failure. Teach yourself and kids
11. Get past success
12. Be careful how you treat people
13. Ways to keep a team on edge
14. Be responsible for team
15. How can we lose? Then look for ways to win.
16. Think win all the time.
17. Can’t wait forever for potential.

5 Thoughts On Changing The Next 5 Years

5 Thoughts On Changing The Next 5 Years
From Jim Rohn

• In 5 years we will arrive. But where?
o A few daily disciplines changed will add tremendous value (Compound Effect)
o A refinement of disciplined thought
• To fix the next 5 years, we must come to grips with reality and truth
• Hoping without action is disillusion.
• Adjust our daily programs to take us where we want to go.
• Must translate response into results.

Lessons Learned This Week 10-29-10

Lesson Learned This Week 10-29-10

Reviewing my notes for the week here are ten things that stood out to me:
1. Difference between Energy level and Intensity level
2. Can’t let a fear of knowledge hold you back.
3. Evidence based training and teaching vs. Fad training and teaching
4. It’s not always about the grade, it’s the learning process.
5. A quiet head sees opportunity.
6. Let go of my right to never be offended.
7. Can never own success, you can only rent it and the rent is due daily.
8. Teach self, family and team how to deal with adversity.
9. Success is earned 1 step, 1 day, 1 decision.
10. It’s not what I know, it’s what I do with what I know.

Objectives For Guard Play

Objectives For Guard Play

1. Create space on offense
2. North and South (no bellying out)
3. Body on body
4. Must be smart to be a guard
5. Focus on fundamentals, you’re not going to be great without them
6. Develop a “go to” move—have a hot spot
7. Between the legs is better than the crossover because the ball isn’t exposed to the defense.

Bear Bryant On Dealing With Adversity

Bear Bryant On Dealing With Adversity

1. “You know what I think? I think we should blow it up and start over. The wrong people have been runnin’ the joint for too long. Let’s just torch the barn and kill the rats.”

2. I don’t think it’s so much that you coach football as you coach people. You just have to have a way with folks.

3. In a crisis, don’t hide behind anything or anybody. They’re going to find you anyway.

4. In life, you’ll have your back up against the wall many times. You might as well get used to it.

5. You never know how a horse will plow until you hook him to a heavy load.

6. Sacrifice. Work. Self-Discipline. I teach these things, and my boys don’t forget them when they leave.

7. The first time you quit, it’s hard. The second time, it gets easier. The third time, you don’t even have to think about it.

8. When you make a mistake, admit it, learn from it and don’t repeat it.

20 Characteristics of Good Point Guards

20 Characteristics Of Good Point Guards:

1. Outwork everybody.
2. Believe in themselves
3. No weak skill levels
4. Think pass, see the play and can score
5. First step is to defensive basket
6. Be a pest
7. Dribble north and south, not east and west
8. Get feet in the lane under control
9. Accept the challenge personally when pressed
10. Give teammates confidence
11. Makes those around them better
12. Always knows time and situation
13. Extension of the coach
14. Best communicator
15. Good FT shooter
16. Poised
17. Wants the ball at the end of games
18. Physically strong
19. Mentally strong
20. Skillfully strong

Leadership Lessons From Hannibal Crossing The Alps

Leadership Lessons From, “Hannibal Crossing The Alps” by John Prevas

1. Anyone who accomplishes something great, something unique, whether in business or in politics, often does so by defying the conventional thinking of his time.

2. Even though more than two thousand years have passed since Hannibal crossed those Alps, the elements of what it takes to be a successful leader have not changed. They are simple and obvious:

a. Motivating those who follow you to share your vision;
b. Inspiring through example;
c. A sense of duty and responsibility to those who trust and depend on you
d. The capacity to see a problem and the skill to fix it;
e. Developing and maintaining a proper perspective on yourself in the face of success or adversity;
f. Setting and achieving goals
g. Understanding people’s limits and knowing when to drive hard and when to ease up on both subordinates and competitors.

Defensive Checklist

DEFENSIVE CHECKLIST

Are we giving up easy shots? If so, how?
1. Poor blockout
2. Poor weakside help
3. Poor on ball defense (giving up the drive)
4. Fouling

Are we pressuring ball movement?
1. Where is the point of pickup?
a. How far out can our guards get theirs?
2. How well do we pressure the ball?
a. Do we have the quickness?
3. Are we contesting the pass?
a. Hand in the passing lane?
4. Are we distorting the offense?
5. Post defense
6. Ball position
a. Force ball to sideline or baseline
b. Don’t let the ball penetrate
c. Keep ball on a side
7. Help
8. Percentage opponents are shooting
9. How many second shots are we giving up?

Keys To Defending The Dribble

Keys To Defending Dribble:

1. Nose in chest
2. Stay in stance
3. Short steps, don’t cross feet
4. Level off dribble, no direct penetration

Reasons You Come Out Of The Game

Reasons You Are Taken Out Of The Game

How many times have you had players ask, "Why did I come out?" or say, "I was afraid you would take me out?" Or my favorite, "The coach took me out for one mistake."
The list goes on and on. We are up front about why and when we substitute. Here are our guidelines:

1. Multiple Mistakes

2. Loaf/ Lack of effort

3. Poor Attitude

4. Sulk, Pout, Pity Party

5. Normal Rotation (rest)

6. Match-Up

Thoughts on Taking Action From Starbucks

I don't drink coffee but I picked up some great thoughts on taking action and leading from the book, "It's Not About The Coffee" by Howard Behar, the President of Starbucks International.

Take Action—Think Like a Person of Action and Act Like a Person of Action

• Create a culture of big goals, independent thinking and passionate caring for one another and the people you serve.
• Everything that works takes persistence.
• Things that get done are performed by people who possess that level of commitment.
• “The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”—William James
• On Performance—“…an immutable law in business that words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises—but only performance is reality…Only performance is reality…only performance will give you the freedom to grow yourself”—Harold Geneen
• Passion, Purpose and Persistence are necessary to succeed
• Get the one person—one believer, doer, early adopter—who is willing to take on the challenge and stick with it and over time, perhaps sooner rather than later, others will come on board to join the cause.
• Keep going, keep taking action.
• Balance action with patience.
• Taking actions isn’t blind pursuit.
• Wise action means, we’re guided by all our principles. We need to test and question ourselves. We can be sure that we’re on the right track when our actions are guided by our principles. Wise action requires that we listen to the truth as we pursue our passion.
• Paradox: nothing happens unless you do something, yet whatever you do needs to be thoughtfully considered.
• Enter the struggle, thoughtfully.
• Motto: “Think like a person of action, and act like a person of thought.”
• Principles of Personal Leadership—caring, listening for the truth, being accountable—all require consistent action balanced with thought and feeling.
• Without action there is no life.
• You can’t get results, you can’t experience your potential, if you don’t take action.

The Power of a Leader

The Power of a Leader

True leaders are not those who strive to be first, but those who are first to strive and who give their all for the success of the team.

True leaders are first to see then need, envision the plan and empower the team for action.

By the strength of the leader’s commitment, the power of the team is unleashed.

Importance of Practice and Game Carryover

De La Salle Football—on practice preparation

“It’s a game of technique, repetition and getting it right in practice before you run it in a game. Discipline. The game is played aggressively, it’s hard and it’s tough.”

“You’re going to play just how you practice. You’re not some comic book hero who’s going to put on a cape on game day and go out there and star. It doesn’t work that way. You watch way too much TV if you believe that."

Lessons Learned 10/22/10

1. Structure drives function.
2. Talent + Culture= Performance
3. Best predictor of future is the past
4. Team has to be great at practicing the right things
5. Teach the HOW more than the WHAT
6. Engage & Communicate. Engage—occupy the attention or efforts of; to attract & hold fast Communicate—to impart knowledge of; to give or interchange thoughts
7. It’s not sacrificing, it’s investing.
8. Human nature is to simply survive. Takes more to be above average. Perseverance.
9. Intangibles=who you are and how you go about what you do.
10. Each of us has to understand who we are and what’s important to us.

On The Ball Defense Teaching Progression

On Ball Teaching Progression:

• First thing to practice is no middle.
• Then, contesting shots
• Then, defend shotfake.
• Then, blockout

6 Musts For Championship Defense

SIX MUST HAVES FOR CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENSE:

1. Communication—6 reasons why
a. Talk intimidates.
b. Gives defense a head start.
c. Gives the man on the ball more confidence.
d. You can make up for a disengaged defender.
e. Catches the mistake before it happens.
f. Energize your team—Productive loud.
2. Trust—Teams that don’t trust foul more.
3. Positioning
4. Awareness
5. Alertness
6. Multiple effort mind-set.

Analyzing Our Defense

ANALYZING OUR DEFENSE
1. One on One Defense
a. Focus on our player’s ability to fight through
i. An off ball screen
ii. An on ball screen
iii. Closeouts
iv. Shot pressure
v. Ball pressure
vi. Coverdowns
vii. Blockouts
2. Post Defense
3. Vision
4. Opponents Scoring Sequence
a. How are they scoring on us?
i. Transition
ii. Put backs
iii. Vs a set defense
iv. Out of Bounds
v. FT’s
5. Penetration
a. Where does penetration occur?
b. How did they generate the penetration?

How Great Teams Are Built

How Great Teams Are Built

• First, it’s about all members trusting one another to do their fair share of the lifting, but in their own unique ways.
• They asked for input and assistance from co-workers.
• They have help as requested, even when a job was outside their duties.
• They compromised when necessary.
• They took ownership of their mistakes.
• They took thoughtful risks.
• They refrained from talking about absent team members.
• They responded promptly to team member requests for more information.
• They proactively shared information that might be valuable to tam members.
From “The Orange Revolution” by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton

Lance Armstrong Innermost Strength

There's a point in every game (practice) where a player encounters his real opponent and understands it's himself.

In my most painful moments, I am my most curious and wonder each time how I will respond.

Will I discover my innermost weakness, or will I seek out my innermost strength?

7 Step Action Plan To Achievement

Achievement—Goal Setting

Obsessional, burning desire necessary for achievement is found in combining as many as possible of the following:

1. Know what you want
2. Know what you need to get what you want
3. Know what the best thing is to use to get what you want
4. Know what your purpose is
5. Know what your motive is
6. Know what motives will be satisfied
7. Know what benefits will be received when you get it

5 Actions To Take Responsibility

5 Actions To Take Responsibility

1. Do the next right thing right
2. NBA—Next Best Action
3. WIN—What’s Important Now?
4. Not Why Me? Instead, What Now?
5. See A Need & Fill A Need

10 Lessons Learned This Week #2

1. Life will jar us when we aren't growing.

2. People like labels for problems.

3. Start with a vision, then goals to reach that vision.

4. There's a difference between selfish and self-absorbed.

5. Become teammates and learn about each other.

6. Be solid, sound and simple.

7. The more emphatic you are talking, the more confident you are in making a play.

8. You always have a chance when you have a system of play.

9. Know what you have to do to be effective and help the people around you.

10. Wherever you are, you were put there by God. Location, location, location. That's your sphere of influence.

The Leader In You--Building A Team

The Art of Building Successful Teams

There is an art to building successful teams and even a great coach can mold a winner overnight. But anyone who expects to be a leader in the years to come had better master a few basic coaching techniques. They are as necessary in the business world as the as they are on the basketball court.

1. Create a shared sense of purpose.
2. Make the goals, team goals.
3. Treat people like the individuals they are.
4. Make each member responsible for the team product.
5. Share the glory, accept the blame.
6. Take every opportunity to build confidence on the team.
7. Be involved, stay involved.
8. Be a mentor.

--From the book, “The Leader In You” by Dale Carnegie

Bill Parcells On Building & Turning A Program Around

Bill Parcells On Building A Championship Program

“The first thing you have to do to turn around a team is to envision the process. Envision the process and do it as fast as you can because patience isn’t a virtue in this business. You’ve got to know what you want your team to look like. I’ve had championship teams. I know what they look like, act like, behave like. I know the price they pay and I know how they conduct themselves and go about trying to accomplish these tasks.”

3 Fights That Team Has To Fight Daily

Three Fights That A Team Has To Fight Every Day

1. Division from within (team chemistry, unhappiness regarding roles).
2. Competition (your opponents).
3. Outside influences (parents, press, peers).
--Bill Parcells

Curt Schilling--Learning From The Best- Adapt vs Adopt

Curt Schilling—Learning From The Best—Adapt vs Adopt

To get the most from his pitching ability, former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling took the best of what he saw from other pitchers and tried to incorporate those elements that made sense for his game:

“I didn’t throw any harder than anyone else who played in the league. Id didn’t have a better curve ball or slider. What I did was go around and examine the best from current and past stars from Gibson to Maddox from Palmer to Sutton. I found how the best in the world did it. I took bits and pieces of each one and assembled that into my game plan. It was unique to me, but I didn’t try to reinvent the wheel.”

Brad Stevens 6 Principles That Make Up Their Defensive DNA

Brad Stevens 6 Defensive Principles That Make Up Butler’s Defensive DNA
1. Commitment
2. Positioning
3. Prioritization
4. Awareness
5. Execution/ Technique
6. Completion

Goal Setting From The Orange Revolution

I'm currently reading "The Orange Revolution". I was fortunate enough to receive the book from Michael Hyatt, the publisher of Thomas Nelson Books.

The writers researched high performing teams and why they were able to perform at the high level. Below are a few thoughts from the book on goal setting:

Top performing teams begin the process of identifying mutually beneficial goals by asking themselves, “What can I be world class at?” Having defined a place where they can add the most value, they compare each goal against team and company objectives by asking questions like these:

1. Does this goal play to our team strengths? (And can we realistically accomplish it?)
2. Does it benefit our team, customers, or company? (Does it support what matters most around here?)
3. Are we accountable for a result? (Do we have a deadline?)
4. Is it in line with our team or company values? (Would we be proud if our goal was written up on the front page of the company newsletter?)
The writers of the book observed that after undergoing this process, individuals and teams often discover that the activities which have the most impact and are most fulfilling are not part of their defined daily tasks.

The ancient Greeks understood the importance of aligning your personal competencies with team goals. They called the ability to give your best in the area where you have the best to give eudaimonia.
Each person needs to know, understand and focus on these goals.
However, when individual goals and team goals don’t align, demise is swift. When clear goals aren’t understood by all team members, dysfunction ensues.

Bill Parcells On What Sets The Disciplined Apart

1. The capacity to get past distractions.
2. The willingness to condition mind and body for the task at hand.
3. The ability to keep your poise when those around you are losing theirs.

The Inverted Triangle of Leadership

Paul J. Meyer uses the above illustration to discuss the two views of leadership. The "traditional view" and "Servant Leadership". We work to teach and demonstrate servant leadership with our staff and team.

Some leaders step forward, rise to the occasion and make things happen. They take responsibility and finds answers, but what is their role?
In most environments, the organization is shaped like a pyramid, with upper-level executives at the top and everyone else at the bottom.
The boss who refuses to listen to anyone’s advice is a perfect bad example. Sadly, this is what often happens when leaders mentally put themselves at the top of the pyramid. This breeds nothing but trouble.
Since the real role of a leader is that of a servant, this means that the pyramid should be “inverted”.
People should be put on top and leaders should be put at the bottom. From this position, leaders are able to push their knowledge and expertise up the organization rather than letting it trickle down. They make things happen, they take responsibility and they do everything that seasoned leaders do…all with the understanding that their role is that of a servant.
When you turn it upside down, each element of the inverted pyramid is free to lead itself. Rather than having the head coach provide leadership from the top of the pyramid, the team provides leadership from all levels.
Questions for leaders:
1. Will I rise to the occasion and lead?
2. Will I take responsibility?
3. Will I do what it takes to accomplish a give task?
4. Will I serve others?