1. Tell yourself a positive story. Life is a story. The story we tell ourselves and the role we play in that story determines the quality and direction of our life. Successful people are able to overcome adversity by telling themselves a more positive story than the rest. Instead of a drama or a horror movie, they define their life as an inspirational tale. Instead of being the victim, they see themselves as a fighter and over-comer. You may not be able to control the economy, but you can influence the outcome of your story.
2. Model yourself after success. Are there people in your industry succeeding today? Of course there are. Seek out those people in your industry and ask to meet with them. Learn from their advice and model their attitudes and actions. If they can succeed, so can you.
3. Focus on the important stuff. Tune out the negative voices and start making positive choices. What are you doing on a daily basis to grow yourself, your team, and your business? Don't focus on the negative things other people and the media are saying. Instead, focus on marketing your business, taking care of clients, and building loyal relationships. Every morning ask yourself this question: "What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire?" Then take action on those items.
4. Replace "have to" with "get to." This simple word swap can change your mind-set and your approach to work and life. It turns a complaining voice to an appreciative voice, and acknowledges that life is a gift—not an obligation. So often we grudgingly say things like "I have to go to this meeting," "I have to meet with this client," or "I have to make a bunch of phone calls." In reality, it's not about what we have to do. It's about what we get to do. Research shows that when we practice gratitude, we get a measurable boost in happiness that energizes us and enhances our health. It's also physiologically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time.
5. Refuse to participate in the recession. Professionals who've thrived during past recessions continued to go about business as usual regardless of market conditions. They worked hard and focused on taking actions to grow their business. As others are paralyzed by fear, take the opportunity to charge forward.
6. Boost your marketing and advertising. It may seem counterintuitive to spend more money on advertising and marketing right now. But with so many of your competitors cutting back in these areas, this is a great opportunity to build your brand and gain market share. People are still buying and selling, and they will buy from those whom they trust and see in the marketplace.
7. Create a positive vision. Instead of being disappointed about where you are, make the decision to be optimistic about where you are going. Create a positive vision for your future and the future of your team. Vision helps you see the road ahead and it gives you something meaningful and valuable to strive towards.
8. Invite others on your bus. Invite colleagues and customers to board your bus for a positive ride. Send them an e-bus ticket at www.TheEnergyBus.com. Share your vision with team members and ask them to join you in making this vision a reality. Be a positive influence.
9. No more complaining. Abide by the "no complaining" rule. When you realize you're about to complain, replace your thoughts and words with positive actions. Let your complaints help you identify what you don't want so that you can focus on what you do want. The key is to turn complaints into solutions.
1. Definiteness of purpose. Knowing what one wants is the first and, perhaps, the most important step toward the development of persistence. A strong motive forces one to surmount many difficulties.
5. Accurate knowledge. Knowing that one's plans are sound, based upon experience or observation, encourages persistence; "guessing" instead of "knowing" destroys persistence.
7. Will-power. The habit of concentrating one's thoughts upon the building of plans for the attainment of a definite purpose leads to persistence.
There have been a handful of books that have had an extreme influence on me and one of those is "Today Matters" by John Maxwell. It has had a profound effect on me in terms of how I view each day as well as how we want our team to view each day. We have t-shirts for our team that they wear the year round that simply says "Win Today." And by "Win" we mean being the absolute best we can be everyday. We have purple bands that they players wear around their wrists in the off-season. One one side is say "The Lady Tiger Way" and on the other side it says "Win Today." We recently presented our team with a booklet we made in the office on winning each day. On each calendar day it has a quote (90% of them come from Maxwell's "Today Matters" book.) And we ask them each day to do one thing above and beyond what is scheduled to make them a little bit better.
If you'd like a PDF copy of the 42-page booklet, simply email me at: rstarke@lsu.edu and ask for the "Win Today Workbook."
Here is John Maxwell talking about how successful people decided on principles for themselves and then work each day based on those principles.
It's a surefire way to disrupt the unity of any team. We must instill a belief with all our team members that everyone succeeds when one of us succeeds. There should be a sense of satisfaction from watching someone else excel, knowing that we all had a hand in it. It certainly helps when the stars are humble and remember to recognize their cohorts when receiving awards or honors—but even if they don't, the mindset should be that what's good for one is good for all.
•How to prevent jealousy: Work hard to disburse credit equally among your constituents. You should have a well-hones sense of fairness and be sharply attuned to who isn't feeling the appropriate amount of love. Little ego strokes can make a big difference.
It will infiltrate when the going gets tough. Cynical people believe they are not part of the problem. Cynical people question the plan and doubt the leader. That's because cynical people don't understand how to find the proper solutions to the problem. In their minds, the end result will not be positive, so they're no going to fully commit to the group effort.
• How to prevent cynicism: A one-on-one meeting that confronts the cynical individual with his own behavior is a must. Most negative people don't realize how they're tearing apart the fiber of a team unless it's pointed out to them. Leave no doubt that the cynical behavior must change. There will be consequences for anything that undermines team chemistry.
It occurs when team members believe the group cannot function or succeed without them, because they're so far superior to their cohorts. Even the most talented individuals in any endeavor must realize that their value only matters within the framework of the group.
• How to prevent inflated ego: Make sure the egotistical team member is aware of the talents of those around him, and encourage him to recognize those while checking his own ego at the door. Point out to that person that there is room for improvement in his performance; believe it or not, they're not perfect. Keeping them humble and working to improve every day is vital. In many recovery programs, ego is said to stand for "Edging God Out." It might be worth reminding the egotistical that only the Almighty is immune to self-improvement.
"I know I'm right. You just don't understand. I can't believe you don't see it that way." Sound familiar? You've probably heard some of that in your office. The inflexible personality does far more talking than listening, like one of those TV talk shows that put four pundits in boxes and have them try to outshout each other. The inflexible personality can find fault with others but rarely himself—embellishing points and stories to portray others as unreasonable. The inflexible personality will argue against every criticism of his performance, no matter how small. Unfortunately for that person, there are no guarantees that his way is the only way.
• How to prevent the inflexible personality: Use examples of how teams win with a variety of strategies; how they change and adapt to sustain success. The New England Patriots began their championship run with defense, but their undefeated regular season of 2007 was marked by record-breaking offense. The defensive leaders like Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, and Rodney Harrison were fine with that, as long as it was good for the group as a whole. Challenge people to create outside their box.
A lack of discipline leads to poor habits, and poor habits become destructive to the will of any business or team. People who are on time will notice those who are late and wonder why that behavior is tolerated. They'll think you're playing favorites. Or, the punctual people start running late as well, figuring there is no accountability for it. Suddenly, you've got a breakdown in discipline. Morale has eroded, cynicism has crept in, and everyone is looking for shortcuts when shortcuts won't work.
• How to prevent discipline deficiency: Stay focused on what it takes to succeed, emphasizing daily habits. Only allow deviations from those habits when it cannot be helped.
If you cannot sense the energy and excitement from people you're trying to recruit or hire, they might not have it. They should be passionate and driven enough to know what they want—to have goals and expectations and to articulate what they'll do to meet them. One year I asked one of my players what he wanted to accomplish outside of basketball. This player, at the end of his junior year, responded, "I don't know." I dismissed him from my office and told him to come back the next day with something better. I told him I don't deal with I-don't-know people. At age 22, young people should have some plans and ideas, or at least be searching for help in creating them. I-don't-know people wallow in mediocrity. People lacking passion don't enthusiastically seize every opportunity to improve themselves. They love what success could bring them, but they don't want to put in the hard work it takes to become successful.
• How to prevent a lack of passion: Make your own passion a beacon for others to follow and emulate. If you're not boiling with observable enthusiasm, those around you might not, either. Try to surround yourself with high achievers. Celebrate the grind. When hard work yields results, point it out—loudly, if necessary. During the long hours, remind your people that it will pay off in the end—cheerfully, if possible.
When someone goes wrong, it's never their fault. They'll point fingers in all directions except at the person in the mirror. College basketball players will blame teachers for shortcomings in the classroom, referees for bad calls, teammates for not getting them the ball. I always tell my guys that failure is OK if they own up to it and use it as fertilizer to make things better. I tell them excuses are a sign of weakness, and weakness won't be tolerated.
• Channeling Bill Parcells once again: You are your record.
8. Front-running: The front-runners are at their best when everything is going their way. It's easy to be upbeat and positive when you're playing well and your team is winning—but how do you respond when times aren't so good? Sports and business are full of people who can ride a wave of positive momentum, but aren't so good when they have to generate momentum in the face of opposition or adversity. They tire mentally and physically and are bypassed by their competition. They become self-satisfied too easily.
• How to prevent front-running: Keep the hammer down during good times. My halftime speeches are always more volatile and demanding when we're ahead—players will take criticism more easily in that setting, and they'll stay on task. When we're behind, I try to be more analytical, calm, and upbeat. When we have a double-digit lead late in games, I'll tell my team during timeouts that the scoreboard doesn't matter; we're tied, and I want to win the next four minutes by the next media timeout. I create a game within a game, trying to keep the pressure on them to rely on their fundamentals and do what we've coached them to do. Keep your own emotions on an even keel, and maintain your discipline. If you get overly comfortable when things are going well, it's a signal to others to let their guard down and relax.
Common sense tells us the right people have to be in the right jobs. Yet so often they aren't. What accounts for the mismatches you see every day?
Lack of Knowledge: Leaders often rely on staff appraisals that focus on the wrong criteria. Or they'll take a fuzzy and meaningless recommendation for someone a direct report likes.
Lack of Courage: Most people know someone in their organization who doesn't perform well, yet manages to keep his job year after year. The usual reason, we find, is that the person's leader doesn't have the emotional fortitude to confront him and take decisive action. Such failures can do considerable damage to a business. If the nonperformer is high enough in the organization, he can destroy it.
The Psychological Comfort Factor: Many jobs are filled with the wrong people because the leaders who promote them are comfortable with them. It's natural for executives to develop a sense of loyalty to those they've worked with over time, particularly if they've come to trust their judgments. But it's a serious problem when they loyalty is based on the wrong factors.
Bottom Line: Lack of Personal Commitment: When the right people are not in the right jobs, the problem is visible and transparent. Leaders know intuitively that they have a problem and will often readily acknowledge it. But an alarming number don't do anything to fix the problem. You can't will this process to happen by issuing directive to find the best talent possible. As noted earlier, leaders need to commit as much as 40 percent of their time and emotional energy, in one form of another, to selecting, appraising, and developing people.
BO ON "THE TEAM, THE TEAM, THE TEAM"
When we hammered home our famous mantra, "The team, the team, the team," that didn't leave a lot of room for interpretation. When I came up with that, I wasn't trying to be clever. It means if you're late for the team bus, I don't care if you're Jim Mandich, Anthony Carter and Desmond Howard rolled into one. That bus is leaving, it's leaving on time—and it's leaving without you!
Look, they know Bo is always sitting up at the front of the bus, and when pullout time comes, he just checks his watch and says, "Driver, it's time to go." We don't have anyone checking who's here and who isn't. We don't check! I never took roll. If you're on the bus, you must be on time, and if you're not on the bus, you must be late, and it's your fault. Driver, it's time to go!
We've had guys running up to the bus as we were pulling out—starters, even—and the guys on the bus always started yelling, "Coach! So-and so's running up to the bus!" I didn't care who it was. I guarantee you right now I never even turned around to look, because the answer was always the same: Driver, it's time to go!
Everyone knew Bo's not mad at you, he's just leaving you. And I'll tell you why: Because it's just not fair to the other guys who took the trouble to get there on time. The bus waits for no man!
Driver, it's time to go!
And as your big All-American grows smaller in the bus's rearview mirror, he'll have time to consider if you really meant what you said about the team, the team, the team. Leave a guy standing in the parking lot just once, and you better believe he'll be a half-hour early next time. Once everyone knows I'm not holding the bus for anyone, trust me, they get there. They always do.
That bus symbolized the foundation of our values: simple, straightforward, no exceptions. You start cutting corners for this guy or that situation, and before you know it, you're spending all your time playing judge and jury, deliberating over very little incident, when you should be leading your team. It's painful sometimes, but you create a lot fewer headaches for everyone, including the players, when you simply stick to your guns.
It seems that we truly respect ourselves only when we feel that we are respected by others, and we will go to great lengths to earn and keep that respect. When we feel that someone respects us for who we are and what we have accomplished, we tend to be more open to that person's influence.
I really believe that your best player, and how you coach your best player, is critically important to the success of your team. Coach Don Meyer has told me more than once "when your best player is your hardest worker you've got a chance." I would also add that when you best player is your most coachable you are in business. At LSU, we've been blessed with some special players including Marie Ferdinand, Sylvia Fowles, Temeka Johnson, Allison Hightower and Seimone Augustus. They were great players but they were also our team's most dedicated players and all were extremely coachable. Among that group are five Final Fours, 3 SEC Championships -- while all are competing in the WNBA with Seimone and Sylvia owners of Olympic Gold. Those women got it -- they understand what it took to be GREAT...not good, but great.
Everyone wants to be Michael Jordan or Paul Pierce or Tim Duncan or Steve Nash, but they don't want the responsibility that goes with it. What Kevin was saying is being the best is not a one time thing. It is an everyday commitment to excel as a player who gives maximum effort every time he hits the floor. That means every game, every half, every quarter, every minute, every second, and every possession!
And this will be the case for anyone in any field who is — or wants to become — the best. It is a personal commitment that takes incredible daily focus. I encourage you to use Kevin's statement with the player or players on your team who may be taking this for granted. You can tell them that Kevin not only talks the talk on this but he walks the walk. He understands that being the best requires more!
The following comes from Bud Wilkinson, winner of 47 straight games & several National Championships at Oklahoma in the 1950's).
FOURTH = TOO MUCH VERBAL INSTRUCTION.
How much can boy learn from your verbal instruction with his helmet on, he's breathing hard, he aches, he's stunned, etc. Do WHO and WHY in chalk talk. Teach assignments before hitting the field. Correct on the field. Teach – no! (HOW is taught on the field – not WHO &WHY).
SIXTH = BEING ON THE FIELD (Court) TOO LONG.
playing poorly because they didn't practice long enough.
Philosophy is to score with a quick strike mentality. Get the ball out and up the floor before the defense has an opportunity to set.
• Look to attack and draw fouls.
• First look is transition, then play after transition and then another play—move yourself, move the ball.
• Have plays with versatility—different plays from initial set. Create different initial sets to get into the same plays—it makes for tougher scouting and promotes execution.
• Five important offensive statistics: Asst – TO Ratio, FG%, 3FGA, FTA, Offensive Rebounding %.
I'm searching for ways to steal 4 points per game, score one basket every two games on each of these = 4 points a game average. This is the difference between Good to Great and Great to Champions.
• FT Situation: Makes and Misses, Set plays off misses.
• Jump Ball: Win it and score with it, changes plays throughout the season.
• UOB: Sell it where we need to score one more basket than our opponents every two games.
All these situations are during dead balls and a great way to attack the other team when they are resting.
1. Successful people make right decisions early and manage those decisions daily.
2. The key to leading yourself well is to learn self-management.
Nothing will make a better impression on your leader than your ability to manage yourself. If your leader must continually expend energy managing you, then you will be perceived as someone who drains time and energy. If you manage yourself well, however, your boss will see you as someone who maximizes opportunities and leverages personal strengths. That will make you someone your leader turns to when the heat is on.
Good leaders know when to display emotions and when to delay them.
Time management issues are especially tough for people in the middle. Leader at the top can delegate.
You must be ruthless in your judgment of what you should not do.
Poet and novelist James Joyce said, "Your mind will give back to you exactly what you put into it." A minute of thinking is often more valuable than an hour of talk or unplanned work.
9. Manage your personal life.
If I can't lead myself, others won't follow me.
If I can't lead myself, others won't respect me.
If I can't lead myself, others won't partner with me.
"I tell my players to only listen to 15% of what teams tell you. The players that make the roster off of the summer league roster are those that score and make plays. Not passing the ball and being the good guy."
Not sure which pisses me off...the fact that he tells his players this or the fact that is some respect it's true.
I think this is a really good post by Brian Tracy for coaches. We go through such a roller coaster ride that sometimes it can effect our ability to correctly think and evaluate. It's important for coaches to keep an even keel -- to "stay near the middle of the road."
In order to be successful in business and in any activity where your money is involved, you must temper your optimism with negativism. You must be enthusiastic about the possible upside of the investment but you must be skeptical, critical, suspicious and demanding about all the different ways that your money can be lost.
Seek out and listen carefully to people who are negative toward your idea. Look for negative thinkers, because their viewpoints can be invaluable and save you a fortune in time and money. I have a friend who is a lawyer, and he recommends and gives advice to many people on investments. And what he does is this. When someone comes and they want to make an investment that he's unsure about, he says, all right, I want you to come to my office and I want you to sit behind my desk. And then I'm going to come in and I'm going to present this investment to you and I want you to critique this investment as if you were me.
You probably know by now that the New Orleans Saints used my book Finish Strong as a motivational platform for their 2009 season. But just in case let me refresh your memory....Drew Brees, the QB for the Saints, gave every member of the team a copy of the book and a black silicone Finish Strong wrist band in the spring of last year. Finish Strong became their rallying cry all the way to their Super Bowl victory. On the heels of their victory, I was invited to speak, do radio and tv interviews and even had a book signing at Borders (that was cool).
It was a busy spring for sure. One of the consistent things that folks asked me was "Dan, what does it mean to Finish Strong?" I have to admit, the first time I heard that I was a little bewildered. I mean, it means what it means right? Having lived the Finish Strong attitude for more than 15 years, I guess I took for granted what it really means. So, I began to explain the life philosophy and I would like to share it with you today.
1. BELIEF – You must believe that: "The Cost of Regret FAR EXCEEDS the Price of Discipline" – Peter Lowe. I love this quote because it speaks to the spirit of Finish Strong. You can never recover this moment in time…did you make the most of it? Did you invest wisely (the price of discipline) or will look back with regret in the future (the cost). Don't settle for mediocrity. Will you lie down at night with a feeling of satisfaction or regret? It's up to you.
2. CHOICE – You must take control of your emotions and actions and choose to Finish Strong. "It's not what happens to you, it's how you choose to respond that matters". Recognize your "Finish Strong Moments". The decision points in your life that challenge to you make a choice. At any given point in time you and only you have the power to choose how to respond the challenge before you. Take a breath, think about your options and then make good choices.
3. BE ACCOUNTABLE TO YOU – resolve to be your own best coach, cheerleader or fan! You and you alone are responsible for your actions. Don't let external factors influence or distract you from your objective. This is why I wear a Finish Strong wristband. It serves as my personal reminder to hold my self accountable.
4. IMPROVE YOUR AVERAGES to FINISH STRONG! – Set realistic goals, then work towards them one step at a time. "Inch by inch life's a cinch, yard by yard life is yard". Resolve each day to improve your averages - wake up 5 minutes earlier than the day before, make it to the gym 1 day per week. Whatever tactical elements you need to reach your goal, start off in small steps and keep improving your average success each day. But ALWAYS move forward in the direction of your goal.
If you've ever had a boss who was unpredictable and explosive, you understand the value of consistency. When your team trusts you to back them up, to recognize them for a job well done, or to handle a negative situation with grace, you build a team that is confident that you value them.
Your team members are not units of production.
Treat team members with dignity.
I never want to install a time clock in my office. I never want employees who punch the clock and do just enough work to collect their checks—because there is no dignity in working like that. Treat your team members with dignity by giving them a voice and making it clear that their work matters to you and your business.
There's no magic here, except for the magic that happens when you walk a mile in someone else's shoes. Look at your business and its leadership through your team members' eyes. How would you want to be treated?
1) A good player knows where he or she is on the floor.
2) A great player knows where everyone is on the floor.
3) A super player knows where everybody is and what he or she is going to do.
The following story comes from Napoleon Hill and speaks to us a variety of ways. It can be a message to an individual who is closer that he/she thinks to reaching their potential or accomplishing a worthwhile goal. To me, it reminded me of our team last year. It was a team that fell short of expectations but I'm not sure that they realized how close we were at times if we could have just stayed committed and "kept digging."
An uncle of R. U. Darby was caught by the "gold fever" in the gold-rush days, and went west to DIG AND GROW RICH. He had never heard that more gold has been mined from the brains of men than has ever been taken from the earth. He staked a claim and went to work with pick and shovel. The going was hard, but his lust for gold was definite. After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly, he covered up the mine, retraced his footsteps to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland, told his relatives and a few neighbors of the "strike." They got together money for the needed machinery, had it shipped. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.
The Junk man took millions of dollars in ore from the mine, because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up. Most of the money which went into the machinery was procured through the efforts of R. U. Darby, who was then a very young man. The money came from his relatives and neighbors, because of their faith in him. He paid back every dollar of it, although he was years in doing so. Long afterward, Mr. Darby recouped his loss many times over, when he made the discovery that DESIRE can be transmuted into gold. The discovery came after he went into the business of selling life insurance.
First, you get fatigued -- You simply get tired as the laborers did in Nehemiah 4:10. We're human beings and we wear out. You cannot burn the candle at both ends. So if you're discouraged, it may be you don't have to change anything. You just need a vacation! Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is go to bed.
Second, you get frustrated -- Nehemiah says there was rubble all around, so much that it was getting in the way of rebuilding the wall. Do you have rubble in your life? Have you noticed that anytime you start doing something new, the trash starts piling up?
What is the rubble in your life? I think rubble is the trivial things that waste your time and energy and prevent you from accomplishing what God has called you to do.
Third, you think you've failed -- Nehemiah's people were unable to finish their task as quickly as originally planned and, as a result, their confidence collapsed. They were thinking, "We were stupid to think we could ever rebuild this wall."
But you know what I do when I don't reach a goal on time? I just set a new goal. I don't give up. Everybody fails. Everybody does foolish things. So the issue is not that you failed - it's how you respond to your failure.
Finally, when you give in to fear, you get discouraged -- Nehemiah 4 suggests the people most affected by fear are those who hang around negative people. If you're going to control the negative thoughts in your life, you've got to get away from negative people as much as you can.
"You can't ignore such personal events when they can affect a person's performance on the field. (I make certain to have information about players' personal difficulties when it's relevant to the team.) When you have players with track records of hard work, grace under pressure, and key contributions to the team, you should grant them your trust – even if they've shown some inconsistency."
....."What can we do to improve?"
....."That's the way it's always been done here."
"Maintaining balance is the toughest thing to do. You realize that your family is the most important thing you have, but the job requires so much time. You want to do your best in both areas but find yourself spending much more time at work than at home. In the NFL, as with most jobs, you can't dictate the schedule. There were many weekends, evening, and holidays when I had to be at work. I tried to become as efficient as I could and to be a good time manager at work. I didn't want to cheat my employer or my players, but I made it a priority not to waste time. I also made the decision to forgo some things away from work that I enjoyed, such as golf, to be home more. I tried to include my family in my job as much as possibly. That wasn't too hard, because they all enjoy football. However, I really felt I had to do extra things when I was home to make my family understand that they were special, that they were a priority in my life."
A few years ago, I read an article about a young man who, at age 23, went to work as the senior pastor of his first church. He found the experience very intimidating because he was to be the spiritual leader of people who had children and grandchildren older than he was.
How did he handle it? By showing his people respect and asking them to treat them in kind. To make his standard clear to everyone, he shared ten rules for respect that he promised to live by, and he asked his people to do the same.
5. Be careful how you interpret me. On matters that are unclear, do not feel pressured to interpret my feelings or thoughts. It is easy to misinterpret intentions.
.....(c) a child has been physically or sexually abused. I expect the same from you.
His story intrigued me because I had faced a similar situation early in my career. The young pastor's list reflected what I'd learned in my own experience.
To delegate effectively in your work with others, there are six steps that you can take. If you neglect any one of these steps, you run the risk of miscommunication, misunderstanding, demoralization, and poor performance.
One of the great time wasters in the world of work is delegating the task to the wrong person. Often the task is delegated to a person who is not capable of doing it properly or getting it done on schedule. Often players don't fully understand exactly the things they need to work on to improve. What specifically can they do as a player (and improve upon as a player0 that will make your team better.
Once you have selected the right person for the job, take the time to discuss the job with the person and agree upon what must be done. The more time you talk to discuss and agree upon the end result or objective-the more effort you make to achieve absolute clarity-the faster the job will be done once the person starts on it. Meet with the player and be clear on what your expectations are in terms of the area needed to work on as well as the amount of improvement needed.
Explain to the person your preferred approach or method of working. Explain how you would like to see the job done, and how you or someone else has done it successfully in the past. It is important that you are detailed with a player. Don't just say "you need to work on your shooting," -- be specific. "You need to work on shooting off the ball screen. I want you to tighten up the jab step and make a lower sweep with the ball upon transfer. Look to come of the screen with a hard dribble that gets you somewhere and finish your shot with your shoulders squared." It would be a excellent to have video for the player to see her areas that she needs for improvement as well as some clips showing a player properly executing the move.
Ask the person to feed your instructions back to you in her own words. Have him or her explain to you what you have just explained and agreed upon. This is the only way that you can be sure that the other person actually understands the job or assignment he or she has been delegated to accomplish. Don't just tell a player what she needs to be doing. Create a dialogue to ensure she understands what, why and how.
Set a deadline and schedule for completion of the task. At the same time, arrange for regular reporting and periodic inspection. Invite feedback and questions if there are any delays or problems. Talk to the player about the amount of time you think will be needed to work to get the desired amount of improvement.
Managing by exception is a powerful time management tool that you use to work more efficiently with other people. If the job is on track and on schedule, managing by exception means that the person does not have to report back to you. If you don't hear from him, you can assume that everything is going well. The individual only has to report back to you when an exception occurs and there is a problem with getting the job done on time, to the agreed upon level of quality. I would alter this a little. If a player comes back on track or ahead of schedule in terms of improvement, I'd add something to continue to raise the bar and push forward.
Sit down with your staff members and explain to them exactly why they are on the payroll and what their highest value tasks are. This is very important. Don't just talk to a player about what they need to work on but explain why and the amount of value it will bring, not only to improving their game but improving their team.
"It goes back to the process. If we want to win, what are we doing to prepare to win? How are we preparing our bodies, how are we preparing our minds? How are we preparing to be a teammate and understanding what being a teammate is? If those things take place, the big things come. We have talented players. Do we have the most? I don't know that, but I don't think we have the least. I think we know we're pretty good. Getting the mind right, and getting them to understand and care for each other and take ownership of each other, that's crucial."
1) Shooting is not an equal opportunity skill. The best shooters get to take the bulk of the shots.
2) Every player must be able to make lay-ups and free throws or they should not be on the court.
3) Players must recognize they are open and get ready to shoot before receiving the ball.
4) Do not take a good shot and turn it into a bad one! This means don't take a shot that is open, within shooting range and ruin it by rushing it, shooting with bad form, not being squared up or any other means by which a player can ruin a shot.
5) What defines both an open shot and a good shot is different for every player. Make sure your players individually recognize what is both a good and open shot for that individual player.
6) Players don't get to shoot just because they want to.
7) Did I say shooting is not an equal opportunity skill?
8) Some shots that are good shots early in the game are not good shots late in the game when protecting a lead. Take the time to teach shot selection and constantly reinforce it practice. Games are a bad time to punish a player for poor shot selection, but sometimes a coach must sit a player down for just that reason. The teaching principle that applies here is that players cannot be expected to do something that has not been both taught AND emphasized in practice.
4. Spell out the importance of team play. One man who fails to do his job unselfishly can undermine the efforts of the four other players on the court. Team goals supersede individual goals. Team success makes each individual stronger.
The following comes from Darren Hardy's outstanding book, "The Compound Effect."
Look at your list of bad habits. For each one you've written down, identify what triggers it. Figure out what I call "The Big 4's"—the "who," the "what," the "where," and the "when" underlying each bad behavior.
Get to scrubbin'. And I mean this literally and figuratively. If you want to stop drinking alcohol, remove every drop of it from your house (and your vacation house, if you have one). Get rid of the glasses, any fancy utensils or doo-dads you use when you drink, and those decorative olives, too.
Look again at your list of bad habits. How can you alter them so that they're not as harmful? Can you replace them with healthier habits or drop-kick them altogether? As in, for good.
I live near the Pacific Ocean. Whenever I get in the water, I get my ankles acclimated first, then walk in up to my knees, then it's my waist and chest, before taking the plunge.
Not everyone is wired the same way. Some researchers have found that it can be paradoxically easier for people to make lifestyle changes if they change a great many bad habits at once.
It has to be in that order."
"Be sure to teach players to listen. Demand and get eye contact of all players prior to speaking. It is imperative that any time a coach talks everyone listens (including assistant coaches). Also, make sure that the entire coaching staff is well coordinated and uses the same offensive and defensive terminology. Do not over coach and keep instructions simple. Talk to players' level. Whenever possible, use short descriptive terms. Clarify rather than confuse. Tell players what you are going to teach them, teach them, and tell them what you taught them."
This means everyone when you the coach is speaking but it is just as important that everyone has great eye contact when a player is speaking.
Don't have one coach say "box out" and the other say "blockout." Make sure your entire staff and team are on the same page. During my time with Dale Brown we always had a "basketball glossary" in our team notebooks and we are going to start that back with our Lady Tiger team this fall.
Speak to the team and then stop and ask someone to repeat what they heard. Bob Knight used to have a mock timeout and then pass out index cards to his team so they can write down what they heard.
Don't believe because it was said that is was heard. Skip Bertman, the utlra-successful baseball coach at LSU would always say "repetition is good." Don Meyer would talk about "check, check and re-check."
"We have an innate desire to endlessly learn, grow, and develop. We want to become more than what we already are. Once we yield to this inclination for continuous and never-ending improvement, we lead a life of endless accomplishments and satisfaction."
Purpose and Values—Do your teams really know what their purpose, goals, and values are?
Empowerment—Are your people encouraged to take initiative?
Relationships and Collaboration—Do your people share ideas and respect each other's differences?
Flexibility—Are your teams open to new ways of doing things?
Optimal Productivity—Do your teams consistently produce optimal results?
Recognition and Appreciation—Do you acknowledge each other's accomplishments?
Morale—Are team members enthusiastic about their work?
Increasing the awareness and effectiveness in all of these key areas is sure to result in teams that actively engage in more collaboration, have higher morale, and produce stellar results.
Here is a great article from Jack Canfield that will hopefully motivated you to continue to improve at your craft. Especially in coaching, as we get settled in to a set philosophy, there are still ways to grow...better ways to teach...new drills to apply...alterations in our systems for improvement. Look for constant methods of learning, staying sharp -- don't get stale and rusty.
What kind of reading material is on your coffee table? Or do you not have enough time to read with all the television that you watch? OK, so what kind of programs are you watching on television? The sad truth is that most people spend more time being mindlessly entertained than they do developing their skills and learning their craft.
So what are you doing right now to further your education in what you're passionate about? Are you waiting for the right opportunity to come knocking before you will develop the skills you will need for it? Get ready now! The more information you have, the more advantage you have over the people who don't. Reading for just one hour a day will greatly increase your level of success! There are so many things to read to develop your mind, from finance to psychology, from economics to business writing, from health to computers. For one hour a day you could be studying the wide array of subjects that can help you live successfully.
Successful people did not wait for someone to call on them to be an expert before they gathered all the knowledge they could about their specialty. They were ready when the opportunities presented themselves. Spend your time reading and learning, too. Read biographies and autobiographies to study the ways of other successful people. Read often, review what you've read, and apply at least one thing from what you've learned.
Attend conferences, trade shows, training seminars and success rallies. Remember to be teachable! You can't learn a thing if you think you already know it all. Just allow yourself to let go of needing to be right and looking smart. Listen to those who have achieved success. Open yourself up to letting others help you create new ways of thinking. After all, you can try something out and if it doesn't work for you, you can discard it.
Find out what you need to know and learn in order to be ready for your opportunity. Start now! Make a list of things you could be doing to prepare yourself. Do you need to take a class in your spare time? Do you need to ask your boss what it will take to get to the next level? Do you need to research the market to find out how to break into it? Will you need to gather a library of good reference materials? Tackle your list!
And when you are successful, don't stop your learning habits. Keep up with your industry. Keep making improvements. Keep studying the masters. Be powerful by being as knowledgeable as you can be, by learning news ways to do things, and by being more effective and efficient in your life.
The more you know about your passion, the more money you will make doing it. The more you learn in advance, the better your chances of landing the opportunity when it comes to you, and the better your chances of creating the opportunity for yourself!
1. Be ready on the catch.
2. Ten toes to the rim.
3. Only change his form if the shot doesn't go in. Make him the best worst form shooter.
4. Two second rule: As soon as it's 1 cm into our players fingers I'm counting one two. Players don't have a great understanding of game speed when working out.
5. The better the shooter you are, the better your shot fake needs to be. Definition of a shot fake is a real shot that you don't shoot.
6. When you chart your players' shots give them percentages for free-throws, lay-ups, jump shots and three-point shots.
7. Break it down so they know what to work on.
8. Players can be receptive to stats.
KEVIN EASTMAN'S ROOKIE AWARENESS "MUSTS"
JIM TRESSEL ON "THE PROCESS"