Over the years, it has been said that sports are a mirror-image of our culture. That has never been truer than today. Let’s see if I can give you an example of what I am proposing. My assertion is that politically our country is a trainwreck. We have a president who has no idea how [...]
As I move through my 83rd year, I often have days where my thoughts are about all the things I haven’t done or done well or didn’t even think about doing. On rare occasions, I have a sense of pride about what I was able to do. The truth is, despite my failures I have [...]
Talk to the executives of any sports organization and they will tell you they are committed to winning. Bullshit. If this is true why is it that the same teams are always on or near the top? How come certain teams always find that athlete that perfectly fits their need? Or, how does Kevin Durant [...]
It is such a killer of teams, individuals and projects of all kinds. The heart of our survival “machinery” is the reaction that stops the action, deters people from playing 100% and mostly leaves a trail of broken relationships, dissatisfied participants and waste of a great possibility. That reaction is being “right,” and it requires [...]
My first Final Four was in Portland, Oregon, 1965, between UCLA, University of Michigan, Princeton and Wichita State University. It was held in the Portland Coliseum that seated 13,000 and change. I am not sure it was even sold out. A return engagement for John Wooden’s Bruins (1964 Champs). Michigan was a power in the [...]
Everything happens as a function of action. That’s not a startling statement. However, I’m not talking about just moving around. I am not talking about “kinda” running the coach’s system either, or even telling the hitter to watch the ball. So, what DO I mean? In the baseball analogy, it is watching the seam of [...]
March Madness? Actually, the madness really begins in February. I think keeping their teams in present time is a BIG challenge for coaches. This is not true in all cases, but worth paying attention to. Let’s take a minute to look at the various situations that can become distractions. THE SUREFIRE “INs” These are [...]
Back in the day, the expectation of leaders was that it was the athlete/employee’s job to adapt to the leader. You know, “my way or the highway.” The primary motivational tool was fear. I am sorry to say, this tool is still popular among some organizational leaders today. The leader is afraid that his “crew” [...]
We are always working on our performance even when we we aren’t consciously working on it. During this work, one of the questions we ask ourselves is, “How do I consistently maintain a high level of performance?” Perhaps there are more effective questions to ask. Businesses and other types of organizations have dozens of projects [...]
For years I have been emphasizing that the only thing that makes any difference to great performance is action. In conversations with my executive clients, it has become clear that I need to fine-tune my conversation. I'm not talking about just any old action. What leaders are interested in is execution. The execution is driven by [...]