HAVING FUN IS DOING HARD THINGS WELL

Once, at the end of a hellacious, close, hard-fought game against archrival North Carolina, Coach K knelt down in our tense, pressure-packed huddle.  I think we all expected a fiery statement from him, loud and with veins popping out of his neck, on the raw intensity and toughness we needed to finish this game and win it.

Instead, Coach K surprised us.  He looked right at us, smiled and said, "Isn't this fun?"

His message was clear, and it had a relaxing effect in such a frenzied, tense and pressure-filled environment: This is important and we have a job to do, so play your ass off and play to win.  He was reminding us to embrace and enjoy the richness of the experience and to savor the journey, in both peaks and valleys.  This is a game that is supposed to be fun.  So let's make it fun.

Having fun is doing hard things well.

When I look back, none of my fondest memories are of easy games.  They are of the tough games, the games and practices when we had to lay it on the line, and things were the toughest.

From "Toughness" by Jay Bilas

TEACHERS = LEADERS

A big thanks to Jon Gordon for tweeting this article in the Washington Post.  I am who I am and I am where I am because of my parents and because of teachers -- period!  I love teachers -- especially those that care about their students -- and there as so many more than people can imagine.  It's why I loved this article by Jena McGregor.  I have always believed that the greatest leaders we know about have come about because of some of the worst conditions and unimaginable adversity.  And teachers are faced with so much these days.  Ms. McGregor does a nice job of summing it up:

Some are calling them heroes. The teachers in Moore, Okla. insist they were just doing their jobs.

But one thing is for certain: the teachers who risked their own lives to protect the children in their care as a devastating tornado ripped the roofs off of their schools were being leaders. In tale after heart-wrenching tale, they exhibited courage in the most terrifying of circumstances, calmed the fears of those around them, and put the needs of the people in their charge before their own. I can’t think of a better way to describe a leader.

There are the stories of Rhonda Crosswhite and Jennifer Doan, who used their bodies as shields. There’s the unnamed teacher who was reportedly underneath a car, shielding three students beneath her. And then there’s Tammy Glasgow, who told her students she loved them and had them play their musical instruments throughout the storm as loud as they could, maybe in hopes they could drive away the fear of the storm.

We rightfully complain about how rarely our children see examples of good leadership. Our elected representatives are more interested in partisan bickering and political obfuscation than in fixing our problems. Our business leaders are rewarded with obscene compensation for poor performance and all too often put profits ahead of the greater good. And in too many cases, people in positions of power over children, from coaches to the clergy, fail the young minds they’ve been charged with leading.

  

They may not hold lofty titles, and they certainly don’t take home executive-sized pay, but these Oklahoma teachers—especially those in Moore and Sandy Hook and Taft—showed their students on Monday that real leaders are right there in their midst.

Jena McGregor is a columnist for On Leadership.

A STEP UP ASSISTANT COACHING SYMPOSIUM: STEVE PROHM

The following are a few notes I took from Steve Prohm, head coach at Murray State.  I took the notes at A Step Up Assistant Coaching Symposium -- one of the best things an assistant coach can become involved with if he or she wants to grow in our profession.

Surround yourself with good people.

Started as a manager at the University of Alabama.  As a manager he would constantly grab players and say "let's get some shots up."

Worked 12 of 13 years for Billy Kennedy.

Two things he learned from Mike Gottfried:
1. Make yourself invaluable to your head coach
2. When you think there's nothing to do -- find something

4 prongs to his recruiting methods:
1. Spirituality
2. Academically
3. Socially
4. Basketball

3 Characteristics of special teams
1. Character
2. Toughness
3. Great ability

Don't seek honor -- honor will find you

Work like it's your name in the headlines.

When he was an assistant at Centenary
     1. Sold ads for a team calendar to raise money
     2. Had no office, just a desk in the corner
     3. Leaks in the office area when it rained

Don't worry about your title, worry about results.

Max out your role

Bet on the jockey, not the horse.

Effective leadership flows from personal integrity.

He can't just want to be great from November to March

When he was a manager at Alabama, the staff was no cohesive.  The players would talk about it -- they noticed.  He learned as a manager that players pick up on everything -- good and bad.

Key to relationships -- invest daily

THE THREE ESSENTIAL PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE AT ALL TIMES

I received this article from one of my former players, Randy Livingston.  It is a concept that try to pound into the hearts and minds of our players -- to be the best you can be, you must constantly surround yourself with people that can and will lift you to another level.

This article was written by Brenton Weyi for www.Addicted2Success.com.  This is just a small excerpt from the article.  The entire article is outstanding and will be processed into a passout for our team this summer.  Read the entire article here.

Enjoy this excerpt:

A mentor once told me that no matter how many close people you have in your network, if you want to be truly great, you must have three essential people in your life at all times: 

1. A person who is older and more successful than you to learn from
2. A person who is equal to you to exchange ideas with
3. A person below you to coach and keep you energized

A great figure of history who embodied this principle was Aristotle. Aristotle was one of the greatest minds to ever grace this beautiful Earth, but this was only so because he was constantly challenging himself and working to refine his talents. He exchanged ideas with other Greek philosophers in the “Academy,” learned from his mentor Plato, and taught a young boy named Alexander…who would later become “Alexander the Great.”

Every great person was, is, or will be successful because of the company he or she keeps. They will make an impact because of a successful network of driven peers who provide both inspiration and healthy competition.

If you want to be remarkable, you must constantly challenge yourself and surround yourself with remarkable people. So think about what your goals are, and take a look around you. Do you need to write a “make or break” list?
 
Do you have the kind of people who are going to lead you to live the life of your dreams?
“Don’t join an easy crowd. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform and achieve are high.” – Jim Rohn

Strive to be better. Strive to be more. Strive to be amazing.

WOODEN ON DISCIPLINE

The following is written by Hall of Fame volleyball coach Marv Dunnphy for the book, "The Greatest Coach Ever."

One day I asked Coach Wooden about discipline.  I was curious as to how this legendary coach took care of problems both on and off the court.  What he said has stuck with me ever since: "I never wanted to bruise the dignity of the one who was being disciplined."  I wonder how many coaches, parents and teachers or leaders today can say that they live by that philosophy.

Coach Wooden emphasized that individuals never loose the desired to be treated as individuals.  He was great at understanding each player and using the proper mode of correction for each one based on his or her personality.  This idea is something that I have tried to implement in my coaching over time.

He also taught me that how you say no as a parent, teacher or coach is much more important that how you say yes.  It's easy to say yes, but the way you tell someone 'no' can set the tone for the rest of the relationship.  Coach Wooden never wavered when it was time to administer discipline, but he did it with respect.

WHY WE WIN #8

This is our 8th installment from Billy Packer's book "Why We Win" in which he ask coaches of all sports for insight on their philosophy.

 

Talk about your philosophy.

 

Bob Knight: I’m not sure that we’re all capable of developing a philosophy of life or a philosophy of leadership or coaching or anything else.  I think that whatever our game is, I think we have to understand how the game can best be played.  And to me, that goes one step further.  How it can best be played by whatever the rules of the game are...you know, Pete Carril made a great statement.  He the older he got, the less tolerant he was.

 

Joe Gibbs: If you don’t have convictions you’re in trouble because, believe me, you’re going to be tested.  You’re going to be tested in the front office.  You’re going to be tested by loses.

 

Joe Paterno: We’ve tried to be selective in the people we recruit based on the fact that we’re looking for character, people who are going to be with us four, five years.  We’re looking for kids that we think have a chance to graduate, and will respond to what we feel Penn State expects of them, and vice versa.

 

Dean Smith: We have a philosophy of how to play.  Now, there’s different ways to go about it, but to play together, to play hard.  I mean you always insist on effort.  And then, to be a smart team.  To be prepared for situations.  With five minutes to go, be prepared for that.  What to do when you’re down and in the catch-up game, or when you’re ahead, what to do to keep the lead.

 

THAT'S WHAT TEAMS DO

I'm sitting in the office this morning, trying to work but I have an ear (and occasional eye) on my television and CNN following the events in Oklahoma.  It reminded me of another time that I was glued to a television. 

It was November 7, 2007 and it was reported that the Bluffton College baseball team's bus had plunged of an interstate ramp in Atlanta, Georgia.  There were 7 that were killed and 29 injured.  One of the most educational experiences of my coaching life was working with Cal Bailey and the NAIA baseball team at West Virginia State College.  I learned so much and forever will have a spot in my heart for small college baseball.

I remember being glued to CNN as they covered the event.  I will forever remember them

interviewing one of the Bluffton players.  He was cut and scratched and smudged with dirt.  The reporter asked him what he remembered and he complied.  He then went on to describe going to the bus with some of his teammates and pulling out other teammates one by one.  Going back until help came.  The reporter asked him why he would, injured himself, and with the smell of gas all around keep going back and pulling out teammates and his answer was simple yet powerful:

"That's what teams do."

That line, that thought, the meaning, has never left me.

Other images that stay with me were that of the heroic teachers at Sandy Elementary that saved many lives of students, even at the cost of their own.  That resonates with me this morning again as we see and hear about so many brave teachers that saved the lives of many children, again, even at the costs of their own in some cases.

As a coach, I consider myself a teacher.  I have my own kids.  I have my own team.  Perhaps that why it is so difficult to watch and hear all that it is going on in Oklahoma this morning.

Most of you that follow me on twitter, Facebook or read this blog do so because you are part of a team.  You are either a coach or a player.

And just as the Bluffton baseball team taught us, it's time for us to go in and help in any way we can.  Because "that's what teams do."

I'm asking all that read my blog and follow me on twitter to be "part of a team" -- a powerful social media team that can make a strong and immediate impact.  The link below is from CNN that gives everyone a number of resources that we can support.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/impact.your.world/

Last night I tweeted "Please text a donation to help those in Oklahoma and RT -- Text 'RED CROSS' to 90999 to send a $10 donation...we can make a difference!"  Certainly Red Cross is a major player but CNN has given us other options as well.

Please understand, I am not just asking us all to make a donation.  I'm asking you to reTweet on twitter and share on Facebook as well as post on Instagram asking your followers and friends to both donate and spread the word as well.

As someone who lived in Louisiana for 25 years and saw firsthand the devastation of what Hurricanes can do to families and communities, I can tell you that there is a LONG, HARD STRUGGLE ahead.  The news will cover for a week or so but the need for support and help will last for quite some time.

As coaches, as teachers, as parents, as Americans -- we need to step up and help in as many ways as we possibly can.  This could be an amazing effort via social media.  Let's all pull together and do what we can -- BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT TEAMS DO!

THE IRRELEVANCE OF WINNING

Winning seems so important, but it actually is irrelevant.  Having attempted to give our all is what matters -- and we are the only ones who really know the truth about our own capabilities and performance.  Did we do our best at this point in our life/ Did we leave all we had to give on the field, in the classroom, at the office or in the trenches?  If we did, then we are a success."

-John Wooden

WHEN YOU'RE ALMOST AS GOOD AS YOU WANT TO BE

When you're almost as good as you want to be, you need to prod yourself to do even more than you already have.  You need to become even more aggressive, more decisive, more ambitious.  Otherwise, you'll get too wrapped up worrying about continuity, chemistry, and patience.  None of those factors are more important than being the best.  So do what you must to be No. 1.

From "The Packer Way" by Ron Wolf

LIFE LESSONS FROM GEORGE RAVELING

I can remember as a very young coach purchasing my first motivational cassette tape.  It was "If It Is To Be, It Is Up To Me" by George Raveling.  It had a profound effect on me -- I was in control of my own destiny.  The following are some notes on Coach Raveling that I found rummaging through some of my stuff from Coach Eric Musselman:

* "The game of life is the biggest game you'll ever play. We need to be a dreamer, an earner, a worker, and to believe in ourselves."

* "We don't dream enough. A man's and a woman's dreams soon become their realities. Dream big. We cannot accomplish anything in our lives unless we imagine it first."

* "Be a learner. A person who does not read is no better than a person who cannot read. Education is a lifelong process." (Ed. Note. Those of us fortunate enough to know George Raveling know that it is not uncommon for him to read 100 books a year.)

* "The most important fundamental to living a successful life is to believe in oneself. You should be number one on your hit parade. You are at a minimum a 25% better person than you think you are."

* "Most people fail in life because they don't have a plan. Set a goal and write it down. Put it where you can see it every day. Work toward your goals every day."

Be sure to check out Coach Raveling's website -- it's OUTSTANDING!

http://coachgeorgeraveling.com/