Sharing some notes that I have taken recently from some of my favorite leadership sources. Some of them, I hope you can use for yourself and your staff, others for your athletes, and most of them for both groups!
As with all of my posts, I am sure that you won’t agree with everything that is listed here and will probably find some that you either can use as is or that you can modify to meet your needs.
Kevin Eastman
Twitter: @KevinEastman
The mind & the attitude can have a major impact on how far one can go. The mind has to be “clutter free” and the attitude has to be “all in”!
Understand that trust has eyes & ears. It evaluates the consistency & authenticity of what it sees & hears. It takes its time to evaluate you!
Make sure the “give-get” percentages favor the “give”. Giving should be part of our make up. We all truly do have things to give & share!
As much as we like to tell people what we think it’s even more important to put thought to what we say. Hard to take words back!
Just as you work out physically, you must also get your repetitions in mentally. Challenge yourself with heavier mental reps as well. Stretch yourself!
Every so often a great exercise is to get away & just think about or remind yourself what you TRULY BELIEVE in; things that are non negotiable!!
Give yourself a chance to succeed. Success is about investment; adjustment; & commitment. Determine which, if any, you need to improve on!
To be a true teammate: must hold yourself accountable to everything you hold others accountable to. The one thing a true team is not: self centered!
Everyone says communication is so important-then why are we not as good at listening? It’s critical to success. We ALL need work on this SKILL!
To be a great teammate your pride will take a hit at times and your pride can never take precedent over the success of the team!
Being a good teammate is still doing your part when things are going bad for you. Being a good team is helping that Individual get out of it!
Consistency is a direct result of doing the right things the right way–now. Focus on the execution of now & discipline to do this every day!
A team will always have challenges and issues. That is where the strength of a team must show up: using everyone in anyway to get through them!
John Carrier
These notes were reposted with permission by John Carrier from his coaching blog. Here is a link to the blog: www.johncarrier.blogspot.com
I am currently reading Phil Jackson’s book, Eleven Rings. One gem I’ve pulled out in the first 100 pages is the “Bullseye Test” he uses with his players.
The Bulls eye Test is simple, yet insightful. Give each player a three ring bulls eye. Have them write where they feel that they are in terms of their connection to the rest of their teammates. Don’t give them any more than that. You can read a little more from the inside of the book at Amazon by clicking the cover of the book at the left, or you can click on this link: Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success
You then look at their bulls eyes and see how connected each person feels to our group. It also gives you a handle on how connected the team feels as a group. If they are very connected they are in the middle, if they feel kind of connected their name will be in the second ring, and if they don’t feel connected they write their name on the last ring or outside the rings. A lot of times it comes down to playing time – the more they play the closer to the middle they write their name. So you have to account for that a little bit when looking at them.
Once you’ve done the exercise, you can use them to have individual talks with your players. Ask lots of questions about why they feel that way, and if they are outside the middle how can we move them closer (without adjusting playing time of course). It will also help you determine if how to proceed with team bonding activities during the season. It’s something we will definitely use this season.
The following are some other notes he osted
John Tauer – St. Thomas University – Motivation
People are mostly motivated by three things:
Autonomy
Choice in life.
Give athletes choices in what drills you do inpractice (within reason).
Even one or two choices per practice can be powerful.
Togetherness
Individuals need to belong to something bigger than themselves and have a more powerful purpose.
Keep your finger on the pulse
Team building
Competence
Being good at things.
How can you put your athletes in positions to find success?
TJ Rosene – Emmanuel College/PGC – Building a Culture
Greatest Teammate Exercise
-Have players close their eyes and imagine the greatest teammate they ever had.
-Call on players to share the characteristics of that teammate.
-Make a team list of the traits of great teammates.
-Turn it around on them – why can’t EVERYONE on this team be a great teammate?
-Make the list into a “commitment list” that everyone is going to commit to (coaches included) and everyone will be held accountable to for the year.
Rocking Chair Statement
-As a coach, write a statement about what you want athletes to remember about you when you are old in a rocking chair on your front porch!
The Best At What They Know
-Everyone is the best at what they know.
-If you’ve got a problem athlete, they are likely exhibiting that behavior because that’s what they know.
Communication Must Haves
-Truth, Love, Transparency
-N.I.T.E
+Name, Information, Tone, Eye Contact
+Simple but effective
Open Mic Monday
-Do this as a team
-Players can stand up and say ANYTHING that is on their mind, especially things they are frustrated with.
-They can also ASK ANYTHING of teammates and coaches and will receive an honest answer.
-You must speak it in love and not anger.
*This is a GREAT WAY to make sure that issues stay in house and don’t ever boil over.
Lion vs. Sparrow
-Lion is content and confident. He doesn’t worry about anything he can’t control.
-The sparrow is always frantic.
-Lions play through bad calls, band bounces, etc without emotion.
-Sparrows constantly wine and complain
*Might change it to wolf and squirrel to fit Minnesota.