Lost In The Shuffle

A couple of weeks ago an unbelievable snow storm crippled the Buffalo, New York area.  This forced the NFL to move a game originally scheduled for Buffalo to Detroit’s Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions.

On Sunday, November 20 the Bills played the Cleveland Browns in Detroit.  Four days later, the Lions hosted the Bills on Thanksgiving day. 

In a recent press conference Detroit Head Coach Dan Campbell recognized the Ford Field stadium staff – who suddenly had to work 2 games in five days, including on  Thanksgiving day.  His simple message was “sometimes that gets lost in the shuffle.”

Today’s lesson.  Don’t let your people get lost in the shuffle and because of your busyness.  There are people that do a lot of things behind the scenes that people don’t see or even think about.  You know who they are and what they do. 

In the athletic world it’s custodians, bus drivers, secretaries, support staff, and table workers, to name a few.  No matter what job you have and wherever you lead, there are people that do things that people just expect to be done and often take for granted.

Make sure that you do not take them for granted.  Acknowledge them, appreciate them, celebrate them, and help them whenever you can. 

No matter how educated, talented, rich, or cool you believe you are, how you treat people, every single person, ultimately tells all. 

You’re busy.  You have many responsibilities and I understand, appreciate and acknowledge that.  Don’t let others be lost in the shuffle because of that.  Tip of the cap to Dan Campbell for reminding us of that. 

I’m cheering for you.

#leadership #motivation #coaching
#basketball #bebetter #beblessed

Little Things Matter

No matter what sport you play, coach, or are a fan of the road map to success is in the details.  How you do the little things is how you will do everything. 

The first thing legendary UCLA coach John Wooden taught his players was to how to put on their socks properly so they would not bunch up and give a player a blister.  A blister meant pain and not being 100%.

There are no shortcuts to being at your best.   Everything that you do either moves the needle of your potential to the right (toward) or to the left (away). 

No matter what you do pay attention to the details.  The details aren’t always sexy.  The details don’t always get the loudest claps or make a highlight reel.  But here’s what the details get you.

1) Moving toward your full potential.
2) Confidence.
3) Self-Discipline.
4) Winning (still the goal).

Pay attention to the little things.  A majority of people will not.  If you do you’ll be a little bit better today than you were yesterday, and that’s the goal.

I’m cheering for you.

#leadership #motivation #coaching
#basketball #bebetter #beblessed

The Power Of One

We live in a society that emphasizes more being better; more stuff, more money, more power, and more responsibility.

But when does more start to mean we have less? I would argue that more gets in our way when it gets in the way of us being effective as a person and as a leader.

When that happens, we need to simplify and redefine who we are, where we are going, and how we are going to get there.

We need “The Power of One.” One word leadership.

The 130 page book features 16 single leadership words, a writing for each word, and personal stories from my 37 years in education, coaching, and as an athletic director. Each chapter concludes with self-reflection questions for the reader or for group discussion as part of a book study.

I am excited to publish my first book and it will be available in the next few days on Amazon. I will share a promo code when it is available for anyone interested in purchasing the book.

Thank You for your support.

Be Blessed.

Same Game, New Lessons

Remember all of the “reunion tours” that your favorite rock bands go on? 

How about the McDonald’s Mcrib making it’s appearance one last time? 

How about Coach Gordon back on the basketball sideline again as an assistant boy’s coach at Greene County? 

All three of those situations above teach you to never say never.  Tonight, my 30th basketball coaching season begins with our opening game. 

I’ve decided to use this season and experience to fuel my daily writings for the next few months. 

Education based athletics has so many lessons to teach us.  Leadership, teamwork, sportsmanship (respect), resilience, to name a few.  I’m sure we will experience them all and then some. 

We’ll see where this journey takes us.  I look forward to sharing thoughts with you linked to a sport and experience that has given so much to me already. 

It’s the same game that will teach me, and hopefully you, some new lessons.  Here is what it has taught me already.

1)  Sometimes there are just some things you should do.  Sure, you can talk yourself out of a lot of things but at the end of the day you know if you should or shouldn’t.  If you should, then do it and figure it out from there.

2)  You never know when you will have a chance to give back.  When a moment is presented to you will you step into it?  I didn’t right away but I’m glad now that I have.

I’m looking forward to seeing what this season has in store. 

I’ll be cheering for you. 

#leadership #motivation #coaching
#basketball #bebetter #beblessed