PGC: 6 INTANGIBLES THAT MAKE YOU INVALUABLE

One of the great acronyms from Point Guard College is SCHAPE:

SPIRIT...good teams practice with enthusiasm and zest...a quiet gym is a losing gym...Enthusiasm = Excellence...demand energy.

"Championships are won with high levels

of energy, spirit, and enthusiasm."

COMMUNICATION...talk on the floor, call names, give them re-minders often.

HUSTLE...is on all the time—not a sometime thing…"sheepdog mentality...persistent, enthused, work, everyday.

ATTITUDE...body language is important.

PRECISION...exactness...attention to detail...accuracy...sharpness of approach.

ENHANCEMENT...Contribute to environment—don’t contaminate it...make I better doing something extra...expect to do more than your expected of...do extra...come earlier, stay later, compliment someone, smile, push a broom, pick up trash…...and don’t expect praise for doing extra.

(These notes were actually taken by one of my former point guards, Latasha Dorsey)

 

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT SOCIAL MEDIA RULE

This is short and sweet but critically important -- more so than ever in today's world of social media and instant communication.  This actually came from an article written by Geoffrey James for Inc.  The title of the article was: "The 1 Personal Branding Rule Everyone Should Know."  You can read his entire article here -- but this is the most important part -- and one we will share with our team:

Every day, people screw up their personal brands by not following this absurdly simple rule:
Never go online if you're angry, upset or otherwise impaired.

SELF TALK -- "THINK GOLD"

We are a big believer in the concept of continual positive self-talk.  Here are some great thoughts from "The Champion's Mind" by Jim Afremow:

To perform at a champion’s level, you must have a winning off-field game plan that includes specific strategies-for instance, well placed environmental cues that you can use to achieve excellence and to remind yourself that you are working to win. Tape a note that says, “Think gold and never settle for silver” somewhere noticeable and make it the desktop background on your computer to motivate to start and continue your day with a winning mind-set.

Schedule automatic, electronic “think gold” or “personal best” reminders throughout the day; for example, set the reminder function on your cell phone to chime at certain times and display “Champion.”

DROSE WORKS ON GAME -- AND LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS

A big thanks to my friend Joey Burton for emailing me this article.  It is written by K.C. Johnson for the Chicago Tribune and it's on the "leadership growth" of Derrick Rose:

Luol Deng readily recalls the first time his mother met Derrick Rose.
 
"She kept talking to me about him and was just really happy with how he carried himself," Deng said. "To me, I don't care how good you are or what you do in life. Who you are as a person is more important than anything. And you can just tell Derrick is one of those kids who was raised the right way.
 
"He's not going to change. He's better at dealing with the spotlight than before, but all he really cares about are his teammates and winning. That's what a leader is."
 
Rose may be quiet by nature, but his will to win invokes determination and demands of others.
 
"I never worried about Derrick in terms of taking care of himself," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "But in setting the tone for the team, not tolerating others not doing their job, I think that has been his biggest growth."
 
Rose is notoriously hard on himself. His post-practice shooting routine would get bleeped out if misses were filmed. This drive, paired with a tireless work ethic to improve his game, is an example of his non-verbal leadership.
 
"If you can't coach your best player hard, you can't coach your team hard. And you can coach Derrick Rose as hard as anybody on the entire team," general manager Gar Forman said. "You talk about leadership. That to me is probably the strongest type."
 
The verbal leadership is more evident to those who know Rose well. So while there may not be histrionics on the court or many headlines about his leadership, those within the organization say it's there.
 
"He's quiet by nature but he's comfortable with the guys around him," Deng said. "If you don't know Derrick or he doesn't know you, he just goes about his business. Guys he's comfortable with, he'll open up."
 
"The talent is pretty easy to see," he said. "What you don't see are all the intangibles that he brings to the team, the confidence. But the confidence doesn't come from a false bravado. It comes from his preparation, his study and the work he puts into every day.
 
"The best thing about Derrick is he's a team-first guy. He's committed to playing for the team, and that's special."
 
Put another way, Forman appreciates Rose's low maintenance.
 
"We've all seen it over the years: There may be scenarios where the star player wants or needs preferential type of treatment in whatever it is," Forman said. "And there's none of that with Derrick."
 
Asked if he feels he has grown as a leader, Rose looked up.
 
"I just know I put the work in," Rose said.
 
You can read the entire article -- it extremely well-written -- here.

GREAT PLAYERS ARE GREAT LISTENERS

So you probably agree that listening is important. But what does it mean to listen? We heard a story about a high school music appreciation class that provides a meaningful answer to that question. The teacher of the class asked for a volunteer to explain the difference between listening and hearing. At first no one wanted to answer; but finally, a student raised his hand. When the teachers called on him, he said, “Listening is wanting to hear.” That answer is a great start. To become a good listener, you have to want to hear. But you also need some skills to help you.

To increase your understanding of others as you listen, follow these guidelines offered by Eric Allenbaugh:

1. Listen with a head-heart connection.

2. Listen with the intent of understanding.

3. Listen for the message and the message behind the message.

4. Listen for both content and feelings.

5. Listen with your eyes—your hearing will be improved.

6. Listen for others’ interest, not just their position.

7. Listen for what they are saying and not saying.

8. Listen with empathy and acceptance.

9. Listen for the areas where they are afraid and hurt.

10. Listen as you would like to be listened to.

From "Becoming a Person of Influence" by John Maxwell and Jim Dornan

UTILIZATION OF GOOD BODY LANGUAGE

The following comes Rahel Smith via Crieghton Burns:


Body language can be described as how one uses gestures and body movements to communicate. Body language can give insight into what an individual may be thinking or feeling. On a basketball court players frequently send messages to coaches, teammates, referees, opponents and crowds.

Below are four ways to exhibit positive body language on the court:

1. Look your coaches in the eye when receiving instruction. nod your head to show them that you are paying attention.

2. When your teammate makes a bad play, keep your head up, give them an encouraging look and keep playing hard. The selfish, immature thing to do would be to whine, roll the eyes or pout at a team mate.

3. Look enthused and energetic in practice and game situations even when you don't feel that way.

4. If your team should happen to be losing in a game, keep a stone face. Show a confident demeanor and don't let opponents see you rattled.

EYE CONTRACT

"The foremost thing we require from our players, before anything else, is that they make good eye contact...eye contact is a sign."

-Pat Summitt
From "Reach for the Summit"

ARE YOU IN "SCHAPE?"

If you fail to develop an every-day-every-play habit of precision, you just are not paving your way to championship performance. I call it making sure you are in SCHAPE to play. S.C.H.A.P.E spells out six important ingredients.

• Spirit
• Communication
• Hustle
• Attitude
• Precision
• Enhancement

Spirit: Spirit is noise. Do you make noise while you are practicing and playing? To demonstrate spirit, you have to make noise with your mouth and your hands. You yell and you clap.

Communication: On the court or on the field, communication during sports competition required the same ingredients that permit effective communication in an office or at a party. Make sure you use the ingredients consistently in practice and in games.

Hustle: This one doesn’t need much explanation except to say that it is something you have to measure every day on the practice field, not just during big games.

Attitude: Most everyone understands who one even if it’s a bit difficult to put it precisely into words. You gotta play and practice with an attitude. You can’t just go through the motions. Everything about your approach to what you are doing has to say “This matter, this is important, I care, and they, want to see intensity at work?

Precision: It takes extra effort to be precise. That’s why so many athletes fail at it. It seems easier to cut off a few steps, to take a shortcut.

Enhancement: After all the instructions are given, throughout the criticism and encouragement, the winning and losing, a final question keeps popping into the championship equation for me. Are you out there every day actively trying to enhance what is going on? Making a drill run more smoothly? Trying to turn seven repetitions per minute into eight? Encouraging your teammates who are tired or in a slump? Trying to get your big slow guy to get some zip into his game? Trying to help the reserves feel more a part of the action? Trying to make the practice atmosphere more positive?

From "Think Like a Champion" by Dick Devenzio