3 GUIDELINES FROM LARRY LEGEND

“Don’t let winning make you soft.

Don’t let losing make you quit.

Don’t let your teammates down in any situation”

– Larry Bird

 

 

THE PRICE OF TEAMWORK

As a follow up to the "The Price That Must Be Paid," here are some great thoughts from John Maxwell on "The Price of Teamwork."

Sacrifice:

There can be no success without sacrifice. James Allen observed, “He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much.”

Time Commitment:

Teamwork does no come cheaply. It costs you time-that means you pay for it with your life. Teamwork can’t be developed in a microwave time. Teams grow strong in a Crock-Pot environment.

Personal Development:

Your team will reach its potential only if you reach your potential. That means today’s ability is not enough.  Or to put it the way leadership expert Max DePree did: “We cannot become what we need to be remaining what we are.”  UCLA’s John Wooden, a marvelous team leader and the greatest college basketball coach of all time, said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

Unselfishness:

“When you give your best to the world, the world returns the favor.”

-H. Jackson Brown

And if you give your best to the team, it will return more to you than you give, and together you will achieve more than you can on your own.

TEAMMATES BELIEF IN EACH OTHER MAKES THEM TOUGHER

As teammates, it is imperative that we let our fellow teammates know how important their abilities and contributions are, and then we can hold each other accountable for them. As coaches, it is important to let your players know their importance in the success of the team and why, instead of only correcting them and emphasizing their weaknesses. If players know you believe in them, it is easier to then hold them accountable and expect them to meet high standards. Your belief allows you to push them harder, and have them respond positively. Your belief makes them tougher.

From "Toughness" by Jay Bilas

YOU ARE AN EXTENSION OF YOUR TEAMMATES

"Each player is an extension of his teammates. When Jerry Rice catches a ball, he is an extension of several players – those who are blocking the pass rushers, the receivers who are precisely coordinating their routes with his and the quarterback who is taking a hit after throwing the ball. When Roger Craig broke through with a big run, it embodied the fierce execution of the offensive line, the timing of their blocks and the execution of the down-field blocks by the receivers."

ONE WAY KD MAKES HIS TEAMMATES BETTER

I

've just finished reading an excellent book "What Drives Winning" by Brett Ledbetter.  He gives a ton of examples of outstanding athletes and the work they put into being great.    One story from the book that we shared with our team is:

Here’s something that Kevin (Durant) told me he started doing as a freshman when he played basketball at the University of Texas: "One thing I try not to do is be a guy that goes into the gym and wants to be the only guy in the gym. I don’t want to be the guy that says 'I was working today, what were you doing?' I want to pull my teammates into the gym with me. If I work hard and we all work hard, I know only good things can come out of it."

NO TEAMMATE LEFT BEHIND

The following comes "The Hard Hat" written by Jon Gordon that talks about the amazing team-first habits by George Boiardi.  George was a standout lacrosse player for Cornell before tragically dying before graduation.  This is a great book that should be read by anyone interested in becoming a better teammate.  It is a book that was mandatory reading for our team this summer.  Here just an example of George being a great teammate:

Another practice George started in high school was to be the last person to leave the locker room. He played football, hockey, and lacrosse, and he was always the last to leave. He would clean up after everyone so the janitor didn’t have to do it. It was a practice he continued in college as a freshman and throughout his time at Cornell. Whenever you walked into the locker room after practice, you knew George was going to be there. As an upperclassman, he was always the last to leave and, in doing so, he would often drive the freshmen home, knowing they had a long, cold walk ahead of them to North Campus.

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR YOUR MOMENT?

"The secret of success is to be ready

when your opportunity comes."

 -Benjamin Disraeli

 

Andre Iguodala did just that.  And because he was prepared for his moment, both he and his Golden State Warrior teams was rewards.

We are talking about a quality basketball player that didn't start a single game in the regular season.  Instead of pouting or complaining or making excuses he kept working on his game and contributing what his team needed from him.

 

The key to championships is to have complete buy in.  You need players who not only accept their role -- regardless of how they feel about -- but embrace that role.  To win championships, players must put aside personal goals in work towards the good of the team.  They must believe in the coaching staff and what they are asking of them.

 

As Tyler Conway wrote for BleacherReport.com:

 

All season long, Andrea Iguodala sacrificed. When Steve Kerr came to him and asked him to come off the bench, he obliged. When shots that used to be his went to Klay Thompson, he never blinked. When media members wondered if he had fallen off, he never once wavered.

 

Now he's your NBA Finals MVP.

LOVING YOUR TEAMMATES: IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE GOOD THINGS

A great thought on LOVE from Coach Vince Lombardi -- so good it is our team's motivational passout for today.

BE READY FOR YOUR OPPORTUNITY BUT EXCEL AND MASTER YOUR ROLE IN THE MEANTIME

I had the honor of knowing Garrett Temple at a young age because of my relationship with his family.  You knew that no matter what Garrett decided to do in life that he was going to be successful -- he had the right attitude and mindset.  His father Collis Temple was the first African-American to play at LSU and Garrett's older brother, Collis III, was an outstanding student-athlete as well.

The following is an excerpt of an article written by Jorge Castillo for the Washington Post (you can read it in it's entirety here).  It speaks of Garrett's desire to play and compete but his maturity in understand that a professional not only accepts the role he or she has but masters it.  His ability to step in and start early in the season speaks to his being ready when his opportunity came.  I'm a big Garrett Temple fan -- here's why:

Garrett Temple understands his role on the Washington Wizards. He was re-signed over the summer to provide depth at both guard positions as a defensive specialist but, most importantly, to bring a professional presence in the locker room. Temple has fulfilled those duties. He has played sparingly over the last two months but has maintained a positive attitude. He is often the first player applauding his teammates and constantly provides words of encourage. He plays the role to perfection.

But Temple believes he can be more than just a morale booster. He thinks he can contribute on the floor and points to the 13 games he started at the beginning of the season as evidence. He supplied further proof in the Wizards 106-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns Wednesday, captaining an all-reserve unit that trimmed Washington’s deficit from 17 to four points in less than five minutes to start the fourth quarter.

“I know I can play in this league,” Temple, 28, said. “Hopefully I showed that I deserve to play. I’ll get my chance but like I said, I’m going to be a great team player. Whenever I get a chance to play, I’ll go out there and give it my best and that’s basically it.”

“I want to play. I always want to play,” Temple said. “In the NBA you have to have some kind of confidence to be here and I know I can play in this league and I know I can help this team. But at the end of the day, it’s a team sport and we have a lot of guys that have that same mentality.”

Temple was a mainstay on the floor at the beginning of the season. With Bradley Beal sidelined due to a fractured left wrist, Temple started the Wizards’ first 13 games and reached double figures in four of Washington’s five games before his offensive production tapered off. Since then, he has had to adjust to impacting his team through other avenues.

"Me and Drew Gooden talked about this a few weeks ago; you can always affect the game,” Temple said. “If you’re not playing you can affect [a game] by how you act on the bench. If you’re smiling, you’re up being positive, that affects the game. If not, if you have a frown on your face, if you’re looking upset, you want to get into the game and you’re pouting, that’s going to be a negative effect on the game. So whatever I do, I’m going to affect the game in a positive way however I can."

DEREK JETER: TOUGHNESS AND THE TEST OF TIME

I  came across an absolutely great article on Derek Jeter written by Joel Sherman for the New York Post.  It is possibly the best thing I've read about Jeter and some of the reasons he been so consistently successful.  I've written before but to me, the true test of greatness comes with the test of time.  There are many that are good, even great for a short period of time but it is the long haul that truly show us greatness.

I strongly suggest you take the time to read the entire article here -- until, here are some great excerpts:

On Friday night, Jeter started his 2,610th game at shortstop. That moved him past Omar Vizquel for the most in major league history. It might not be Lou Gehrig or Cal Ripken stuff, and it came and went without confetti and fanfare. But you do not start that many games in the middle infield — all those double-play pivots, etc. — without a sense of responsibility, a reservoir of pride and a steely constitution. The day-after-day mental and physical grind ultimately defeats every athlete. But some endure better than others. And Jeter is at the top 1 percent.

“We all consider rolling over and shutting the alarm clock off,” Joe Torre said by phone. “Jeter never rolls over. He gets out of bed. It is never a consideration to take a day off. It is a sense of responsibility to his team and to himself.”

I remember a conversation long ago with Gene Michael when he was still the Yankees general manager. We were discussing the traditional five tools — hitting, hitting for power, running, fielding and throwing.

That day I disagreed with the confines of the five tools. I suggested there were so many more than five tools. Aptitude was vital. You could have five tools, but if you couldn’t apply them, what was the use? Victor Martinez might only have two tools, but he has pretty much maximized them. That is so much more valuable than having five that excite scouts but never come out in games with consistency.

Grace under pressure is a tool. Again, you could have the physical stuff down, but if you can’t do it with 40,000 people in attendance or in October, what is the point?

Discipline is a tool. Are you going to keep working out, avoid perks that could drain your energy and skill?

And durability is a tool. Danny Tartabull used to tell me to project his stats over a full season and I finally told him, “Why? You never play a full season.” Mark Buehrle might not be blessed with the stuff that makes scouts drool, but wind him up and he gives you 200 innings. Every year. Year after year.

Because I believe it is in all these areas beyond the traditional tools that Jeter was an A-plus and took very good traditional tools to a Hall-of-Fame level.

His aptitude, his grace under pressure, his discipline and — for me — especially his toughness.

Chili Davis Code: If I am playing, I am healthy enough to play. He never played the “I am 80 percent” game to provide an alibi. Never told you off the record how he was really feeling, again, as a way to set up the excuse. “I’m all right.” That he what he told managers and media.

Jeter felt a responsibility to play, that the team was best when he did. Torre and Joe Girardi have known they could write his name into the lineup game after game, season after season. Do you know how much easier that makes the managing job?

“There was a playoff series in which he had pretty much a broken hand, got shot up for Game 1, couldn’t feel his hand and said he would rather just play with the pain,” Torre said. “There was never a consideration that he wouldn’t play. He came to the ballpark to play. It certainly made my job a whole lot easier. You talk about a guy who is a leader. You have someone who wants to rest, they look across the locker room and see him. He forced other people to play, not literally, but by example.”

THE ART OF TEAM WORK -- THE SPURS WAY

LESSONS THAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM KD's MVP ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

As a player, what can you learn from Kevin Durrant's MVP acceptance speech?

1. You can see a true vision of what humility looks like and sounds like.

2. You can see how an MVP takes an individual award and turn it into a team award.

3. You can see from text messages, written notes and conversations, how teammates can lift a player to a higher level.

4. The importance of family.

5. Preparation -- in terms of what he wanted to say and the message he wanted to convey.

SABAN ON IT TAKES TO BE A GOOD PLAYER

"To be a good player on your team, you have to affect someone else on the team. You have to cause them to play better by the way you play. You affect other players with the character and attitude. To be a great player, you have to affect your entire unit. If you are a great player, every player on that unit plays better when you are on the field. The number one thing on any team that will keep your players from being selfish is respect for the other players. Having respect leads to trust and from that they begin to believe in each other. That is the way it works and that is the way it has to be."

-Nick Saban

DO THE SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DO

We ran across the words of poet Everett Hall and thought what a wonderful mindset for players.  It doesn't matter what your role is with your team.  Maybe you are a starter that is expected to continually set screens for your shooters.  Maybe you are the first sub off the bench expected to come in and be lockdown defender.  Maybe you are someone who gets in the game only when the margin of victory or defeat merits it. 

Let's take it a step further.  Maybe you aren't even a player.  Maybe your are a manager.  Maybe you are the person that films the games or keeps the stats.

Whatever your role is with the team it is important and valuable -- even if you don't see it or realize it.

As Everett Hall wrote:

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

If you are the starter counted on to screen -- be the best screener in your conference.  Execute your screening angles as well as any player before you.

If you are the lockdown defender coming off the bench -- be the best lockdown defender your program has ever had.  Come off the bench with intensity and determination to not allow your man to score.

If you rarely play except when the game is already decided -- be the most enthusiastic player on your bench.  Be the person that lights the fire under those that play.

If you are a manager, statistician or video person -- make sure no one does their job better than you.

"I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

TEAM STRENGTH

"As long as you brothers support one another and render assistance to one another, your enemies can never gain victory over you.  But if you fall away from one another, you can be broken like a frail arrow, one at a time."

-Genghis Khan
(Taken from the book "Damn Few" by Rorke Denver

LEAD YOURSELF FIRST

"Leadership is getting players to believe in you. If you tell a teammate you're ready to play as tough as you're able to, you'd better go out there and do it. Players will see right through a phony. And they can tell when you're not giving it all you've got."

-Larry Bird

LeBRON ON COMMITMENT

“Commitment is a big part of what I am and what I believe.  How committed are you to winning?  How committed are you to being a good friend? To being trustworthy? To being successful? How committed are you to being a good father, a good teammate, a good role model?  There’s that moment every morning when you look in the mirror: Are you committed, or are you not?”

-LeBron James

 

KNOW YOUR CIRCLE

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM TIM DUNCAN

The following is an article written by Scott Williams for www.BigIsTheNewSmall.com:

Well the NBA Finals wrapped up with the unlikely San Antonio Spurs missing the opportunity to win their 5th title. I say unlikely because everyone including them Heat themselves had pretty much crowned the Miami Heat as the 2013 NBA Champions before the season even started. Well, the Heat were tested throughout the playoffs and passed every test, even the test of the well-coached Spurs.

Even though the Spurs lost and Duncan missed a point blank shot, he will go down as one of the greatest NBA Superstars ever. Not to mention a SuperStar who shined bright like a diamond while staying outside of the spotlight. Here are 10 Leadership Lessons From Tim Duncan’s Career.

1. Substance Over Style – Looking good is great, performing great is better. Duncan doesn’t win the style contest, but he is a straight up winner.

2. Greatness Is Appreciated More When It’s Gone – Tim Duncan’s Game, Career and Place in history won’t be appreciated until he’s retired and gone.

3. Great Leaders Know When To Defer – Duncan has admittedly turned the team over to Tony Parker, which has extended his career and allowed him to continue his greatness.

4. You Can’t Care What People Think – Duncan doesn’t get the commercials, the shoes, the endorsements… He just gets the trophies. Duncan could care less what people think about his personality or lack there of, all he does is win.

5. Classy over Sassy – Tim Duncan is one of the classiest players in the NBA. It’s hard not to like classy… when in doubt, keep it classy.

6. Quietly Be The Best At What You Do – Tim Duncan will quietly go down as one of the best power forwards to ever play the game. Period, the end.

7. Nice Guys Don’t Finish Last – Nice guys finish wherever they want to finish, Duncan is nice and he doesn’t finish last.

8. Get Better With Age – They say some things get better with age, great leaders get better, lead better, play better and make better decisions with age. Duncan seems to get better the older that he gets.

9. Know How To Lead Up – Duncan plays for a tough coach and he’s one of the few players that knows how to lead up, talk to Popovich, how to handle him in the media and how to lead up. There is an art to leading up and Duncan figured it out.

10. Make Those Around You Better – Duncan makes his teammates, his coach, his city, his community and the NBA better.

YOUR CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE

This past weekend at our team camp, I give a Champion's Concept lecture to each team talking about various things that I think are important in our quest to the best that we can be.  One of the things that we believe strongly in is that champions understand the importance of their associations.  We speak to them about creating a circle of influence -- a group of people that you choose because they know they will hold you accountable and help you to grow and work towards your goals.

Darren Hardy in his book "The Compound Effect" refers to it as finding a peak-performance partner.  Here is what he has to say:

"Another way to increase your exposure to expanded associations is by teaming up with a peak performance partner, someone as equally committed to study and personal growth as you.  This person should be someone you trust, someone bold enough to tell you what they really thing about you, your attitudes, and performance.  It could be that this person is a longtime friend, but he or she may be someone who doesn't know you well at all.  The point is to get (and give) an unbiased, honest, outside perspective."

Want to be more enthusiastic?
          Surround yourself with enthusiastic people.

Want to be a hard worker?
          Surround yourself with those that work hard.

Want to be a winner?
          Surround yourself with winners!