WORK HARD, WORK SMART, WORK CONSISTENTLY

Here's a great video from Alan Stein at http://www.strongerteam.com/. This website is an absolute must for all coach and players.

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!

COMFORT AND CONFIDENCE

“The biggest thing in baseball is comfort. When guys are comfortable, that’s when you succeed, that’s when you play well. You get that confidence going, you stop worrying about stupid things: ‘Am I getting my leg up at the right time? Am I getting my hands separated at the right time?’ No. You’re worried about what you’re supposed to do: throw a fastball down and away — boom.”  

-Jon Lester, pitcher Boston Red Sox     

ARE YOU SPENDING OR INVESTING

“What if someone came to you and offered to deposit $86,400 into your bank account every morning? Wouldn’t that be heavenly! There’s only one catch: You must wisely spend or invest the entire amount every day. Any squandering of the money is not acceptable. Nothing can be carried over, and anything left in the account will be lost to you at midnight. Of course, another $86,400 will be deposited the following morning. What would you do in this situation? You bet! You would be sure to spend all of the money or invest it wisely. Well, this happens to you every day. Only the gift is not measured in dollars and cents; it is measured in time. You are given 86,400 seconds every day. How you use them is up to you. You can squander the time and lose its benefit, or you can invest it wisely and be rewarded. Don’t live a squandered life. Since you have only one life to give, live it well! What separates a futile life from a fruitful one? Your attitude. Your attitude will be the difference between existing and living!”


From Attitudes That Attract Success by Wayne Cordeiro

 

ARE YOU THE CARETAKER OF YOUR TEAM?

The following comes from Pat William's book "How To Be Like Mike."

“One day during the 1997-98 season, Phil Jackson called off a practice.  Michael said to Scottie Pippen, ‘We’re not playing well enough not to practice.  So they went to Phil and requested a practice.  Turned out they practiced for three hours.  Later, MJ said, ‘The best players have to be the caretakers.’”

YOU WORK AS HARD AS YOU CAN AS LONG AS YOU CAN

"I used to work so hard that I would often vomit after working out.  This was whether I was at Jackson State or with the Bears.  People would ask me why I could work like that even after I was a starter in the NFL, an All-Pro.  I always had a difficult time workout out with other people who didn't share that belief.  And I always thought, 'That's just the way you do it.'  You work as hard as you can for as along as you can and the small gains you make will eventually pay off."

From "Never Die Easy" by Walter Payton with Don Yaeger

BEST ADVICE FOR A BASKETBALL PLAYER FROM ALAN STEIN

The following comes from Alan Stein and his amazing website StrongerTeam.com.  This is one of the best sites out there with tons of outstanding advice and amazing video -- it is a must see for all coaches and athletes.  This segment is titled "Best Advice for Basketball Players" but I know a lot of athletes in other sports that will be able to relate.

KD ON LEARNING FROM PAST GREATS AND LOOKING TO IMPROVE

During this interview with Magic Johnson we are struck with his commitment to understand that history of the game along with his humility.  It is also great to hear that he wants his coach to drive him to greater levels.

MICHAEL STRAHAN'S MOTIVATION

"My greatest motivation was the fear of failure. I knew the team was depending on me, and the very last

thing I wanted to do was let my teammates down."

 

-Michael Strahan

DURANT IN THE OFF-SEASON

WARE THINKING OF HIS TEAMMATES

The following is an excerpt from a story on CNN.com written by Ben Brumfield and Michael Martinez.  You can read the entire article here:

Kevin Ware's leg may be broken but not his spirit.

 

Not in the least bit.

 

And while his teammates were horrified at the gruesome injury, Ware said it was divine providence.

 

"This is all God. This is all God's plan. He would never let anything happen that He wouldn't want to happen," he said.

 

Teammate Luke Hancock came over to Ware as he lay on the floor and said a prayer for him.

Ware said to himself that "I'm either going to cry ... or I'm just going to try to say some words (to help the team)." He thought of his team and put the pain behind him.

 

In a two-hour surgery, Ware's broken tibia was straightened and a rod was inserted into it, according to a statement from Kenneth Klein, senior associate athletic director for media relations at the university.

 

For the team and victory

 

In spite of the pain and the road to recovery ahead, Ware is still thinking of his team, not himself.

"I'll be fine, but (we've) still got to win this championship," he said.

 

Mr. Inspiration is ready for the Final Four, where his team is two games away from a potential national championship.

 

He has already made his way to Atlanta to cheer the Cardinals on in person. During his interview with CNN, he and his mother donned T-shirts with the words "Win it for Kevin."

EXCELLENCE

"Going far beyond the call of duty, doing more than others expect, this is what excellence is all about!  And it comes from striving, maintaining the highest standards, looking after the smallest detail, and going the extra mile.  Excellence means doing your very best.  In everything!  In every way."

-Jack Johnson

THE COURAGE TO HANDLE FAILURE

Steve Kerr cited Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, two of the most "clutch" performers of all time, as examples of players who want desperately to make the important shot, but are tough enough to accept the outcome, positive or negative.  "That's really the key.  You have to be willing to live with the result.  You have to be tough enough to live with the results."

Accepting the consequences doesn't mean that failing doesn't bring hurt or disappointment.  It means that you have the courage to accept the result without fear affecting your ability to perform and that you are also willing to get up off the deck and try again.

From "Toughness" by Jay Bilas

YOU'VE GOT TO HATE TO LOSE

"You've got to hate to lose, you know what

I mean? At some point you've got to

settle down and say 'It's win time.'"

-Chris Paul

9 WAYS TO BE A GREAT TEAM MEMBER

I'm not sure there is anyone out there right now that is doing more to help individuals and teams grow than Jon Gordon.  Here is a list that he recently sent out in his email newsletter that is worthy of all us on teams to read:

1. Set the Example - Instead of worrying about the lack of performance, productivity and commitment of others you simply decide to set the example and show your team members what hard work, passion and commitment looks like. Focus on being your best every day. (Tweet This) When you do this you’ll raise the standards and performance of everyone around you.

2. Use Your Strengths to Help the Team - The most powerful way you can contribute to your team is to use your gifts and talents to contribute to the team's vision and goals. Without your effort, focus, talent and growth the team won't accomplish its mission. This means you have an obligation to improve so you can improve your team. You are meant to develop your strengths to make a stronger team. Be selfish by developing you and unselfish by making sure your strengths serve the team.

3. Share Positive Contagious Energy - Research shows emotions are contagious and each day you are infecting your team with either positive energy or negative energy. You can be a germ or a big dose a Vitamin C. When you share positive energy you infectiously enhance the mood, morale and performance of your team. Remember, negativity is toxic. Energy Vampires sabotage teams and complaining is like vomiting. Afterwards you feel better but everyone around you feels sick.

4. Know and Live the Magic Ratio - High performing teams have more positive interactions than negative interactions. 3:1 is the ratio to remember. Teams that experience interactions at a ratio equal or greater than 3:1 are more productive and higher performing than those with a ratio of less than 3:1. Teams that have a ratio of 2:1, 1:1 or more negative interactions than positive interactions become stagnant and unproductive. This means you can be a great team member by being a 3 to 1’er. Create more positive interactions. Praise more. Encourage more. Appreciate more. Smile more. High-five more. Recognize more. Energize more. Read more about this at www.FeedthePositiveDog.com

5. Put the Team First - Great team players always put the team first. They work hard for the team. They develop themselves for the team. They serve the team. Their motto is whatever it takes to make the team better. They don’t take credit. They give credit to the team. To be a great team member your ego must be subservient to the mission and purpose of the team. It’s a challenge to keep our ego in check. It’s something most of us struggle with because we have our own goals and desires. But if we monitor our ego and put the team first we’ll make the team better and our servant approach will make us better.

6. Build Relationships - Relationships are the foundation upon which winning teams are built and great team members take the time to connect, communicate and care to build strong bonds and relationships with all their team members. You can be the smartest person in the room but if you don’t connect with others you will fail as a team member. (Tweet This) It’s important to take the time to get to know your team members. Listen to them. Eat with them. Learn about them. Know what inspires them and show them you care about them.

7. Trust and Be Trusted - You can’t have a strong team without strong relationships. And you can’t have strong relationships without trust. Great team members trust their teammates and most of all their team members trust them. Trust is earned through integrity, consistency, honesty, transparency, vulnerability and dependability. If you can’t be trusted you can’t be a great team member. Trust is everything.

8. Hold Them Accountable - Sometimes our team members fall short of the team's expectations. Sometimes they make mistakes. Sometimes they need a little tough love. Great team members hold each other accountable. They push, challenge and stretch each other to be their best. Don’t be afraid to hold your team members accountable. But remember to be effective you must built trust and a relationship with your team members. If they know you care about them, they will allow you to challenge them and hold them accountable. Tough love works when love comes first. Love tough.

9. Be Humble - Great team members are humble. They are willing to learn, improve and get better. They are open to their team member's feedback and suggestions and don’t let their ego get in the way of their growth or the team’s growth. I learned the power of being humble in my marriage. My wife had some criticism for me one day and instead of being defensive and prideful, I simply said, "Make me better. I'm open. Tell me how I can improve." Saying this diffused the tension and the conversation was a game changer. If we're not humble we won’t allow ourselves to be held accountable. We won’t grow. We won’t build strong relationships and we won’t put the team first. There’s tremendous power in humility that makes us and our team better.