THE EGG, A CARROT, AND SOME COFFEE BEANS

A few weeks ago we started the school year off with Jon Gordon speaking first to our coaches and then to our student-athletes.  He shared a story that I had not heard before about a carrot, an egg, some coffee beans and some hot water.  It's a pretty good story to share with your team:

Once upon a time, the daughter of an old gardener constantly complained about her life and about how difficult it was to continue. She was tired of fighting and did not feel like doing anything. When a problem was solved another one came up and that made her give up and feel defeated.

The gardener asked his daughter to come closer to the kitchen of his cabin and take a seat. Then he filled three containers with water and put them over fire. When the water began to boil, he put a carrot in one pot, an egg in the other and poured some coffee beans into the last one. He let them boil without saying a word while his daughter waited impatiently without understanding what her father was doing. After about twenty minutes her father turned off the fire. He took out the carrots and put them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in another dish. Lastly, he ladled the coffee.

He looked at his daughter and said, “What do you see?” “Carrots, eggs and coffee,” was her answer. He brought her closer and asked her to touch the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. Then her asked her to take an egg and break it. She took the shell off and observed the hard boiled egg. Then he asked her to try the coffee. She smiled as she enjoyed its sweet aroma. The daughter then asked “What does this mean, dad?“

He explained that the three objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. But they had reacted very differently. The carrot went into the water strong and solid; but after passing through the boiling water it had become weak and easy to break up. The egg had been fragile, its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior; but after sitting through the boiling water, its insides became hardened. The coffee however was unique; after being in boiling water, it had changed the water.

“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot that seems strong, but when pain and adversity knocks, do you become weak and lose your strength? Are you an egg that starts with a malleable heart ? Do you possess a fluid spirit, but after a death, separation, or a layoff, become hard and stiff? On the outside you are the same, but how have you transformed on the inside?

Or are you like the coffee? The coffee changes the water, the element that causes it pain. When the water reaches its boiling point, the coffee achieves its best flavor. If you are like the coffee bean, when things get worse you react better and make the things around you better.

And you, which one of the three are you?

KELVIN SAMPSON: "LET'S GO HIT THE ROCK"

If you follow, read and study Tim Elmore (and you should), you know the importance of visuals in making emotional connections with those you lead.  In a story that ran a few months ago in the Houston Chronicle by Joseph Duarte, I loved what Kelvin Sampson had created to get his message across at the University of Houston:

From Duarte's article: 

A rock is the first thing visitors see upon entering the player's lounge inside the Guy V. Lewis Development Facility.

It's kept in a case with a sledgehammer leaning against it, a symbol of what Kelvin Sampson has based the revival of the University of Houston men's basketball program.

Sampson often ends every staff meeting with the saying, "Let's go hit the rock."

"It ain't going to break today," Sampson, the Cougars' 62-year-old coach, continues. "We don't know how many times we are going to have to hit it, but I just know it's going to crack."

"He's said it for four years," says Kellen Sampson, an assistant coach on his dad's staff. "Our whole culture has been based on hitting that rock."

GETTING TO US BY SETH DAVIS IS A MUST READ

I don’t take lightly the responsibility of writing a book review — I know how valuable money and time is to us all.  But "Getting To Know Us” by Seth Davis is one of the best books I’ve read in the past several year for our profession.  Davis picks eight outstanding coaches and dedicated a chapter to their journey.  Each chapter alone is worth the price of the book.  We learn from these Hall of Fame coaches the struggles they went through, and in some cases still battle, to maintain a level of excellence.

You will learn that each coach is different in so many ways yet each successful -- which is one of the most important lessons we can learn in doing what we do.

There is insight into coaching, teaching, recruiting, motivating, leadership and overcoming adversity.  You read about the battle to balance your career and your family.  The stories from the coaches themselves, the players that played for them and assistants that worked for them are priceless.

Above all, the title "Getting To Us" implies, we learn the methods and philosophies of how they turn players into teams.

Below I’m listing a short take away from each chapter but I can say strongly enough that this is a book you need to purchase and when you do, break out the red pen or the highlighter.

Urban Meyer

The take away from this chapter was the importance of having a shared vision with everyone involved in your program.  As Tom Herman said:

“The message never deviates with him.  Everybody from the strength staff to the video staff to the equipment staff to academics and nutrition — everybody who toughes the players there at Ohio State gets the same message and the same expectations and the same goals.  I think that’s very rare.”

Tom Izzo

We often talk about the importance of communicating and connecting with our players and it was obviously a huge priority for Coach Izzo.

When Michigan State was building a new office and practice facility for its basketball teams in 2002, Izzo had a novel idea: He wanted his office to have no door. “I thought it would set a tone,” he says. “But I couldn’t do it because of fires codes.

“There were multiple times after a game when I would text him at one or two in the morning.  He would always text me right back,” said Denzel Valentine.  “From day one, he creates a family atmosphere and makes it known that he cares about you as in individual.”

Mike Krzyzewski

As a disciple of Don Meyer, we were taught to plan your week on Sunday and the next day the night before.  It was interesting to read Coach K’s view on this.

Davis wrote: To this day, before he goes to bed each night, he maps out his plan for the next day.

“I think it comes form West Point, where you lay you’re your uniform the night before.  It helps you make effective use of your time. It gets me excited because I’m going to do something I’ve planned to do, what I love to do, and it’s different every day.”

Jim Harbaugh

The very first paragraph of this chapter grabbed me and detailed how competitors want to be in the mix regardless of their role:

Davis writes: He couldn’t take not competing,  It killed him to stand still.  So what if he was a rookie quarterback with a bright future?  He needed to get into the game — now.  So Jim Harbaugh went to his head coach with a strange request: Put me in on special teams so I can cover punts and kickoffs.  “My first reaction was, ‘Are you crazy?” Mike Ditka told me.  “Be he was serious.  He just wanted to contribute."

And Ditka actually used him for a short time on his special teams.

Jim Boeheim

One of the things that Davis brought out about Boeheim was how he handled wins and losses:

“It’s all about losing.  When we win, I’m pretty happy for about an hour, and then I’m thinking about the next game.  When we lose, I’m thinking about that game until we get to the next one.”

Geno Auriemma

In this section, there was a fascinating insight about Geno on self-doubt that helps motivate him to be the best and in turn push his team to greatness.

“I live with self-doubt every day, so I can emphasize with the players I’m coaching,” Auriemma says.  “I know these guys are filled with self-doubt.  How can they not be?  You’re putting yourself out there in front of thousands of people.  You’re being judged and you’re eighteen, nineteen years old.  So you’re thinking, 'Am I good enough to do this?  What happens if I play shitty?'  So this is part of daily life.  I try to tell them, ‘It’s good for you to have self-doubt, because it forces you to look at yourself objectively.”

Doc Rivers

Something profound in this chapter was what his father would always tell him growing up:  “There will be no victims in this house.”

There was also a key portion of this section where Doc talked about what he had learned from Pat Riley including:

“I learned from Riley that the key to coaching is to get a group of players to believe there’s one agenda, and that you have the same agenda as them.  If you can do that, your players are going to do whatever they can for you.”

Brad Stevens

This may have been the best chapter in the book in terms of my take aways.  David detailed how Stevens and his philosophy evolved including a leadership seminar class he took his senior year that introduced him to the philosophy of Robert K. Greenleaf.

“I remember thinking, this makes sense. Do you want to be around somebody who lifts you up, or somebody that breaks you down?  That’s why whenever people ask me what’s your leadership style, my answer is ‘It should be you.’  There’s an authenticity that is needed for leadership.  If it’s not real, then it’s not going to work.”

Dabo Swinney

Dabo’s story is an amazing one — from his walking on at Alabama (he called it “crawling on) to his leaving football in a variety of jobs until finding his way back to the profession.

One good insight to his message is the utilization of repetition in story telling:

Davis wrote: He is a meticulous planner who tells the same stories, uses the same phrases, and harps on the same messages, even if his guys have heard it all a thousand times. 

“That’s something I learned from Coach Stallings,” says Swinney.  “I spent seven years with him, and every year I’d be like, ‘Here comes the Mama Don’t Fret  story.  Here come the Ben Hogan story.’ That’s how he protected his culture.  When you say it enough so your players can repeat it, that’s when you know they’re getting it.”

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TWO AND THREE WEEKS INTO PRACTICE TO KEEP YOUR TEAM INSPIRED

Many years ago at a clinic, I heard Kelvin Sampson say "Most coaches are excited about practice the first couple of weeks.  Then they get tired or bored.  The best coaches know how to stay locked in."

I think this is just as true for players as it is coaches -- though often the players may take the lead from the coaching staff in terms of their energy and enthusiasm.  It is not enough to write up a practice plan and than go about executing it.  You need to give thought to the placement of drills, the length of a workout and the strategic (yes, I said strategic) schedule of off days.

What are you doing to keep your team inspired and excited about practice?  John Wooden was a huge believer in make sure practice ended on a positive note.  "Give them a reason to want to come back tomorrow," he once told me.

Don Meyer once talked about a 30 win season in which he could sleep because he'd lay away all night trying to figure out how he was going to his team "an edge the next day in practice."

Sometimes we think inspiration is about getting teams emotionally ready to play a game.  But you better find away to get that same result out of your practices.

Nick Saban is a master at keeping his players locked in. Here is an older post where Coach Saban came up with a plan of putting responsibility on key players.

In a press conference this week, Saban said he "created some tension" among his team in practice which is something he likes to do.

Are bringing someone in occasionally to speak to them?  Letting them here a different voice and even a different perspective can be incredibly beneficial.

Once again, an older post on Coach Saban and how he used speakers with his team.

My point is getting your team ready shouldn't just apply to games -- but importantly, apply to practices.

THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE EXCELLENCE

In a few weeks I'll be speaking at the PGC/Glazier Coaching Clinic in Dallas.  I have two segments and my last one is titled: "Don Meyer - Lessons Learned from a Legacy Left."  I've spent the last few days rereading Buster Olney's great book on Coach Meyer, "How Lucky You Can Be," and came across a passage back in the acknowledgments that I'm going to share with my team today:

"I first met Don Meyer when I was twenty-four years old and a first-year reporter at the Nashville Banner.  Meyer's practices were always open to the public, and so, once or twice a week, I would sit in and watch and listen. When the team met in a classroom before of after practices, I would take a seat in the back.  The underlying message that I heard him present to his players -- that every single day provided you with the opportunity to pursue excellent or not -- resonated with me from a young age."

THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

Yesterday, while speaking to various teams at are team camp, I never fail to talk to them about the great power in the world -- the power they have to chose their attitude regardless of the circumstances.  We talk about how we all have this ability and when we discover it and then nature it, we can accomplish amazing things.  

I really love this passage from John Maxwell’s most recent book titled “No Limits:”

I started my journey across that bridge many years ago when my assistant Eileen Beavers gave me a book for Christmas.  When I saw the title, “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” I opened the book with great excitement, because I wanted to learn what it was about.  But all I saw were blank pages.  Inside was a note from Eileen that said, “John, your life is before you.  Fill these pages with kind acts, good thoughts, and matters of your heart.  Write a great story with your life.”

We really do have the power to write our own story.

INSIDE MOTIVATION FOR THE CAVS...WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR YOUR TEAM

Motivation can come in a variety of ways.  Certainly self-motivation ranks as the highest form.  But there is something to say for any form of motivation that can unify a team...something that everyone feels a part of and can rally around.

The Cleveland Cavaliers came ups with just that -- inspiration that the entire team shared during their historic playoff run.  

As reported by Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Cavs James Jones created a concept of a  a puzzle with 16 pieces, one for each win needed to take the title. When put together, it would form the trophy.

As Windhorst wrote:

The golden puzzle was kept quiet by players and coaches, revealed only after the Cavs completed the greatest comeback in Finals history with their93-89, Game 7 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.

The trophy puzzle was kept in a case hidden from outsiders and traveled with the Cavs as they made their way through the postseason. Different players who contributed in different ways would place a symbolic piece after every playoff win. For example,Kevin Love was selected when the Cavs won Game 3 of the Finals without him as he frustratingly missed the game with a concussion.

The final piece was in the shape of the state of Ohio and was placed by coach Tyronn Lue as the Cavs poured champagne over one another in the Oracle Arena's visitors locker room.

"Together, that's how you win a championship," Jones said. "Individually we are all just a piece. Everyone had to have their role. Everyone has to have their piece."

Doc Rivers speaks of the importance of the buy in.  What as a coach are you doing -- what are you creating to rally your team together?  And don't wait for the post season.  What can you do that can help center your team's energy during the off-season?  Could it be a well-thought out phrase that you have on t-shirts or wristbands?  What can you come up with symbolic that will inspire your team? 

EVENT + RESPONSE = OUTCOME (PART II)

Early this week I wrote about Urban Meyer and his use of the formula E + R + O (Event + Response = Outcome).  He got this from Tim Kight of Focus 3, a leadership consulting organization.  For a clearer look at the equation, here is are a few notes from Focus 3:

Sounds simple enough, right?

An event (E) happens, you choose a Response (R), and an outcome (O) is produced.

Just choose better R's to produce better outcomes.  The challenge is that this simple equation is not easy to manage.  

Focus 3 gives 3 major impediments to any behavior change.

1. The Power of Impulse

Everyone has impulses and those impulses do not always align with the direction of the organization or the specific need of the moment.  One of the hardest challenges is getting people to behave in alignment with the company's desired culture and strategy and resist the impulse to act in ways that do not align.

2. The Gravitational Pull of Old Habits

Not every habit is productive and improving habits and behavior can be met with resistance and frustration

3. The Challenge of Difficult Events

Not all events are created equal.  Some situations are just more difficult to manage than others.  And different situations are challenging for different people.

Focus 3 also talks about steps to help people manager the R better:

1. Identify Defining Moments

2. Clarify the Desired Outcomes

3. Asses Behavior Patterns

4. Coach for Behavior

DECIDE. COMMIT. ACT. SUCCEED. REPEAT

The following comes from the book "Relentless" by Tim Grover:

To be the best, whether in sports of business or any other aspect of life, it’s never enough to just get to the top; you have to stay there, and then you have to climb higher, because there’s always someone right behind you trying to catch up. Most people are willing to settle for “good enough.” But if you want to be unstoppable, those words mean nothing to you. Being the best means engineering your life so you never stop until you get what you want, and then you keep going until you get what’s next. And then you go for even more.

Decide. Commit. Act. Succeed. Repeat

EVENT + RESPONSE = OUTCOME (PART I)

In his book "Above the Line,"   Urban Meyer talks about a relationship he developed with Tim Kight, the founder of Focus 3 which is a leadership development firm.  What he learned, and applied with his football team became known as "the R Factor."  In fact, Chapter 2 of Meyer's book is completely dedicated to "The R Factor."

Here are a few take aways from that chapter:

This equation teaches something very important about the way life works.  We don't control the events in life, and we don't directly control the outcomes.  But we always have control over how we choose to respond.  How we respond means everything.

We call it the R Factor.

Every day you make R Factor decisions.

It is the factor that determines the quality of your life.

Coach Meyer says that they teach their team 6 R Factor disciplines:

R:1 Press Pause
We teach our players, in response to any situation they face, to press pause and ask: What does this situation require of me?

There are two important benefits of pressing pause:

A) It helps you avoid doing something foolish or harmful.
B) It focuses you on acting with purpose to accomplish your goals..

R:2 Get Your Mind Right
Elite performers win in their minds first.  The mind is a battleground where the greatest struggles take place. The thoughts that win the battle for your mind will direct your life.  Mental state affects physical performance. 

Getting your mind right means managing two things:

A) What you focus on
B) How you talk to yourself

Urban Meyer to his players: "The voice in your mind is a powerful force.  Take ownership of that force."

R:3 Step Up
It is your responsibility to understand the situation, be clear about what is required of you, then respond Above the Line.  This is what it means to step up.

Simply stated, Big E's and Big O's require Big R's.

Under pressure, we do not rise to the occasion. We rise or fall to the level of our training.  When contact is made, it is too late to train and build skill.

Every team faces some kind of adversity.  Mediocre teams are destroyed by it.  Good teams survive it.  Great teams get better because of it.

R:4 Adjust and Adapt
The ability to be flexible and responsive in today's competitive environment is a mandatory skill.  The best athletes and teams are exceptional at adjusting and adapting to challenging circumstances.

Here is another reality -- life will get increasingly difficult for you if you don't.

Every day you are creating or reinforcing habits in your life.  The question is, are they habits that help or habits that hold you back?

R:5 Make a Difference
Your R is an E for others.  Your attitude and behavior have a profound impact on your teammates and your coaches.  The quality of your relationships is determined by how you choose to manage the R.  You don't get the team you want -- you get the team you build.

Making a difference means taking complete ownership of the experience you give your teammates and the contributions you make to the culture of the team.

R:6 Build Skill
Talent is a gift.  Greatness is a choice.

Talent can take you to a level of ability that produces good results.  But talent by itself will not take you to the elite level.  Exceptional performance is the result of an uncommon level of focus and discipline in the pursuit of greatness.  Build skill every day and consistently get better.  Be coachable.  Train and practice Above the Line.  Be intentional and on purpose.  Complacency is the enemy of exceptional.  Grow beyond your talent.

Embrace discomfort.  Discomfort marks the place where the old ways meets the new way.  Discomfort indicates that change is about to happen.  Push through the pain.  If it doesn't challenge you, it will not change you.

Champions are made by how they manage their R.

DEAN LOCKWOOD CLINIC NOTES (PART I)

Spending some time the past few weeks reviewing clinic notes and this morning it was from my friend Dean Lockwood of the University of Tennessee.  This particular set of notes came from a PGC/Glazier Clinic in Chicago a few years ago that we spoke at:

You have to have a philosophy

On motivation via Louis L'Amour: "The water doesn't run till you turn the faucet on."

On improving via Max DePree: "We can't become what we need to be by remaining what are."

Needs assessment:
     What you want
     What it is
     Gap

Evaluate Your Program
1. Do a needs assessment
2. Define profile of competition you want.
3. Level of conditioning...this is where...
     ...Competitiveness starts
     ...Creates confidence
4. Coach controls environment

Teach...Emphasize...Reinforce...Support.....Measure

Be precise, clear and specific

Drills: time and score...don't stop competitive drills

Readiness and Preparation

Recognize and reward high achievers
     Starve the turkeys
     Feed the eagles

Know you boss and know how you boss defines success.

Competitive Skill Work
1. Shooting Skill -- time and score...chart
2. Team Drills -- 4/4/4 Cut Throat -- only score on defense
3. Consequences
4. Practice must be harder than games