DO YOU HAVE AN ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEM IN PLACE?

John Maxwell in his Leadership Wired newsletter talked today about the value of having a "system" in place for maximum results. Here is what he had to say:

What Is a System?

A system is simply your way of getting things done. Systems aren't one-time acts; they're habits that you do weekly or even daily. They're the mechanics of leadership, and over time, they dictate the extent of your effectiveness.

The Value of Systems

1) They Help Us Manage Time
As a young leader, a heavier workload and increasing demands on my time forced me to learn how to get things done quickly. I developed systems to squeeze as much productivity as possible into my day. I couldn't afford to move slowly.

As Peter Drucker wrote, "Everything requires time. It is the one truly universal condition. All work takes place in time and uses up time. Yet most people take for granted, this unique, irreplaceable, and necessary resource. Nothing else, perhaps, distinguishes effective executives as much as their tender loving care of time."

2) They Help Us Conserve Energy
When we have good systems in life, we don't waste energy. Do you know the number one waster of time? Looking for things that are lost. A study by Office World News found that the average executive squanders 150 hours each year looking for misplaced files.

As I worked on this lesson, I laughed because I knew it would bring up a few of my idiosyncrasies. For example, when I went to get my glasses the last time, I ordered six pairs-one to put at each of my favorite reading places. I don't have to carry a pair around with me, and when I sit down they're always convenient. It may seem like a silly system, but I never lose time rummaging around for a pair of reading glasses.

3) They Help Us to Multiply Creativity
When I was first married, my wife and I lived in south Indiana, and we didn't have any money. Margaret taught kindergarten, and I was a pastor making $80 per week. Margaret would ask me to mow the lawn, and I would get irritated because we didn't have money to hire someone else to tend to the lawn. There's nothing wrong with mowing, but I had lots of other priorities, and mowing didn't crack my top ten. So, eventually we bought a goat. He grazed on the grass, and I saved time!

Developing systems to handle the trivia of life frees you up to be creative. By automating repetitive tasks, you're able to focus mental energy on top priorities.

4) They Help Us to Maximize Progress
Systems help us to move forward, to go as far as we possibly can. They enable us to work faster, smarter, and more strategically. A good system eliminates waste, while it also anticipates and removes obstacles.

To get the most out of systems, you have to make them a lifestyle not a one-off deal. They must become ingrained in your routine. Systems only benefit you when you stick to them.

Here are some quotes on "systems:"

"Systems have a greater impact on behavior than mission statements."~ Andy Stanley

"A good system shortens the road to the goal." ~ Orison Swett Marden

"Management works in the system; Leadership works on the system."~ Stephen Covey

I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man's; I will not reason and compare, my business is to create.~ William Blake

"Successful people are successful because they form the habits of doing those things that failures don't like to do."~ Albert Gray

ERIC MUSSELMAN'S: COACH ALWAYS SAID...

I was going through some of Coach Eric Musselman's old blogs and came across this one:

Over the last 10 years, I've tried to make a note of every time a player said, "Coach always says...".

I'd see an article, highlight it, and toss it in a file.During that time, I've come across hundreds of examples across every sport. It's a simple reminder of what messages players retain and recall, sometimes years after they've left the field or the gym.Here's a selection of them.

Coach always said...

"If you are not doing it the right way, why are you doing it. Learn how to do it the right way and practice it the right way."

"You'll be remembered by your last performance."

"Toughness is a skill."

"If you do the little things right you’ll win."

"The more things you can do, the longer you'll be around here."

"What you put in is what you get out."

"You don’t improve during the playoffs. You improve at practice."

"The season is a marathon not a sprint. What matters is that our team gets better with each game."

"Offense sells tickets; defense wins championships."

"You have to go hard on every play because it could be the difference in the game."

"In every crisis lies opportunity."

"The mental is to the physical as 4 is to 1."

"Good things happen to good people who work hard."

"If you get a five-point lead, push it up to 10. If you have a 10-point lead, push it to 20."

"Turn the page. Good stuff, bad stuff, just turn the page."

"We're not playing our opponent. We're trying to beat the game. The opponent is just another hurdle."

"Forget about the last play. Think about the next play."

"Finish."

"Mismatches don't beat you, uncontested shots beat you."

"Make the easy play."

"The pain of regret is worse than the pain of disappointment."

"How do you want to be remembered?"

"Not to be afraid to win."

"The first one on the floor gets the ball."

These are some of my favorites, but click on the link to Coach Musselman's story for the complete list of nearly 200:

http://emuss.blogspot.com/2009/03/coach-always-said.html

BRIAN TRACY'S 11 KEYS TO INCREASING YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

There's just nobody better than Brian Tracy at helping us with time management. It is one of the key components to be a successful coach as well as a successful spouse and parent, all at the same time. Here is the list that Brian put out in his email today:

1. Develop clear goals and write them down.

Because higher productivity begins with clear goals, goal setting is a key component of our coaching program. As you know, a goal must be specific and measurable to be effective in guiding your behavior. It must reflect your beliefs and be within your power to achieve.

2. Write a clear action plan.

Next, if you want to turbo-charge your productivity, make sure you have a clear, written plan of action. Every minute you spend in careful planning will save you as many as ten minutes in execution.

3. Set your priorities.

The third step is to prioritize your list. Analyze your list before you take action. Identify and start with the high-value tasks on your list.

4. Concentrate and eliminate distractions.

In this step, choose a high-value activity or task, start on it immediately, and stay with it until it is done. Focusing single-minded attention on one task allows you to complete it far more quickly than starting and stopping.

5. Lengthen your workday but increase your time off.

By starting your workday a little earlier, working through lunchtime, and staying a little later, you can become one of the most productive people in your field.

6. Work harder at what you do.

When you are at work, concentrate on work all the time you are there. Don't squander your time or fall into the habit of treating the workplace as a community where socializing is acceptable.

7. Pick up the pace.

At work, develop a sense of urgency and maintain a quicker tempo in all your activities. Get on with the job. Dedicate yourself to moving quickly from task to task.

8. Work smarter.

Focus on the value of the tasks you complete. While the number of hours you put in is important, what matters most is the quality and quantity of results you achieve.

9. Align your work with your skills.

Skill and experience count. You achieve more in less time when you work on tasks at which you are especially skilled or experienced.

10. Bunch your tasks.

Group similar activities and do them all at the same time. Making all your calls, completing all your estimates, or preparing all your presentation slides at the same time allows you to develop speed and skill at each activity.

11. Cut out steps.

Pull several parts of the job together into a single task and eliminate several steps. Where you can, cut lower-value activities completely.

COACH MEYER DICTAPHONE NOTES #33

QUOTES ON CHALLENGES

From Ron White's newsletter, quotes on CHALLENGES:

“Contentment is for cows; a challenging purpose is for people.”

-Denis Waitley-

“Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.”

-Henry J. Kaiser-

“The most rewarding things you do

in life are often the ones that look

like they cannot be done.”

-Arnold Palmer-

“When you’ve got something to prove,

there’s nothing greater than a challenge.”

-Terry Bradshaw-

“Great spirits have always encountered

violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

-Albert Einstein-

“There aren’t any great men.

There are just great challenges

that ordinary men like you and me

are forced by circumstances to meet.”

-William F. Halsey-

“I will say this for adversity:

People seem to be able to stand it,

and that is more than I can say for prosperity.”

-Kin Hubbard-

“When we long for life without difficulties,

remind us that oaks grow strong

in contrary winds and diamonds

are made under pressure.”

-Peter Marshal-

“Challenges make you discover things

about yourself that you never really knew.

They’re what make the instrument stretch

—what makes you go beyond the norm.”

-Cicely Tyson-

“A feeling of confidence and personal power comes

from facing challenges and overcoming them.”

-Brian Tracy-

“Strength does not come from winning.

Your struggles develop your strengths.

When you go through hardships and decide

not to surrender, that is strength.”

-Arnold Schwarzenegger-

“The walking of Man is falling forwards.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

“Fortunately, problems are in everyday part of our life.

Consider this: If there were no problems,

most of us would be unemployed. Realistically, the

more problems we have, and the larger

they are, the greater our value to our employer.”

-Zig Ziglar-

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.”

-Margaret Thatcher-

The Bill Walsh Standard of Performance

I approached building the 49er organization with an agenda that didn't include a timetable for a championship or even a winning season. Instead, I arrived with an urgent timetable for installing an agenda of specific behavioral norms -- actions and attitudes -- that applied to every single person on our payroll.

To put it bluntly, I would teach each person in the organization what to do and how to think. The short-term results would contribute both symbolically and fictionally to a new and productive self-image and environment and become the foundation upon which we could launch our longer-term goal, namely, the resurrection of a football franchise.

While I prized preparation, planning, precision, and poise, I also knew that organizational ethics were crucial to ultimate and ongoing success.

It began with this fundamental leadership assertion: Regardless of your specific job, it is vital to our team that you do that job at the highest possible level in all its various aspects, both mental and physical (i.e., good talent with bad attitude equals bad talent).

From "The Score Takes Care of Itself"

By Bill Walsh with Steve Jamison and Craig Walsh

GOALS MUST BE FLEXBILE

The following is a goal-setting article by Holly Stonebrook. She has written the guidelines for personal goal setting but it could also be easily utilized for team goals as well:

There are times in life when the end goal we have set for ourselves is larger than we want to see. These goals are best broken down into smaller steps along the way. Goal setting for success can help to break down the seemingly insurmountable walls surrounding these goals. At the heart of goal setting is the smaller bits and pieces of the whole and the celebrations we give ourselves along the way.

Personal goal setting can work to make goal achievement easy and rewarding. These tips can hep guide your personal goal setting in the right direction.

Large goal, small steps.

The realistic nature of small goals makes the personal goal setting more apt for success. When we aim huge, we set ourselves up for failure. For instance, if we want lose weight and 100 lbs is our end goal, the smaller goals setting steps along the way may be in 10 lb increments. This way, every time those small goals are reached, the end goal becomes more near and we see that as a reality and not as a distant dream.

Celebrate the small goals.

Waiting until the end goal is reached is not a good choice. We need to celebrate every achievement along the way and that means those small goal setting goals. Success from goal setting will never be achieved if we do not thank ourselves for being so diligent along the way. At the heart of the smaller goals setting goals is the chance to celebrate those small successes.

Lose the pride.

Pride is the number one reason why goals setting goals are not met with success. Just because we start out on a journey toward a huge end, does not mean our successes are dependent on taking that journey alone. Goal setting should be flexible enough to incorporate the help of others. No matter how we achieve success, it feels good to use our goal setting choices to just be successful.

Revise when needed.

Goal setting is not perfect. Life comes at you with the force of reality and often goal setting needs to be reworked in order to fit the current times and life choices. Success is not measured on the accomplishment of the original goal, just n accomplishment in general. You are the one that controls your goal setting fate and ultimately your success. Do not be afraid to change and modify your goals as needed.

Not every success is a success.

Sometimes goal setting means we are going to succeed and sometimes we are not. Our goals are points that we will aim for and goal setting a path to take. When reality moves our goals out of reach, it is the will to keep walking toward the end and making those small advances that is the real achievement.

Taking your time and setting goals that are achievable will make the difference in goal setting for personal success. It is the goals we set in our lives that make us drive for more and strive for the best. Goal setting needs to be realistic and open to change. And, when goals setting works and those success goals are reached, celebrate and reward yourself.

PERSIST UNTIL YOU SUCCEED

A wonderful writing from Brian Tracy that is a great read for coaches, players and everyone else in all other walks of life:

The most important single quality of success is self-discipline. Self-discipline is having the ability within yourself, based on your strength of character and willpower, to do what you should do when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not. Character is the ability to follow through on a resolution after the enthusiasm with which the resolution was made has passed.

Persistence is Self-Discipline in Action

Perhaps the greatest display of self-discipline is persisting when the going gets tough. Persistence is self-discipline in action. Persistence is the great measure of individual human character. Your persistence is, in fact, the true measure of your belief in yourself and your ability to succeed. Each time that you persist in the face of adversity and disappointment, you build the habit of persistence. You build pride, power, and self-esteem in your character and your personality. You become stronger and more resolute. By persisting, you become more self-disciplined. You develop within yourself the iron quality of success, the one quality that will carry you forward and over any obstacle that life can throw in your path.

Get Going and Keep Going

Orison Swett Marden wrote in his book, “There are two essential requirements for success. The first is 'go-at-it-iveness' and the second is 'stick-to-it-iveness'” Referring to the quality of persistence he wrote, “There is no failure for the man who realizes his power, who never knows when he is beaten; there is no failure for the determined endeavor, the conquerable will. There is no failure for the man who gets up every time he falls, who rebounds like a rubber ball, who persists when everyone else gives up, who pushes on when everyone else turns back.”

Persistence is Your Greatest Asset

Perhaps your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay at a task longer than anyone else. B.C. Forbes, who founded Forbes magazine and built it into a major publication during the darkest days of the Depression, wrote, “History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeat.”

Adversity is What Tests Us

Throughout history, great thinkers have reflected on this paradox and have concluded that adversity is the test that you must pass on the path to accomplishing anything worthwhile. Herodotus, the Greek philosopher, said, “Adversity has the effect of drawing out strength and qualities of a man that would have lain dormant in its absence.” The very best qualities of strength, courage, character, and persistence are brought out in you when you face your greatest challenges and when you respond to them positively and constructively.

THE MOST IMPORTANT 45 MINUTES OF THE DAY

The following comes from Jack Canfield titled the "The Most Important 45 Minutes Of The Day." I'm a big believe in this philosophy. From the management standpoint, Don Meyer has taught us all the value of plan the next day the night before. From the standpoint of attitude and motivation, I can recall in the 2007 NCAA Tournament in the Fresno Regional that our team was up against a talented and powerful UConn team. Dr. Kevin Elko who helped guide our team to the Final Four gave me the following instructions to give to our team. He told me the night before we played, following our scouting and motivational video, to give our team this assignment:

"When you climb into bed, close your eyes and think back to the best game you have ever played in your career. If could've been in college, high school, AAU or any other time or place. Think about how you felt during that game -- being in the zone. Do you recall in sounds or smells from that came? What was it like know that you were playing at the highest level you have every played before? Think about how you felt after the game knowing you had reached such a great level. Let all those thoughts take you to sleep.

The result was a stunning 20 point victory which sent us to another Final Four. Here is Jack Canfield's take on such an exercise and why it works:

An important part of any focusing regimen is to set aside time at the end of the day -- just before going to sleep -- to acknowledge your successes, review your goals, focus on your successful future, and make specific plans for what you want to accomplish the next day.

Why do I suggest the end of the day? Because whatever you read, see, listen to, talk about, and experience during the last 45 minutes of the day has a huge influence on your sleep and your next day. During the night, you unconscious mind replays and processes this late-night input up to six times more often than anything else you experienced during the day. This is why cramming for school exams late at night can work and why watching a scary moving before bed will give you nightmares.

As you drift off to sleep, you enter into the alpha brain wave state of consciousness -- a state in which you are very suggestable. If you drift off to sleep while watching the 11 PM news, that is what you'll be imprinting into your consciousness -- war, crime, automobile accidents, rape, murder, executions, gangs wars, drive-by shootings, kidnappings, and scandals in the boardroom and on Wall Street.

Think how much better it would be to read an inspirational autobiography or a self-improvement book instead. Imagine the power of meditating, listening to a self-help audio program, or taking the time to plan the next day right before you go to sleep.

DEAN SMITH THOUGHTS ON PHILOSOPHY

From - "The Carolina Way: Leadership Lessons From A Life In Coaching"
By Dean Smith with Gerald D. Bell and John Kilgo

Like most people, I never gave much thought to defining my personal philosophy, but I admit I was stubborn about what I believed to be right. Basketball is beautiful game, and I had a vision of how it should be played and how our program should be run. That vision involved our coming together as a team, putting team ahead of self, first and foremost, and being smart and hardworking.

We were tough on our freshman. We believed we had to take them out of the bad habits they had formed in high school, often with their coaches’ blessing. In ridding them of bad habits, we tore them down in order to building them up.

The addition or subtraction of just one player can have an enormous impact on a team’s chemistry, not to mention its ability.

We made adjustments each year, depending on our personnel, and an annual goal was to disguise our team’s weakness and accentuate its strengths.

We didn’t fear change even in the midst of the season. When your goal is to put your players in the best position possible for them to be successful, there’s a time to be stubborn and a time to be flexible.