THE OTHER SIDE OF VINCE LOMBARDI

Jerry Kramer on Vince Lombardi:

I think the thing that’s been missed the most about him was his positive impact on the players. He’s usually represented as a mean, demanding, screaming SOB. A lot of coaches think that was his secret, and they try to emulate him. They assume that’s what he was like all the time.

But what they don’t know is that he was a very, very sensitive man. He could tear you apart, but he also had the knack of saying or doing just the right thing to bring you back up and make you believe you could be a lot better than you really were.

I remember a time when we had a goal-lime scrimmage early in training camp. It had to be 90 degrees, and the defense was just busting our ass in the awful heat. One play I missed a block. The next one I jumped offside. He jumped in and just reamed me out. He had me looking down, checking by shoeshine. I felt awful.

After practice, I went to the locker room and I was really thinking about packing it in. I really thought it was time for me to do something else. I had been there quite a while when Vince finally came into the locker room and saw me sitting there. He came over and patted me on the back. Then he tousled my hair. “Son,” he said, “don’t you know that someday you’re going to be the best guard in football?” That really got something started inside me.

At the time, I didn’t get what he was doing. But when I looked back years later, I asked myself, “How did you miss that?” He knew exactly what he was doing. Praise means a lot more if you haven’t heard it before. He treated each one of us separately and differently, but in a way that didn’t piss the rest of the team off.

From, "Lombardi and Me" by Paul Hornung with Billy Reed

THE CULTURE OF LEARNING AND MEASUREMENTS

By Mike Dunlap (University or Oregon)

It is imperative that each teacher/coach knows the five laws of learning:

1) Tell Them

2) Show Them

3) Have Players Show You

4) Correct the Demonstration

5) RepetitionHow the teacher/coach must set up each practice as his/her classroom.

How the teacher/coach must set up each practice as his/her classroom. This means there should be well established trademarks:

Forms of Communication:

a. Whiteboard

b. Player Notebooks

c. Film

d. Verbals= Common Language of Your team

e. Echo Teaching By Players

f. Socratic Method

g. Modeling

THREE OUNCES

From Ron White's Ezine Newsletter:

I love baseball.

I love going to a game alone, with friends or watching it on TV. I can talk baseball for hours, and even reading about it is interesting for me. Therefore, it should be no surprise that I’ve played on a softball team. I am a decent fielder; however, I take tremendous pride in my hitting. One season, there was only one at-bat that I did not get on base. In other words, I either received a walk or made a hit 29 out of 30 at-bats. At the risk of sounding boastful, that is an extremely impressive statistic!

However, as sometimes occurs in every aspect of life, I went into a slump the very next season. During this season, I went six consecutive at-bats without a hit or a walk. I even struck out once swinging! It was very frustrating for me. I quickly became the worst hitter on the team. I was embarrassed and didn’t know what to do, and then I remembered Ernie Banks....

Ernie played baseball in the 1950s, and he lightened his bat by 3 ounces. He went from hitting 19 home runs to 45 home runs—all because of 3 ounces! So I took a cue from Ernie Banks and I lightened my bat by 3 ounces. It was amazing! I began clobbering the ball all over the field. I finished the season on a hitting tear.

How much is 3 ounces? Very little—but also a lot. Is your life in a slump? If it is, my guess is that you don’t need a major overhaul. Ninety-five percent of the time, dramatic changes can be seen with just minor tweaking. The difference between $50,000 and $500,000 a year may be the result of minor improvements. If you are not getting your desired result, ask yourself, “Is there anything that I can change just a little in my daily routine to see dramatic results?” Perhaps, a 20-minute daily workout, better time management, reading a book a week or some other idea.

Click here to sign up for Ron's Ezine: http://www.memoryinamonth.com/

GREATNESS DEFINED

From: http://www.trainforhoops.com/ (Thanks to Coach Clarence Gaines Jr. for the heads up)

“Greatness is not about someone who has the ability to be great…Greatness shows up when someone might not have the ability but finds a way to succeed. They outwork their opponents, they outhit their opponents, they outfight their opponents. They want it more. Don’t give me the guy who’s supposed to be all-world and you’ve got to try and talk him into something. Give me the guy who has maybe just enough talent to be on the field but thinks he’s great, and who’s willing to do whatever he can do to contribute, to make the team better. That’s what I want…”

-Mike Singletary

Head Coach San Francisco 49ers

THE IMPORTANCE OF FOCUS

Mental strength and intense focus drive Phelps to greatness by Alan Abrahamson, NBCOlympics.com:

Michael Phelps is ruthlessly competitive. Poker, spades, swimming -- he wants to win.

Teammate Erik Vendt said, "When it gets to be game time, you can see it in his face: 'I'm Michael Phelps and I'm not going to lose.'

"When push comes to shove, he is going to be there. I have never seen him lose a close race and I don't plan to see him lose a close race."

"When I'm focused," Phelps said, "there is not one single thing, person, anything that can stand in my way of doing something. There is not. Never has been.

"If I want something bad enough, then I'm gonna get there. That's just how I always have been. If I don't get there, watch out - because it's going to be even worse and I'm going to have my head on even tighter and you will not get in my way."

Phelps is, moreover, possessed of an exquisite sense of awareness and timing about his own body and performance.

BOB McKILLOP'S SEVEN KEYS OF THE GAME

Bob McKillop of Davidson University: Seven Keys Of The Game

1. SEEING

-See the game
-Makes you quicker
-See that you are denied and go back door.

2. TALKING
-Families break down because they do not talk
-Talk with your hands and your mouth
-Ask fro the balls with 10 fingers

3. FLESH ON FLESH CONTACT
-Set hard screens body to body
-Box out physically

4. BE DETAILED
-Run to the ball as a teammates saves it OOB
-Do not dribble a loose ball. Pick it up and chin it
-Sacrifice position for possession in the post
-Screens

5. ALWAYS BE BALANCED

-Defensively
-With the ball

6. FINISH
-Finish every play
-Finish every shot you miss in practice
-The last part of the play needs to be the strongest
-Finish your basket cut to the rim then space out to the 3 pt line.

7. BE AN ACTOR
-Foot fake
-Fake the screen away and basket cut

JEFF VAN GUNDY DEFENSIVE GOALS

Jeff Van Gundy builds his defense from transition and rebounding. He is also a big believe in Individual Responsibility which is why they don't switch. The following were he team defensive goals while coaching the Knicks

Field Goal Percentage - 42%

Free Throw Attempts = -25

3 Point Field Goal Percentage = 30%

Fast Break Attempts/Conversion Percentage = -12 @+50%

Defensive Rebounding Percentage = +74%

Deflections = +30

Momentum Changing Players (Blocked Shots/Charges) = +8

I thought these were very interesting. I think what's important is that he has measurable goals in areas of importance to his team in regard to his philosophy.

At Texas A&M, our defensive goals this year will be as follows:

Field Goal Percentage = 40%

3 Point Field Goal Percentage = 25%

Deflections = +45

Defensive Rebounding Percentage = +70%

Opponent's Points Per Possession = .65 or less

Opponent's FT Per Possession = .15 or less

Opponent's Turnovers Per Possession = .18 or more

Transition: Open 3's or Lay-Ups = 0

What you chart and what goals you have should be set by based on a variety of factors:

1. Your philosophy...a pressure defensive team should have a higher goal in forcing turnovers than a team that plays a pack style of defense.

2. Your team...the talent level and experience of your players will have something to do with the goals you set.

I once heard Roy Williams of North Carolina say that the most important statistic to him was opponent's field goal percentage and I think there is a lot of merit to that thought. I certainly think it is the most important stat in terms of defensive play.

Once you have set goals for your team, it is important that you share and implement. Your team needs to know the standard that is set and they need to be reminded on a daily basis. As Coach Don Meyer says, "It's not what you teach, it's what you emphasize."

Implement it with your practices. You must drill and teach in such a way that you our system is gears to reach those goals. Chart those goals in practice. If you can't do it daily, at least do it occasionally. Your team needs to see its progress in practice before they can reap the benefits on game day.

MESHING TALENT AND EGOS

I came across an interesting article at the Harvard Business Review on the meshing of eog's -- the blending of super talents. If you are fortunate enough, you can sometimes have the opportunity to coach not just one start player but possibly two or three. For most on the outside looking in, this seems to be a blessing. But it does come with some great and difficult challenges and John Baldoni speaks to this in his blog:

Can you have a team comprised of too many smart people?

"Sometimes too many geniuses is a problem," said New York Times columnist David Brooks, speaking in early February on PBS's Charlie Rose. Brooks noted that some of the difficulties that the Obama administration was having initially on his economic and foreign policy teams was caused by the proliferation of so many smart people. While Brooks alluded to "brains," he was not simply speaking about intelligence, but also about strong-willed people. These are folks who are more inclined to believe in the strength of their own ideas rather than the ideas of colleagues.
Every successful coach knows that a team of stars is not a team unless some of those stars are willing to channel their formidable talents to team rather than individual excellence. The Four-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurts are a prime example of superstars merging ego and talent toward championships rather than individual stardom. Their coach, Greg Popovich, has been masterful in getting stars and role players to meld as one team in the quest for NBA titles.
A manager boasting such a collection of talented people is fortunate indeed, but unless she finds a way to bring her team together around common goals, the team will be ineffectual.
To that end, here are some suggestions:

Set big goals. Nothing motivates talent like a big goal. Talented people love nothing better than tackling big problems. The more difficult the obstacle, the more engaged they become. Therefore, put the goal before the team. Ask them how to solve it. And then challenge them to do it. Big goals are common in design, engineering and research sectors; innovation fuels their drive.

Rub egos together. Smart people like being around other smart people. They especially enjoy proving how much smarter they are than the others. So use this ego to the team's advantage. Competition for scarce resources like funding and manpower will keep people on their toes. Treat everyone fairly -- but not necessarily equally. That is, the more one achieves, the more recognition he will receive.

Keep team goals first. Work to ensure that rivalries are achievement-oriented, not personal. Bruised egos are fine; hurt feelings are not. Make certain that everyone continues to feel part of the team.

Sometimes you need to invite a star to leave, however. Not because she is a malcontent or because she is causing trouble but because she needs to move on for the good of the organization as well as herself.

Such talents may need to move into management, where they can learn to build and sustain their own teams. Or they may be destined for senior management and need to spend time early in their careers as staff assistants to senior leaders. The military routinely assigns promising junior and mid-level officers to work as aides to senior command officers. Dwight Eisenhower, Colin Powell, and David Petraeus -- to name three -- all benefitted from working in this system. Powell also served as a military attaché to Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger during the Reagan Administration.

Getting a team to work together may be more art than science. And having a team of especially talented people may be a manager's gift -- but unless she can harness the individuals to work collectively, it's a wasted gift. The individuals may remain like uncut diamonds, rough and unpolished, rather than glittering as jewels in a singular crown.

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/baldoni/2009/02/managing_big_egos_so_the_entir.html

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUST

From my Ignite! Newsletter (sign up for it at www.kenblanchard.com) comes some thoughts on building trust. There is no more stronger basis for teaching than when the student trusts the teacher so as coaches we must never lose sight of the importance of developing and the trust of our players.

1. Demonstrating Trust—If you want to create a trusting work environment, you have to begin by demonstrating trust. Establishing rules, policies, and procedures to protect against a few bad apples sends the wrong message to the vast majority of people in your organization who need and deserve to be trusted.

2. Sharing Information—Information is power. One of the best ways to build a sense of trust in people is by sharing information. Sharing information sometimes means disclosing information that is considered privileged, including sensitive and important topics such as the competition’s activities, future business plans and strategies, financial data, industry issues or problem areas, competitor’s best practices, the way group activities contribute to organizational goals, and performance feedback. Providing people with more complete information communicates trust and a sense of “we’re in this together.” It helps people think more broadly about the organization and the inter-relationships of various groups, resources, and goals.

3. Telling it Straight—Study after study has indicated that the number one quality that people want in a leader is integrity. People want to follow someone they trust. Business leaders who tell it straight, who are open and honest even about bad news, develop the trust essential for strong, long-term relationships—inside and outside the company.

4. Providing Opportunities for Everyone to Win—Do you want your people to work together or to compete against each other? When people within an organization are forced to compete against one another, you lose everyone’s trust. Now all people are concerned about is looking out for number one.

5. Providing Feedback—Make sure leaders schedule and hold regular progress-check meetings with their direct reports. This will allow managers to catch problems before they become major issues and significantly increase the chances that a direct report’s performance will meet expectations when it’s time for their performance review.

6. Resolving Concerns Head On—Resolve concerns head on by putting challenges on the table and giving people an opportunity to influence the process. When leaders expand people’s involvement and influence, there is more buy-in because people are less likely to feel they are being controlled. This builds trust and increases the credibility of the leader.

7. Admitting Mistakes—An apology can be an effective way to correct a mistake and restore the trust needed for a good relationship. But in many organizations employees and managers are conditioned to hide mistakes because it's not acceptable to make them. And that leads to bigger problems. Leaders who admit mistakes when they are wrong are not seen as weak—they are seen as having integrity and being trustworthy.

8. Walking the Talk—A leader, above all, has to be a walking example of the vision and values of the organization. The key to leadership is being able to develop a trusting relationship with others. Without trust, it is impossible for an organization to function effectively. Trust between leaders and the people they lead is essential for working together. If leaders say one thing and do another, people will question their trustworthiness.

To read the entire article: http://www.kenblanchard.com/Business_Leadership/Management_Leadership_Newsletter/jan2008_main/

COMMON MISTAKE FOR NEW LEADERS

One of the most common mistakes new leaders make—and I just can’t for the life of me understand this one—is to ignore the history of the organization they just took over, or even to disrespect it. That, to me, is the mark of a weak leader—and one who’s probably not going to last very long.

Let me be as clear as I can be about this: When you become the leader, do not start your reign by dismantling or ignoring the contributions of those who cam before. The history of your organization is one of your greatest strengths, and if you’re new to the organization, it’s your job to learn it, to respect it and to teach it to the people coming up in your company.

From "Bo’s Lasting Lessons" by Bo Schembechler and John U. Bacon