THOUGHTS ON SKILL

"Learning how to learn is life's most important skill."

-Tony Buzan

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“You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills.”

-Jim Rohn

“The better you get at your key skills, the

more you accomplish in a shorter period of time.”

-Brian Tracy

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"Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude."

-Ralph Marston

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“Learn to hide your need and show your skill.”

-Jim Rohn

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"Skill and confidence are an unconquered army."

-George Hebert

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“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot;

others transform a yellow spot into the sun.”

-Pablo Picasso

“Try to learn something about everything

and everything about something.”

-Thomas H. Huxley

BEGINNING OF PRACTICE

Thoughts on how to start practice from Bob Hurley.

-Get your assistants together at some point before practice.

-Meet with team before and after every practice. Hurley will meet with his team quickly after stretching. In the post-practice meeting, try to be positive.

-Say each player’s name and mention something positive in first 15 minutes

-Requires each player to call out receiver’s name on every pass in first 15 minutes

Thanks to Zak Boisvert

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

A reminder that I am on Twitter and will be twittering this year from practices, games, staff meetings and road trips. I also send out blog updates from Twitter as well.

http://twitter.com/LSUCoachStarkey

THREE WAYS SYSTEMS MAXIMIZE OUR LIVES

Guess I'm in the mood to blog a great deal about organization today. I just believe the more organized you are, the more you get done and the better you get it done. Below comes an article from John Maxwell. The key is to find and develop a system -- doesn't have to be a particular system but have a system in place. There's lot of options. Like Coach Don Meyer, I utilize the Franklin-Covey Planner. However the most organized man I've every been around is Dale Brown and excelled and stayed organized with a yellow pad. Of course a system goes far beyond just writing down what you need to accomplish. This article by John Maxwell gives great details into areas you should think about in developing your own system.

I got the following from Maxwell's Leadership Wired newsletter. Each and everyone is incredible! I've said it before but if you haven't subscribed to it you are really missing out. It's free and easy -- click on this link: http://bit.ly/1o4coj

From a high level, we have already looked at how systems benefit our leadership. I'd like to go a little deeper by sharing specific systems that have aided me on my leadership journey. I trust the following tips will help guide your thinking as you build systems into your regular routine.

1) Systems Decrease Life's Chaos
In the accelerated pace of the modern world, information bombards us from every angle. The best systems improve our productivity by cutting clutter and keeping us focused. Here are four suggestions to combat life's chaos:

A. Create Systems for Everyday Activities.
Think of systems to keep your work in front of you. For instance, I put different several different-colored folders in my briefcase so that I don't spend lots of time digging around to find what I want. Because I file by color, I immediately know where to look.
Search for shortcuts to save time. When I moved to Atlanta, one of the first things I did was to drive different routes to gauge the distance and time needed to travel them. Now, I generally know the quickest routes in the city, and I avoid the worst of its traffic as a result.

B. Plan Work Ahead
I plan a whole month ahead by looking at my calendar, considering my major projects, and scheduling out the time needed to get them done. Mapping out my month helps me to be strategic and intentional with each day. With experience, I have learned to put my family time on the calendar first. Otherwise, work creeps into my evenings and weekends and crowds out moments with my spouse or children.

C. Work in Blocks of Time
Finish one task before starting another. Every time I revisit an old project, I waste time trying to wrap my mind around it. If I had just concentrated on seeing it through in the first place, then I wouldn't have the costly delays of restarting it.

D. Create a Place to Work Uninterrupted.
Studies have shown that the average manager gets interrupted every eight minutes! Find a place to work free from distractions. When you need to meet employees, go to their space. In doing so, you connect with their world, while also controlling how the conversation fits into your schedule.

2) Systems Delegate Your Load
The most productive leaders are the ones who have learned systems to distribute their workload to a trusted team. Instead of trying to do everything alone, they equip those around them to handle important assignments. Consider these ways to share responsibilities.

A. Keep Your Ball Carriers Nearby
Bring people around you so that you can very quickly hand off the ball. For example, my assistant, Linda, goes to meetings with me. By attending, she's informed, and I don't have to spend precious time bringing her up to speed. Following the meeting, I'm not pressured to remember all of the action items because I know Linda can be trusted to follow through diligently on every detail.

B. Delegate Everything Possible
Delegate everything possible by following the 80% principle. List your responsibilities, and only focus personal time on the most important 20%. Delegate the remainder to the leaders around you.

C. Train People to Handle Problems Before They Get to You.
My goal is to teach everyone how I think to the extent that they don't even need me.For example, when I make decisions, I sit down with Linda, my assistant, and I explain why I made a decision. Not only am I instructing her on what to do, I'm teaching her how I think. By now, after several years of working together, Linda can make decisions on my behalf 98% of the time without consulting me.

3) Systems Designate Time for People
Good systems promote meaningful interactions with others. They leverage our influence by increasing the quantity and quality of time we spend in relationships. Here are a few relational systems that can benefit your leadership.

A. Set Aside Time to Connect with Others

Develop a system to work a room. For instance, I seldom eat at business picnics or banquets so that I can walk around and talk to people. Why would I waste valuable time loading up on food, when I could connect with others?

Systematically connect with key players outside of routine meetings. Maybe this means getting together for an evening meal or going to the theater or a ballgame. If you're short on time, hand write a note of encouragement. In this age of e-communication, it's amazing how powerful a written card can be.

B. Make It Your Responsibility to Know New People
As a pastor, I instructed our ushers to take pictures of our people with Polaroid cameras. Then, the ushers wrote the person's name on the back of the photograph and placed the picture on a key ring. During the week, I scrolled through the pictures and committed the names to memory. I was able to memorize 2,400 names in our congregation, not because I was brilliant, but because I had a good system.

C. Learn to Say No
Repeat after me: "It seems exciting. I would love to do it, but unfortunately I have another project that's taking all of my time." In other words, "NO!"

I have a "hatchet committee" to guard my time. They cut down my speaking opportunities so that only the best ones get my attention. These gatekeepers protect me from overburdening myself and burning out.

How to Start Systems in Your Life Today
1) Examine life to see where you're losing the most time, and develop systems to minimize wasteful activities.

2) Devise ways to delegate where you're weak; don't do what you can't do well. Get help!

3) Carve out time to work privately and connect publicly. Then, make sure those times are kept separate.

4) Rearrange your work environment to gain uninterrupted privacy.

THOUGHTS ON PLANNING

“When plans are laid in advance, it is surprising how often the circumstances fit in with them.”

—Sir William Osler

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are, you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much.”

—Jim Rohn

“Don’t just do something—sit there! Sit there long enough each morning to decide what is really important during the day ahead.”

—Richard Eyre

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”

—William Wadsworth

THE POWER OF PRAISING PEOPLE

The majority of coaches have the part down about correcting and getting on our players and team when the time is necessary -- and make no mistake, that's an important element of coaching and teaching. But only in conjunction with praising. The best coaches I've worked with were the most positive people in regards to the relationships they had with their staff and teams. Dale Brown and Sue Gunter strikingly similar in the positive belief in the individuals on their team. They would stand up and fight for each member of the squad. That doesn't mean that there weren't times when a player was giving less than their best that they didn't hear the tough tone of that coach's voice. But it was that much more effective because the player knew they were disappointing someone that believed in them and cared about them. Much of those thoughts are brought out in the following article by Chris Widener and are key component to coaching and teaching (and a lot of other areas of life as well):

One of the keys to success is to have successful relationships. We are not islands and we don’t get to the top by ourselves. And one of the key ways to grow successful in our relationships is to be “life-giving” people to others. Every person we meet, we either give life to or take life from. You know what I mean. There are people who encourage you and when you are done being with them you feel built up. Then there are others who you feel torn down by. Successful people are people who have mastered the art of building others up.

One of the ways we build people up is to praise them. There is power in praising people! Something begins to happen in them, in you, and in your relationship when you praise someone. Remember a time when someone told you something about yourself in a praising manner? It was great, wasn’t it? You probably liked that person more after they praised you, didn’t you?
Now I am not talking about praising people for the sake of praising people. I am talking about honestly looking for and praising positive character traits and actions of others around you. Don’t lie to people. If they have done something wrong, correct it, but when they do something right, praise it!

With that said, here are benefits of and ways to start praising people.

Benefits

Your relationship grows.

Life is about relationships. Family relationships, friends and co-workers. When we begin to praise people for their positive aspects, our relationships grow. It puts them, and us, on the fast track.

Your leadership and influence grows.

Who is going to have greater leadership and influence capacity in the lives of their followers, the one who tears down or the one who builds up?

Stronger relationships and loyalty.

When the person is appreciated and praised, they become fiercely loyal, because they know that you care for them, love them, and appreciate them. This will take you to success.

Happier, more fulfilled people.

I truly believe it is our job to build others up, and that they need it. It is a good thing to invest in the lives of others by praising and encouraging them. Even if we never get anything in return, it is the right thing to do to build up other people. Someone else will always come along to tear them down; the successful person will instill in them the power of praise!

Some Ways to Praise

Character traits

Is there someone you know who is joyful? Hard-working? Honest? Then let them know how much you appreciate that in them. You can do it with a word or a card, or a phone call. Say something like this, “You know, Tom, I think it is great that you are such a hard worker. It seems like you are always the first one here and the last one to leave. You really set a good example and I want you to know how much I appreciate that.” Simple!

Action

Same idea as above. “Sue, I don’t know if anybody else has told you this, but your work on the Johnson account was excellent. You have a wonderful ability to communicate the vision of the project, and that helps all the rest of us out in our roles and tasks. Thanks for that. It is greatly appreciated.”

Other ways you can show praise and appreciation is with a card, a gift or time off from work.
Make it your goal to praise at least five people a day. If you can, praise 10 people a day. Or perhaps you can try to praise everyone you come in contact with. It just takes discipline and a little work.

Any way you cut it, though, there is power in praising people. First for them, then for you!

THE HABITS OF CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP

As good a short piece on leadership as I've read. It's from Brian Tracy and sums up leadership in it's most simplistic form. I especially like the Action Exercise at the bottom and it is one that we've used with our team in the past. It's so important I'm going to post it on http://hoopboost.blogspot.com/ for players to read.

Here is Brian Tracy's Habits of Character and Leadership:

The ultimate aim of human life and activity is development of character, according to Aristotle. The most important goal you could hope to accomplish in the course of your life is to become an excellent person, in every respect. Your purpose should be to develop the kind of personality and character that earns you the respect, esteem, and affection of the important people in your world.

Develop Your Own Character
Aristotle, probably the greatest philosopher and thinker of all time, said a simple method can help, if you wish to learn a virtue later in life. Simply practice the virtue in every situation where that virtue is required. In other words, if you wish to develop the quality of courage, act courageously even when you feel afraid.

Aspire to Leadership
It is not easy to rise to a position of leadership in any organization or in any society. The competition for leadership is fierce. Only the people who are the very best equipped to acquire leadership positions and then to hold on to those positions rise to the top in any area.

Whatever It Takes
In a way, leadership is "situational." What is necessary for success in a leadership position is determined by many factors, including the people to be led; the objectives to be accomplished; the competition for resources; the social, cultural, political, and economic environment; and the situation that the leader finds at the moment. Changing any of these factors will change the qualities of leadership necessary for success.

The True Test of a Leader
Peter Drucker says the only event that is inevitable in the like of the leader is the "unexpected crisis." Only when you encounter a setback, an obstacle, a difficulty, or the inevitable crisis, do you demonstrate the kind of person you really are. It is not what you say, wish, hope, or intend that reveals your character. It is only your actions, especially your actions in the face of adversity and possible setbacks or losses.

You Are Responsible
Once you have developed a clear vision for your ideal future and resolve to develop unshakable courage by doing the things you fear, you must develop the habit of accepting complete responsibility for yourself and for every aspect of your life.

Tell the Truth
Perhaps the most important quality of leadership is the habit of integrity. You develop integrity and become a completely honest person by practicing telling the truth to yourself and others in every situation. Shakespeare wrote, "To thine own self be true," meaning that you are what you believe in. You must continually clarify what you stand for and what you will not stand for. Once you have decided that you are going to build your life around certain values, you refuse to compromise those values for anything.

Action Exercise
Imagine that you could write your own eulogy. How would you like to be remembered and described by others when you are gone?

Brian's web page: http://www.briantracy.com/

IMPROVING THE SHELL DRILL

The following also comes from Creighton Burns newsletter which is a a series of things designed to improve your shell drill. These were developed by my good friend Lason Perkins.

The "Shell" drill has become one of the most popular defensive drills among coaches to teach and refine defensive fundamentals. Most coaches use the drill with four offensive players and four defensive players in a half-court setting and cover such aspects as ball pressure, jumping to the ball, help and recover, etc. Once you have covered the fundamentals, here are a few suggestions that will make the shell drill even better.

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1. Start the drill at full or 3/4 court

I think it is more realistic to begin defensive drill work from the pickup level rather than the backcourt. So, if you play half-court defense, start the drill with the ball one to two steps above the half-court line and begin play. This gives your players an opportunity to practice defending cutters to the ball and denying.

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2. Start the drill from the sideline or under your basket

How often do you practice against out-of-bounds plays? Here is the opportunity to prepare for certain actions (example: screen-the-screener) used by teams you will face. Choose the sets and movement your opponents like and incorporate them into the drill.

3. Run different entries

Most of the time, a coach puts two players up top and a player on each wing, hands one of them the ball and begins the drill. I don't believe you are forming game habits with this method.Start the drill with a down-screen or a back-screen or have the passer cut to the basket every time,or receive a back\screen to simulate a motion-type offense.

Build reaction and habits by mixing different actions and entries into the drill. For example, your next opponent has a certain set play you must defend. Take it and put it into your shell drill and work on defending it.You must decide what is important to you defensively and utilize the shell drill each day to constantly reinforce the techniques and habits of good defense.

VARIOUS THOUGHTS ON COACHING

A lot of great thoughts from my most recent Crieghton Burns newsletter. He is constantly putting out great stuff to all of us -- I love coaches that share!

"Defense doesn't break down on the help. It breaks down on the recovery." -Chuck Daly

"We stop practice every time we see one of our players not blocking out." -Jim Calhoun

"You should spend more time planning practice than conducting practice." -George Raveling

"Players should think about three things when closing out: do not let the dribbler turn the
corner, do not give up the rhythm shot, and disrupt the offense." -Dick Bennett

"Do not discipline to punish. Discipline to teach." -MorganWootten

"The key to good basketball is (1) not throwing the ball away and (2) not taking bad
shots." -Abe Lemons

"It is important for a coach to shut up and let his kids talk on the floor." -Mike Krzyzewski

"Coaches spend too much time on how to do things and not enough time on why they do
things. Players must know the purpose of what they are doing." -George Raveling

"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else." -Booker T. Washington

"Champions are champions not because they do anything extraordinary but because they do
all the ordinary things better than anyone else." -Chuck Noll

"Never underestimate the power of individual attention." -Stephen R. Covey

Sign up at: Creighton Burns [hoosierceb1@yahoo.com]

HOOP BOOST FOR PLAYERS

From our Hoop Boost site for players comes a story from David Halberstam that speaks to Larry Bird taking each off season and finding something to new to develop in his game. We had some high school coaches at our practice session Saturday morning that follow our Hoop Thoughts blog and I was telling them about Hoop Boost for players. If you get a chance, check it out and pass it along to your team.

http://hoopboost.blogspot.com/