THE POWER OF EMPOWERMENT

A great article from Denis Waitley in my Ezine Email today:

A good way to think of leadership is the process of freeing your team members to do the best work they possibly can. I have followed NBA basketball coach Phil Jackson’s career for some time.

In his career, Jackson has gone from coaching the record-setting champion Chicago Bulls to the present NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. He says his principal task is creating an environment in which his players can flourish. In communicating with his championship teams, Jackson convinced them that they had the talent to win championships and that the main goal of the coach was freeing them to use that talent.

Today’s business team members say they want, more than anything else, the autonomy to do their jobs without the boss’s interference. Nearly a decade into the new century, it’s already clear that the CEOs of our best-run companies believe that the more power leaders have, the less they should use.

The job of the team leader is to set a mission, decide upon a strategic direction, achieve the necessary cooperation, delegate authority and then let people innovate. To do that we all could take a hint from the late football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Before his retirement as one of the leading coaches in college football history at Alabama, Bryant observed:

"I’m just a plowhand from Arkansas, but I’ve learned how to put and hold a team together. I’ve learned how to lift some individuals up and how to calm others down, until finally they’ve got one heartbeat, together, as a team. To do that, there are just three things I’d ever have to say: If anything went wrong, I did it. If it went semi-good, then we did it. If anything went real good, then you did it! That’s really all it takes to get other people to win for you."

The key to authentic leadership is to listen to your followers, and then open the door for them to lead themselves. The secret is empowerment. The main incentive is genuine caring and recognition.

The five most important words a leader can speak are: “I am proud of you.”

The four most important are: “What is your opinion?”

The three most important are: “If you please.”

The two most important are: “Thank you.”

And the most important single word of all is: “You!”

EIGHT MUST HAVES OF DEFENSE

From Kevin Eastman:

1. Communication:
...Intimidates opponent.
...Gives defense a head start.
...Gives man on ball more confidence.
...Wakes up a disengaged defender.
...Catches a mistake before it happens.
...Energizes team.

2. Trust:
Teams that don’t trust, foul more. Teams that foul more, lose more!

3. Position:
...Where are you supposed to be in relation to the ball.

4. Awareness:
...Ability to sniff things out.
...Gain awareness by repetition in practice or experience.

5. Alertness:
...Need to be ready the instant we need you.

6. Multiple weapons.

7. Rotation and scramble:
...Rotations are rehearsed and practiced everyday.
...Scrambles are not.

8. Resolve:
...Watch San Antonio Spurs (when they get scored on, they don’t let it affect their egos).

REMEMBERING PETER DRUCKER

Received a great tweet tonight from Coach Clarence Gaines, Jr. on Peter Drucker who recently passed away at the age of 95. Drucker is considered by many the "father of modern management." Two of my favorite books are: The Daily Drucker: 366 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done and People and Performance. Drucker had a primary belief that taking action without thinking is the cause of every failure. Here are a few memorable quotes from Drucker.

"Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes."

"Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things."

"Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action."

"Making good decisions is a crucial skill at every level."

"Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work."

"The best way to predict the future is to create it."

"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said."

"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all."

"Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed."

"Today knowledge has power. It controls access to opportunity and advancement."

"Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans."

"Management is about human beings. Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their strengths effective and their weaknesses irrelevant."

''Each institution has to do its own work the way each instrument in an orchestra plays only its own part. But there is also the score, the community. And only if each individual instrument contributes to the score, is there music.''

THE SOUND OF ENTHUSIASM

Don't just enthusiasm by how loudly somebody talks. Bill Walton's enthusiasm was bubbling over. On the other hand, if you looked at Lewis Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), you'd think he had no enthusiasm at all. He was quiet, almost stoic.

Kareem was just as enthusiastic as Bill; he just didn't make as much noise. Noise it not necessarily enthusiasm. Sometimes it is; sometimes it isn't.

An effective leader knows the difference.

From "The Essential Wooden"

By John Wooden and Steve Jamison

BRIAN TRACY'S FOUR PARTS OF VISUALIZATION

Here are four parts of visualization laid out by Brian Tracy which he believes can be both learned and practiced. We will share this list with our team this week as we are big believers in visualization.

How Often?

The first aspect of visualization is frequency, the number of times that you visualize a particular goal as achieved of yourself performing in an excellent way in a particular event or circumstance. The more frequently you repeat a clear mental picture of your very best performance or result, the more rapidly it will appear as part of your reality.

How Long?

The second element of visualization is the duration of the mental image, the length of time that you can hold the picture in your mind each time you replay it. When you deeply relax, you can often hold a mental picture of yourself performing at your best for several seconds, and even several minutes. The longer you can hold your mental picture, the more deeply it will be impressed into your subconscious mind and the more rapidly it will express itself in your subsequent performance.

How Clearly?

The third element of visualization is vividness. There is a direct relationship between how clearly you can see your desired goal or result in your mind and how quickly it comes into your reality. This element of visualization is what explains the powers of the Law of Attraction and the Law of Correspondence. The vividness of your desire directly determines how quickly it materializes in the world around you. Here is an interesting point. When you set a new goal for yourself, your image or picture of this goal will usually be vague and fuzzy. But the more often you write it, review it, and repeat it mentally, the clearer it becomes for you. Eventually, it will become crystal clear. At that point, the goal will suddenly appear in your world exactly as you imagined it.

How Intensely?

The fourth element of visualization is intensity, the amount of emotion that you attach to your visual image. In reality, this is the most important and powerful part of the visualization process. Sometimes, if your emotion is intense enough and your visual image is clear enough, your goal will immediately come true. Of course, the elements of frequency, duration, vividness, and intensity can help you or hurt you. Like nature, the power of visualization is neutral. Like a two-edged sword, it can cut in either direction. It can either make you a success or make you a failure. Visualization brings you whatever you vividly and intensely imagine, whether good or bad.

12 PRINCIPLES OF PEAK PERFORMANCE

Twelve proven principles for peak performance from Brian Tracy:

Principle 1. Time management enables you to increase the value of your contribution.

Principle 2. Your rewards, both tangible and intangible will always be equal to the value
of your service to other people.

Principle 3. Good time management requires that you see yourself as a “factory.”

Principle 5. Time is the scarcest resource of accomplishment.

Principle 6. The practice of time management skills allows you to develop judgment, foresight, self-reliance, and self-discipline.

Principle 7. A focus on time management forces you to be intensely results- oriented.

Principle 8. Time management enables you to work smarter, not just harder.

Principle 9. Good time management is a source of energy, enthusiasm, and a positive mental attitude.

Principle 10. You grow as a person in direct proportion to the demands that you place on yourself.

Principle 11. Lasting motivation only comes from a feeling of achievement and accomplishment

Principle 12. Now, this minute is all the time you have.

WHY WE COMPETE

From the book, "Dick Vermeil: Whistle in His Mouth, Heart on His Sleeve" by Gordon Forbes comes profound thoughts from coaches and their need to compete:

It took Ted Marchibroda 31 years before he realized the reason for his love affair with the game. Marchibroda, who began his pro coaching career in 1961, had an epiphany during Mass soon after he was hired as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. I never realized myself until the priest finished his sermon,” said Marchibroda. “He said, ‘Your life is lost when you know the outcome.’ That’s why I love football so much. You never know the outcome.”

Jimmy Johnson, who won back-to-back Super Bowls in the 1990s with the Dallas Cowboys, still misses the weekly challenge. “I miss preparing the team for a big game, that’s what I miss,” said Johnson.

“When I first got into coaching, a veteran coach told me, ‘If you can do without this profession, do so. You and your family will be much happier.’ Obviously, I can’t do without it because I can’t imagine doing anything else professionally.” -Brian Billick

“My wife has a question she’s asked me every year for 10 years,” Bill Parcells said. “And she always words it the same: ‘Explain to me why you must continue to do this, because the time you’re happy are so few.’ She has no concept.”

SETTING A HIGHER STANDARD

From Get Motivated magazine, Lou Holtz shares how changing your attitude can improve your game

A Winning Attitude: I think attitude is the most important thin in this world. Attitude is something you control. You were given a lot of wonderful powers. You have the power to think, to love, to create, to imagine, to plan. The greatest power you have id the power to choose. Wherever you are today, you’re there because you chose to be there.

A Positive Self-Image: We need to have a faith and a belief in what we are doing. You cannot be a parent, a manager, a leader, a teacher or a coach and be effective if you don’t have a good self-image. Do what’s right and avoid what’s wrong. It’s that simple. Sometimes we blame everybody and everything around us to the point where it gets ridiculous. We have to remember that we are in charge of our own lives by the choices we make.

Set a Higher Standard: Whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability. The higher you set the standard for yourself, the higher the self-image. The worst disservice we can do as a coach, as a parent, as a leader, is to say to those around us, “I don’t think you are capable of doing very much-so, I’m going to lower the standard. There are only two types of leaders: those who believe in themselves and lift others up and those with a poor self-image who pull everybody down.

TOM IZZO REBOUNDING DRILL

Special thanks to Coach Eric Musselman for passing this one to me:

1. Put 5 defenders in line right under the rim facing half court.

2. Place 5 offensive players on the perimeter. Put a player in each corner, each wing, and one at the point.

3. The coach shoots the ball from different spots on the floor.

4. When the shot is taken the defenders rush out to block out the offensive players. If they get the defensive rebound the get 1 POINT and pass the ball to the coach and go back to their original positions.

5. If the offense gets a rebound they get 1 Point and must put the shot right back up and if they make the shot they get another point. They have to put the ball right back up they cannot take it back up top. Every time the offense gets a rebound they get a point.

6. You play to the first team getting 10 points. Losers run! (You can have either an offensive or defensive winner.)

GREAT THOUGHTS FROM GREAT COACHING MINDS

Some great thoughts from some great coaching minds...special thanks to Coach Duane Silver for these!

“In close games, when the pressure intensifies and the margin between who wins and who loses can be as thin as an eggshell, we believe that all our hard work, all the long hours, and all the perspiration will enable us to come out on top. Why? Because we deserve it. We deserve our victory!”

- Coach Rick Pitino

“If we’re playing hard in practice, under game like conditions, then we’re just naturally going to play smarter and better during a game. That’s why all our practice drills are as game like as possible.”

- Coach Mike Krzyzewski

“Once practice starts, we work hard, and that’s the best conditioning there is. Everything counts. Every little thing counts. Run hard, play hard, go after the ball hard, guard hard. If you play soft, you won’t ever get into shape.”

- Coach Pete Carril

“I continually stress to my players that all I expect from them at practice and in the games is their maximum effort.”

- Coach John Wooden

“Prepare for every practice like you just lost your last game.”
- Coach Don Meyer

“Practice structure determines success.”
- Coach Bobby Knight

“My passion is to coach and do things to the best of my ability. I want our team to get better every day at practice. If we can do that, the other stuff will take care of itself.”
- Coach Mike Krzyzewski

“No one is bigger than the team. You’re going to be on time, you’re going to play hard, you’re going to know your job and you’re going to know when to pass and shoot. If you can’t do those four things you’re not getting time here and we don’t care who you are.”
- Coach Hubie Brown

“False Hustle = cheap fouls, lunging, reaching, will get you beat etc!”
- Coach Billy Donovan