MARC IAVARONI ON TEAM FILM

1. Ask players questions during film, keep them on toes.

2. Make players accountable to know game assignments.

3. Break film up into three segments.
.....a. How bad we were.
.....b. What we did well.
.....c. How we want to do it
(if there isn’t a lot of footage of your team doing what you want, substitute with another team that does do it well).

SHOULDERS, HIPS AND FEET

Great stuff from Boston Celtic assistant Kevin Eastman on the importances of shoulders, hips and feet in regard to beating a defender off the dribble.

BRIAN TRACY ON WHAT THE BEST BOSSES DO

Inspire Others to Peak Performance
A transformational leader is one who excites and inspires people to perform far beyond their own expectations of themselves. Transformational leaders practice certain behaviors that cause their people to feel stronger, happier, more confident and more committed.

Delegate Responsibility
The first of these behaviors is the delegation of high levels of responsibility for results. Transformational leaders pick the right people, match them to the right jobs, achieve mutual clarity on the desired results and then they get out of the way and leave the individual with maximum freedom to perform.

Let People Do Their Work
Lao-Tse, the great Chinese philosopher, had this idea when he wrote, "A leader is best when people barely know he exists... when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, 'We did this ourselves.'"

In a recent study, thousands of people were asked to describe their best bosses. Over and over, the respondents said things like, "I hardly saw him" or "He left me alone" or "He gave me complete freedom to do the job."

Give Them Freedom
There is something liberating and empowering to know that you've been entrusted with a major responsibility and that you've been given the freedom to fulfill it. When the right person has been matched with the right job, the conditions for exceptional performance have been created.

Confidently Expect Success
Another behavior of transformational leaders is their confident attitude of positive expectations. They radiate a belief in themselves and in the ability of their subordinates to succeed. They know that the leader sets the psychological tone for the whole organization, so they consciously project a positive attitude no matter how distressing the external situation may appear. They are in complete control of themselves and their emotions.

Action Exercises
First, delegate complete responsibility for results to your subordinates. Discuss and agree on exactly what is to be done, when it is to be done and to what standard. Then, get out of the way and let them perform.

Second, express complete confidence in your subordinate's ability to do an excellent job. Radiate an attitude of confident expectations. Even if you have personal doubts, never let them be seen by others. This is the role of leadership.

www.BrianTracy.com

THOUGHTS FROM BILL BELICHICK

Came across an old posting from Eric Musselman’s Basketball Notebook that had some excerpts from a Sporting News article on Bill Belichick and his thoughts on his staff and dealing with players:

On what coaches can learn from other sports: "I think maybe some of the basic coaching things, like when I talk to (Johns Hopkins) coach (Dave) Pietramala about a situation or a player or the concept of preparing for this or that or how to present it or the psychological part of it -- I think there's some carryover there. But lacrosse is a lot more (like) basketball or soccer ... it's different than football, (where) at the end of each play you huddle, you pick a new play. The games are a lot different, but the coaching principles carry over."

On what he learned in school: "One of the things I'd say I learned the most was the appreciation of the skills and talents of other people, the students, and how different they were and how talented they were and how they could do things, and not everybody did them the same way.

I think that applies to football, where you have receivers that have different styles. They're good, but they're not all the same, and you have to figure out ways to utilize those things. What one person does (well), another person might not, but they may still be able to be productive at that position. ... You can be good ... with one style of defense or another style of defense, as long as it's coordinated and fits together."

On how teams are a reflection of their coach: "Whoever's picking the players and coaching the players should pick them and coach them the way they want the team to perform. I'm not saying it's always perfect. But if you want a really fast team, you should go out and get really fast players. If you want a really big team, you should go out and get really big players. If you want a team that can really throw the ball and you're a good passing coach, then you should go out and get good passing players, and you should coach them well, and you should be able to throw the ball.

However you build you team, you should be able to see that reflected in way the team performs -- unless you made a lot of mistakes, or maybe there's too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak, either coaching the team or selecting the team."

On dealing with players: "In some respects, you have to treat everybody the same. There has to be some sort of common denominator. But in another way, you can make some adjustments for some people, anybody really -- it doesn't have be one of the "name" players. That's what it comes back to. Any time you make a decision, you do anything, (if) you look back and say, 'That really doesn't help our team,' then why do it?"

On team leaders: "In a lot of cases, our best players are our best leaders and our hardest workers. They set a better example, to be as good as they can possibly be. That's an awesome situation -- that's really what you want. You want your best players to really set the pace. That's great environment for everyone else to emulate and try to keep up with."

On his coaching staff: "The assistants are the backbone of our success, really -- they're the ones who do most of the coaching. On a team basis, I do a percentage of it, but they actually do a far greater percentage of it. I think there is a balance. You want everybody to work together. At the same time, you want people to be able to work independently and come up with things on their own and handle problems on their own. But it's all in the context of a team framework."

LOMBARDI ON DISCIPLINE

"I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something good in men that really yearns for discipline."

"The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It's your mind you have to convince."

"Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It's a state of mind-you could call it character in action."

"Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit."

"Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence."

JIM WHITTAKER'S GREATEST THRILL IN CLIMBING MOUNT EVEREST

From John Maxwell's wonderful book, "Leadership Gold."

Taking people to the top is more fulfilling than arriving alone: A few years ago I had the privilege of speaking on the same stage as Jim Whittaker, the first American to climb Mount Everest. During lunch I asked him what had given him the most fulfillment as a mountain climber. His answer surprised me. “I have helped more people get to the top of Mount Everest than any other person,” he replied. “Taking people to the top who could never get there without my assistance is my greatest accomplishment.”

Then the interviewer asked, “Why do mountain climbers risk their lives to climb mountains?” The guide responded, “It is obvious that you have never been to the top of the mountain.”

There is a big difference between a boss and a leader.

Much of the time leaders are not at the top: Leaders rarely remain stationary. They are constantly on the move. Sometimes they are going down the mountain of find new potential leaders. At other times they are trying to make the climb with a group of people.

Jules Ormont said, “A great leader never sets himself above his followers except in carrying responsibilities.

TIM GROVER: HOW THE GREAT GET BETTER

Talk about a great way to tip-off a super weekend -- Felicia Hall Allen started this year's Assistant Coaching Symposium by making it possibly for us to travel to Attach Athletics' gym to watch Tim Grover and his staff working out some players.  Tim is credited for helping Michael Jordan get to the next level.  I enjoyed the afternoon in the gym and will be posting some notes later but until, here is some video footage you might enjoy.

JOHN MARGARITIS: ON LOYALTY AND OTHER TRAITS FOR GOOD ASSSISTANTS

There are many components I love about the Assistant Coaching Symposium but one is the ability to meet and get to know new people in our profession. One person I greatly enjoyed was John Margaritis, the head coach at UC Riverside. After he did his presentation and I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with him and it doesn’t take long to see why he has been so successful. He’s a really genuine person that obviously cares about his student-athletes and our sport.

Probably the most important thing that I took from John was this very simple thought:

     “Loyalty above all except honor.”

It had a resounding impact on me because of elements of my past. Loyalty has always been extremely important to me and I had always found it to be easy until I had to choose whether to be loyal to someone or be loyal to my core values. I chose my core values but I have revisited it on several occasions. John’s simple message was very powerful.

Here is some more advice that John had for assistant coaches:

1. Have knowledge of your subject — be a student of the game.

2. Become a great teacher — affect behavior.

3. Stay on task — don’t confuse the issue.

4. Make coaching your #1 priority — minor input will not yield major outcome.

5. Learn to evaluate talent — know what you are looking for.

6. Be attune with today’s technology — stay current.

7. Get involved with the “student” — must care as much about their academics as you do their jump shot.

8. Be a head coach — take ownership of your responsibilities.

BRIAN TRACY: THE LAW OF INTEGRITY

Just coming back from the Assistant Coaching Symposium, one of the topics was the importance of integrity and ethics in coaching.  It ranged from recruiting to dealing with players, our head coaches and administrators.  Here is an excellent blog post from Brian Tracy on this subject:

Great business leadership is characterized by honesty, truthfulness, and straight dealing with every person, under all circumstances. This law requires that you be impeccably honest with yourself and others. As Emerson said, "Guard your integrity as a sacred thing. Nothing is at last sacred by the integrity of your own mind." Integrity lies at the core of leadership, at the heart of the leader. Everything you do revolves around the person you really are inside. And the person you are inside is always demonstrated by your actions, the things you do and say.

Leadership Defined
Leadership has been defined as the "ability to get followers." For people to follow you, to subordinate their interests to yours, they must be able to believe in you and be willing to commit their time, money, and energy to you. Leadership is therefore a trust conferred upon you by others. To earn this trust, to deserve this trust, you must be true to yourself. Only then can you live in truth with everyone else in your life and work.

Be a Good Role Model
Perhaps the most important thing you do as a leader is to be a good role model. Lead by example. Walk the talk. Live the life. Always carry yourself as though everyone is watching, even when no one is watching. Good leaders are completely reliable. People can take them at their word and trust that they will do what they say. They make promises carefully, and then always keep their word.

Consistency
A key mark of integrity in human relations is consistency, both internal and external. The best leaders are consistent from one day to the next, from one situation to the next. Because of this internal consistency, these leaders are trusted. People know what to expect. There are no surprises.

Two Basic Types of Leadership
There are two basic types of leadership in business today, transactional and transformational. Transactional leadership is the ability to direct people, manage resources, and get the job done. But transformational leadership, the most important form of leadership today, is the ability to motivate, inspire, and bring people to higher levels of performance.

Transformational Leadership
Transformational Leadership is the ability to touch people emotionally, to empower them to be more and to contribute more than they ever have before. This ability enables transformational leaders to elicit extraordinary performance from ordinary people.

Action Exercise
Resolve to live in truth with yourself and with every person and situation in your life. Listen to your body and trust your intuition. Identify the main stress points and people problems in your life and then ask yourself, what is the right thing to do in this situation to resolve this problem and alleviate this stress?

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

The following comes from Stephanie Zonars:

Ashland University women's basketball coach, Sue Ramsey, received the Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award at the Women's Basketball Coaches Convention last month.

Sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the award is given to a basketball coach who exemplifies the way Coach Yow loved, disciplined, taught, mentored and inspired her players throughout her 30+ years on the sidelines.

I had the honor of introducing Sue at the award breakfast, and as I considered her coaching career and life, one thing kept surfacing in my heart: the principle of sowing and reaping.

Sue has sown seeds of hope, love, faith, life, discipline, encouragement and perseverance into the lives of countless young women for years, and is reaping the benefits. Not just in honors like this one, but even more so in watching
her players graduate and become women of influence.

This reminded me of the 7 Laws of the Harvest that I learned from some friends recently (thanks Denise & Diane!):

1. We reap only what has been sown — every choice has a consequence; we reap something positive or negative from everything we (and others) say and do.

2. We reap in the same kind as we sow — just as watermelon seeds won't produce peas, sowing discord won't lead to unity and sowing lies won't lead to truth.

3. We reap more than we sow — the harvest is more bountiful than the seed planted; sowing good results in even more good and vice versa.

4. We reap in proportion as we sow — the amount sown impacts the harvest; sow more, reap more; sow less, reap less.

5. We reap in a different season than we sow — no harvest comes instantaneously, it always takes time; plants don't grow overnight, athletes don't get strong in a day, wisdom isn't gained in a week.

6. We reap the full harvest of the good only if we persevere — weeds pop up naturally in gardening and in life, they need no help; but harvesting the good takes perseverance to maintain conditions in which the seeds can grow.

7. We can't do anything about last year's harvest, but we can do something about this year's harvest. We can't change the past, but we can impact the future by what we chose to sow today!
 
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