ROLE DEVELOPMENT

The following are some notes I took at a Nike Clinic in Robinsville, MS in the spring of 2004. The speaker was Gail Goestenkors, then coaching at Duke. I had the privilege of watching some of her summer practices a few years before when she was preparing for a foreign tour and have always admired how she teaches and prepares her team. On this day her topic was Fast Break Options and Quick Hitters but she opened with some thoughts on developing her team and they are to follow:

"It is important that players take ownership of the team."

Coach Goestenkors allows team to help set team rules.

Periodically in practice, she lets them pick teams for competition purposes...they learn the roles this way and see how they are viewed by their peers.

She feels it is critical that the head coach discusses roles with players both individually and as a team...here are some thoughts she mentioned:

1. It is difficult but important

2. Meet after several practices (use stats and video for support)

3. Let players know that roles can change -- but it is up to them

4. They dictate their roles by how they practice

5. Must be brutally honest (non-player -- be a bench leader)

6. Always give them hope (tell them how they can improve/change role)

7. Type up roles (let team know ALL roles)

PERSPECTIVE

"The gem cannot be polished without friction."
-Chinese Proverb-

"May there be enough clouds in your
life to make a beautiful sunset."
-Rebecca Gregory-

"Birds sing after a storm.
Why shouldn't we?"
-Rose Kennedy-

"Wherever we look upon this earth,
the opportunities take shape within the problems."
-Nelson A. Rockefeller-

5 REASONS WHY DREAMS DON'T TAKE FLIGHT

You don't have to visit this blog often to know that I'm a huge John Maxwell fan. He has literally change my approach to so many facets of my life. We incorporate him with our team as much as possible. He currently has a new book out and it is a must have --Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions to Help You See It and Seize .

Here's Maxwell talking about dreams from his latest Leadership Wired newsletter:

Most of us never see our dreams come true. Instead of soaring through the clouds, our dreams languish like a broken-down airplane confined to its hangar. Through life, I have come to identify five common reasons why dreams don't take flight.

#1 We Have Been Discouraged from Dreaming by Others

We have to pilot our own dreams; we cannot entrust them to anyone else. People who aren't following their own dreams resent us pursuing ours. Such people feel inadequate when we succeed, so they try to drag us down.

If we listen to external voices, then we allow our dreams to be hijacked. At some point, other people will place limitations on us by doubting our abilities. When surrounded by the turbulence of criticism, we have to grasp the controls tightly to keep from being knocked off course.

#2 We Are Hindered by Past Disappointments and Hurts

In the movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise plays Maverick, a young, talented, and cocky aviator who dreams of being the premier pilot in the U.S. navy. In the film's opening scenes, Maverick showcases his flying ability but also displays a knack for pushing the envelope with regards to safety. Midway through the movie, Maverick's characteristic aggression spells disaster. His plane crashes, killing his best friend and co-pilot.

Although cleared of wrongdoing, the painful memory of the accident haunts Maverick. He quits taking risks and loses his edge. Struggling to regain his poise, he considers giving up on his dream. Although the incident nearly wrecks Maverick's career, he eventually reaches within to find the strength to return to the sky.

Like Maverick, many of us live with the memory of failure embedded in our psyche. Perhaps a business we started went broke, or we were fired from a position of leadership. Disappointment is the gap that exists between expectation and reality, and all of us have encountered that gap. Failure is a necessary and natural part of life, but if we're going to attain our dreams, then, like Maverick, we have to summon the courage deal with past hurts.

#3 We Fall into the Habit of Settling for Average

Average is the norm for a reason. Being exceptional demands extra effort, sustained inspiration, and uncommon discipline. When we attempt to give flight to our dreams, we have to overcome the weight of opposition. Like gravity, life's circumstances constantly pull on our dreams, tugging us down to mediocrity.

Most of us don't pay the price to overcome the opposition to our dreams. We may start out inspired, but through time we fatigue. Although never intending to abandon our dreams, we begin to make concessions here and there. Through time, our lives become mundane, and our dreams slip away.

#4 We Lack the Confidence Needed to Pursue Our Dreams

Dreams are fragile. They will be buffeted by assaults from all sides. As such, they must be supplied with the extra strength of self-confidence.

In Amelia Earhart's day, women were not supposed fly airplanes. If she had lacked self-assurance, she never would have even attempted to be a pilot. Instead, Earhart confidently chased after her dream, and she was rewarded with both fulfillment and fame.

#5 We Lack the Imagination to Dream

For thousands of years, mankind traveled along the ground: by foot, by horse-and-buggy, by locomotive, and eventually by automobile. Thanks to the dreams of Orville and Wilbur Wright, we now hop across oceans in a matter of hours. The imaginative brothers overcame ridicule and doubt to pioneer human flight, and the world has never been the same.

Many of us play small because we do not allow ourselves to dream. We trap ourselves in reality and never dare to go beyond what we can see with our eyes. Imagination lifts us beyond average by giving us a vision of life that surpasses what we are experiencing currently. Dreams infuse our spirit with energy and spur us on to greatness.

MAKING CHAMPIONS OF YOUR PLAYERS

The following comes from Steven Covey's book, "Principle-Centered Leadership." It actually comes from Chapter 13 titled "Making Champions of Your Children" which I have changed the "children" to your "players." I will add some additional comments of my own in green at the end of each of Covey's points.

First, work to build our player's self-esteem. From the day they are born we affirm them a great deal, believing in them and giving them lots of positive feedback. We express confidence in them and in their potential. We try not to compare the with other players. This is not to say that we aren't demanding in our approach to teaching...it's not to say that we won't constructively criticize when needed. But it is important for your players to know that you believe in them and that you see that potential.

Second, encourage primary greatness. Teach them that there are two kinds of greatness: primary greatness -- which is the principle-centered character -- and secondary greatness, which is the greatness that the world acknowledges. Try to inspire them to go for primary greatness first and not to compensate for character weakness by substituting or borrowing strength from secondary sources (popularity, reputation, possessions, natural talents, and so on). Student-athletes can be tugged in a thousand directions. It is important for them to understand that their greatness and potential lies in doing things the right way everyday.

Third, encourage them to develop their own interests. When we detect real talents in our players, we should encourage them to develop it. As a coach, it is important to show interest in all areas of your players. If you truly care about them as people, you will want them to be more than basketball players and to experience things beyond the court.

Fourth, try to create an enjoyable family culture. We want our players to get more fun and satisfaction form the team than from the school or from their peers or from any other outside influence. Basically, we don't want them to have anything to rebel against; we want the team culture to be fun and affirming and to have many opportunities associated with it. There should be no feeling of limitation, no feeling that you can't do something. It is our most important and often most difficult job -- taking a group of individuals and giving them a common vision. At LSU, we have had great success in allowing our players to set the goals for the team. We give them stewardship of policing themselves and ownership of out program.

Fifth, plan ahead. I think many coaches fail to make champions of their players by not planning fun family events -- events that become traditional. Part of the fun of any activity is in planning it; in fact, there's often as much satisfaction in the anticipation as there is in the realization of the event. This is an important part of Lady Tiger Basketball. Our players know that each year we are going to tailgate at a football game...we are going to have a team Christmas party...we are going dress up and go eat at a nice restaurant. We also allow our players to assist in the details of these events and others. When we advance to the Final Four or win an SEC Championship. Our seniors design the ring -- not the coaches or administration.

Sixth, try to set an example of excellence. We all try to excel in what we do so that excellence becomes an unspoken, unwritten norm. We have never had to tell our players to study and do their homework, perhaps because they constantly sense the value of reading and learning. It's part of the family culture as well as the expectation of school. At LSU, there is not a more important word in our program than "legacy." It speaks to the standards that have been set on the court, in the classroom and in the conduct of our personal lives. Our players pass it on to each other every year starting in the summer when our new freshman first arrive on campus.

Seventh, teach them to visualize to help them realize their own potential. Visualization is based on the principle that all things are created twice: first mentally and then physically. Most training in athletics is physical. Coaches may talk about mental toughness and concentration, but very few have any sort of consistent system for mental rehearsal or visualization. World-class athletes are almost all visualizers; they literally experience their victories in their minds long before they experience them in fact. We do this in a variety of ways. One way is to give players an assignment to write a story about something that is going to happen. The night before a big game we might have them write a paragraph about how they believe the game might unfold. This is just one of a sample of things we do to get our players visualizing about the future.

Eighth, adopt their friends. Individual champions are often part of a championship teams. Any time something gets out of alignment -- when there's a problem with a peer, for example -- we just adopt the peer. It's better than trying to get them to drop the peer. At LSU we are fortunate in that the athletes from other teams support each other. They become friends, peers, and supporters of each other as do all the coaches. It has provided a culture of success which is why every sport at LSU is so successful.

Ninth, teach them to have faith, to believe and trust others, and to affirm, build, bless, and serve others. If you're going to build champions, you've got to take an interest in people, especially the downcast and outcast. The key to the ninety-nine is the one. People become great if you treat them in terms of their potential. The key to success with people is to believe in them, to affirm them. It is important that we understand that while we may see the potential of a player, they may not see it themselves. It is important for us to plant that seed and to constantly water it so they can grow.

Tenth, provide support, resources, and feedback. We rely on each other for honest feedback, as good feedback is essential to growth. There is nothing more important in growth than communication. We must constantly talk to our players individually and as a team so that they can understand what we see and what we all must do to continue to grow.

"Building champions requires constant

effort. We strive endlessly and find

the need to return to basics often."

-Steven Covey-

FORMULATING A GAME PLAN

Bob Knights 5 keys for formulating a game plan:

1. Practice schedule

2. Competition

3. Conversion

4. Individual work

5. Team work

TOMORROW I WILL BE BETTER THAN TODAY

"It's a never-ending struggle, which is great. You can always get better! You can never get there. It's a journey with no arrival. And that's the beauty of it -- that you can always become better the next day. It's pretty cool to think about it in that sense. Tomorrow I will be a better player than I was today."

-Tiger Woods-

TOMORROW'S SUCCESS

"The greatest detriment to tomorrow's

success is today's success."

-Rick Warren-

SHORT-TERM VS. LONG TERM

Coaching is walking a fine line to do what is necessary to achieve success in the next game without jeopardizing what is important the future of your program. For instance, I find it difficult to play a new defense or put in a new play for every game because it might help you have some success duing that game when over the long haul, you don't have the solid defensive principles or necessary offensive execution to reach your potential. It is probably no better stated than by former GE CEO Jack Welch:

“You can’t grow long-term if you can’t eat short-term. Anybody can manage short. Anybody can manage long. Balancing those two things is what management is.”

GROWING ASSISTANT COACHES

“An assistant coach who is allowed to present an idea and have it accepted will work twice as hard to make that idea work on the practice field than if he walks out of a meeting turned down all the time. Your assistant coaches will only grow if you allow them to try new things.”

-Joe Paterno-

ESSENTIAL GOAL-SETTING PRINCIPLES

Some thoughts from Brian Tracy on goal setting:

Goal setting is the master skill of success...Written goals transform you from a wondering generality into a meaningful specific...The very act of committing your goals to paper programs them into your subconscious.

Principle 1. Dream big Dreams!
Only big dreams have the power to motivate and inspire you toward the fulfillment of your full potential. Only big dreams liberate your imagination and energy, and give you the drive to overcome the obstacles and difficulties that you will experience on the path to your goal. Only big dreams can keep you excited and working enthusiastically every day toward their accomplishment.

Principle 2. Write your goals in the present tense
Your goals must be in writing, in the present tense, as though they already exist. Your subconscious only accepts commands that are worded in the present tense, such as, “I weigh 150 pounds,” or “I earn $100,000 per year,” or “I live in a beautiful 3,500-square-foot, custom-designed home.”

Rewrite your goals daily.

Affirm your goals regularly.

Principle 3. Keep your goals in balance.
Your goals must be in balance and cover the three most important areas of your life.

Principle 4. Know your major definite purpose.
You must decide what your “major definite purpose” is. This is the one goal in your life that is more important than any other. This is the one goal that, if accomplished, will allow you to attain more of your other goals.