SHAKA SMART: 5 THINGS WE BELIEVE IN

1. RECRUIT AND REWARD WINNING GUYS
Understand what goes into winning
Toughness, competitiveness, basketball IQ, work ethic, unselfishness
Winning guys create success

2. CONNECTION AND CULTURE OF SUCCESS ON AND OFF THE COURT
Appreciation to entitlement ratio
Tends to be backwards
With privilege comes responsibility
Appreciation: “Currency of success”

3. PROMOTE AN EXTREME WORK ETHIC
Constantly point hypocrisy between what guys say they do and what they actually do
At VCU, if you don’t work hard, you stand out

4. TEACH, CULTIVATE, AND REWARD POSITIVE LEADERSHIP
Urban Meyer: “The first step in leadership is taking care of you own shit.”
2 leadership groups at VCU: old and younger players
Ownership
Took advantage of power suggestions

5. DERIVE MEANING WHAT WE DO ON A DAILY BASIS
Take immense pride in who we are/what we do
How did they get to the Final Four? Immense Pride

10 MOST POWERFUL PHRASES: #7 "I NEED YOU"

I recently picked up "Ten Powerful Phrases for Positive People" by Rich DeVos who is the cofounder of Amway and the Chairman of the Orlando Magic. It's not a big book but it was a great read. There is no one this book would not benefit, especially coaches. This is a relationship-improvement book whether it's your professional life or your personal life. I will share some of these words and the thoughts but DeVos gives so many great stories that I strongly recommend you get the book.

#7: I NEED YOU

When I used to awake on winter mornings and discover all the streets had been plowed, I knew worked has been up all night to make the roads passable.  When I flew into our airport in Grand Rapids on wintry nights and heard the reassuring voice saying to our pilots, "You're clears for your approach," I knew that the airport crew was doing it's job.  The 9/11 terrorist attacks reminded all of us that our firefighters and police officers risk their lives to protect us, and yet they had been routinely doing this job without our giving them much thought.

We need so many people that we tend to take them for granted.

When you look around there is no limit to all the people you need, but few of those people ever actually hear from you that you need them.  We take them for granted and really don't think about them a lot.

HELP AN ATHLETE'S MENTAL GAME

The following comes from "Coaching the Mental Game" by H.A. Dorfman:

The coach addresses the mental game by helping the athlete:

To know first and foremose that fear of failure is very common in athletes, though very unpleasant.

To understand that fear of success is just a variation on the theme of fear of failure, and that, though they are situationally different, they are pscholocigally the same: a problem based on self-doubt and eventual failure.

To learn to be aware of irrational thoughts based on consequences of failure.

To define failure, the term, as a failure to reach a goal or accomplish a task, rather than attach to himself the personal label of being a failure.

To recognize what does and does not constitute failure in his performance, meaning that results do not indicate performance failure.  Porr behavior and esxecution do.

To understnad that fear impedes judgemnt.

To thoughtfully scripe out a list of rational thoughts to replace the traditional.

To remember that habit is powerful, and it is therefore important to create the good habit of acting fearless, despite feelings of fear.

To learn to focus on execution, regardless of physical symptoms of fear, thereby detaching himself from emotions and attacking himself to palnned behavior.

To develop a "will to bear discomfort" during competition by focusing on the next tast, rather than on his feeling.

To coach himself through adversity with positive, functional directives and appropriate arousal adjustments -- up or down, based on a whether the system is signaling fight or flight.

To reward himself for good behavior, despite the existence of bad feelings

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM COACH DON MEYER (PART II)

Our team had the good fortune of taking in the morning session of Coach Don Meyer's Leadership Seminar last week in Orlando. We asked each of our student-athletes to list at least once concept that resonated strongly within them.

BRYEASHA BLAIR: Something that Coach Meyer said that really hit home was that every captain isn't a leader. A leader is not only someone who leads by example but someone who also motivates.

STEPHANIE TAYLOR: Two big things I got from Coach Meyers’ lecture are you have to have a strong desire to succeed & also you have to be a follower first in order to be a leader. I also remembered him saying that usually the right decision is the toughest decision.

GEVENIA CARTER: Coach Meyer talked about discipline and how a lack of it is detrimental to the team. Not only as a team, but as an individual first and for most you have to seek, find, and simply do whatever is required to better you for your team. "There is nothing more harmful to your team than the lack of discipline." - Coach Meyers.

RACINE DAVIS: What I got from Coach Meyer's Leadership Seminar was that “you get adrenaline from what you’re passionate about.” I love that quote because cause it's so true. You put the most energy into what you love to do. Another thing I got from the seminar was in order to lead you have to be servant.

LEONELLA MONTALVO: I really enjoyed how he emphasized being thankful for today. I think this applies to many things in life including basketball and outside of basketball. If a person is willing to be thankful for today, then they will be willing to give their best effort in everything they do.

AARIKA JUDGE: At Coach Meyer’s seminar I learned that the right decision is often the hardest decision to make. Also, you should always be at your best because while you may not see others they’re always watching.

ERIKA JONES: During the Leadership Seminar one thing that hit me was when he said you have to be the person you want to follow. It made me look at some of the things I do and decisions and make.

SARAH GREEN: One thing that really resonated with me was the quote Coach Don Myer gave that said, "Peace is not the absence of trials, torments, and storms, but the calm in the midst of them." When adversity hits, which it always will, there has to be one person that can calm everyone down and bring the focus back to the process.

MEGHAN KEOUGH: One of my favorite quotes he said was to "watch the way you treat people on your way up the ladder of success, because they'll be there on your way down." I think that this goes along with what he said about leadership. In order to be a leader, you must have followers and you must have served. A leader must be strong and confident, but also understanding and have earned the respect of her teammates.

He also said adrenaline comes from passion. Your mind and body can do amazing things when you have a deep passion for something. You hear of people picking up cars to save their child's life when they are trapped underneath. This is adrenaline. If you can play with intensity and fire, you will be able to push your body to places thought unimaginable.

KAYLI KEOUGH: The thing that I got from Coach Meyer that I want to apply to my life is his concept of N.B.A.: Next Best Action. It's easy to complain about the present situation, but God has your world a certain way for a reason and it is my job to just continually move forward. We can't change outside factors but we can take the appropriate action to better ourselves and the people around us regardless of difficulties.

ANDREA HINES: I learned from Coach Meyer that in order to be a good leader you have to be a good follower first. Another was that you can have anything you want, but not everything you want.

ASHIA KELLY: The one thing I learned from Coach Meyer was the right decision is often the toughest decision. This means to me that although it may be difficult right now, the effects of this decision will bring excellence later.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM COACH DON MEYER (PART I)

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to spend a day with one of my mentors, Coach Don Meyer, listening to him speak on the topic of leadership.  It was part of his nationwide Leadership Tour.  While I will certainly have more posts on things he spoke about, I spent a couple of days "tweeting" short, random thoughts that he shared with us.  Here is that two day list of thoughts in case you aren't on "twitter" (shame on you) or in case you missed a few of the tweets:

Sometimes being different is good for a team...helps sharpen each other

We all lead and teach until we die.

With true friends, we don't have to measure our words.

Players -- be your own captain.

If you ain't serving, you ain't leading.

Coach Wooden served people but not nearly as much as when retired from coaching...worked harder after coaching serving

On taking notes: Retrieve, Review, Reinforce ...8% better retention if you review notes in a week

Today is all we really have

You can have anything you want but you can't have everything

Worse reason to take a job? Money

Some of the greatest feelings can be expressed in silence

All successful ventures have the element of team building

In tough times, revert back to the process -- clean it up

Take a good luck at the picture before you put the puzzle together (whole-part-whole teaching)

Mark of a real leader is when he gets ran out of town he looks like he's leading a parade

Plan, Prepare, Practice, Play ----- like you lost your last game

"Responsibility is the Price of Greatness." -Coach Summitt

Be the kind of coach you want your son/daughter to play for

Key for coach (and parents) -- catch 'em doing something good!

Key for successful coaching is finding a way to win when the ball doesn't bounce right

#1 thing that hurts leaders – arrogance

Must understand it takes great energy to move people to a higher level

Communicating to your players -- phrases are better than sentences

More teams, businesses & families fail from a lack of discipline...Discipline more than talent & skill will prevail in the end

"You haven't taught until they've learned." - John Wooden

Every part is important -- even the parts you can't see -- they may even be more valuable

Whisper criticism, yell praise

Regardless of where we are, somebody helped us get here

Leaders that "reflect" credit, "shine" brightly

The saddest day in your life is when you are no longer productive

Everyone needs to know someone who sees greatness in them.

The one thing I've noticed in all the great coaches I've observed is that they brought it everyday

The most essential and greatest challenge of a coach is to teach players to never give up.

Rely on discipline not emotion

Don't say it if you don't mean it -- don't pull your guns if you're not ready to shoot.

Amount of words don't correlate with amount of wisdom

People aren't attracted by what they see in you, but by what you see in them.

As a coach you need to know who is helping you when aren't there

Some would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism

Sit and think 10 minutes every day about what you do...how can I be better

Measure people by how they handle a challenge

Most teams fail because of selfishness inside

Exercise is your 2nd job...helps your health, your sanity and generates ideas

“Glad to if I’m able” is better than “Yes”

Create a “3rd Place” – away from work and family where you can read, study and pray.

Best thing you can do for yourself is pray for other people

Customers quite because incompetence and indifference

Nothing like the thrill of doing something that benefits someone else

Weekly planning is the key to successful organizing

Can’t tell an eagle from a buzzard when they fly together

Get all the good ideas you can but know you can’t use them all

Everything you do you write it down so you can do it better the next time

A great leader never gives a good team member a reason to quite…a poor leader gives them several everyday

You never stand as tall as when you admit a mistake

Keys to team building: shared ownership, shared suffering, individual responsibility, collective pride

You learn a lot more at a funeral than you do at a wedding

It’s OK to make a mistake but don’t make mistake of moping, sulking, pouting, or quitting.

Genius is 90% concentration

Knowledge is knowing what to say…wisdom is know whether to say it.

Complainers are not competitors

I wouldn’t be alive today if our players didn’t compete at the car wreck

You don’t have to win a championship to be a champion


Very few people reach the level of significance

Family is a glass bowl (fragile)…your job is a rubber ball – treat each accordingly

People don’t pay for average

Give your gift away every day

Anything NOT in moderation is bad

Improve daily by reading and observing

Play the best players that play the best together

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROBLEM SOLVING

Whether at clinics, via email or phone conversations, I often get the question "what are the attributes for being a successful coach?"  There are several in my opinion, most of them are obvious.  But one that is critically important is that you must be a problem solver.  Coaching is about solving problems. 

Not enough resources? Solve it.
Not enough post players or shooters? Solve it.
Lacking in facilities? Solve it.
Team chemistry problems? Solve it.

I'm not sure that there is not at least one minor problem per day in coaching -- but you have to solve it.  Solving problems to me begins with attitude.  Working for Coach Dale Brown I learned that we were not to use the word "problem" but we were to use the word "opportunity."  Coach Brown would tell us not to come in his office with a problem unless we were ready to offer a solution.  When people ask me what made Coach Brown so successful, again there are several reasons.  But one was he was a solution-oriented person when it came to problems.  He would amaze me with his attitude -- almost excited that a problem has arose because he loves the challenge of defeating it.

Here are some thoughts from Brian Tracy regarding problem solving:

Discussions With Other People
Your ability to communicate is the most important skill you can develop to get on to the fast track in your career. Perhaps the most important thing you do in business is to solve problems and make decisions, both by yourself and with other people. A major reason for meetings in the business organization is problem solving and decision making. The key to effective problem solving and decision making discussions, is for you to all go through the process systematically.

Clarify the Problem
Right at the beginning, you ask the question, "What exactly is the problem?" Clarity of definition will resolve 50% of the issues before they go any further

Think About the Future
When discussing a problem, be sure to focus on the future over the past. Ask the question, "Where do we go from here?" "What do we do from here?" "What are our options for the future?" Too many problem-solving discussions end up focusing all of the attention of all the people present on what happened in the past and who is to blame. The effective executive uses this type of communication to focus on where the company and the individuals are going, and what can happen in the future - the only part of the equation over which anyone has any control.

Focus On the Solution
A second element in effective problem solving communications, is for you to talk about the solutions instead of talking about the problems. It is for you to keep the attention of the individuals in the meeting focused on the possible solutions and what can be done rather than what has already happened.

The discussion of solutions is inherently positive, uplifting and has a tendency to release creativity amongst the group. A discussion of problems is inherently negative, de-motivating and tends to inhibit creativity. You can become a positive thinker simply by becoming a solution-oriented person rather than a problem-oriented person. If you get everyone in your organization thinking and talking in terms of solutions, you will be astonished at the quality and quantity of ideas that will emerge.

Putting These Ideas Into Action
First, take some time to be absolutely clear about the problem that is under discussion. Give some thought to what an ideal decision or solution would accomplish. Instead of focusing on the situation as it is, talk about the situation as you would like it to be.

Second, keep the conversation focused on solutions, on what can be done in the future. The more you think and talk about solutions, the more positive and creative everyone will be and the better ideas you will come up with.

30 DAYS TO A CHAMPIONSHIP: WORKING THE CAMPUS AND THE TOWN

Coach Jim Boone: I have been taking an hour or so each morning to walk through the town of Buckhannon and meet as many business owners and towns people as possible. Our weather has been so great so it has really been the perfect time to meet and greet a number of folks that we might not have had such an opportunity otherwise. As well, it has been a terrific learning experience for me, as I have discovered much about our great community of Buckhannon and it’s strong ties to Wesleyan and our basketball program.

For example, just this morning, I had the pleasure to meet with Mike Feola, the President of First Community Bank, located on Main Street – a great man who was born and raised in Buckhannon, his hospitality and support were amazing.

However, one of the interesting moments of our visit, was to learn that his cousin, David Feola, who owns and operates a Floral Shop in town, coached two of my best friends, Jeff Burkhamer and Glenn Gutierrez of Williamstown, West Virginia. Jeff and Glenn were coached by Dave at Williamstown High School.

Jeff and I have been best friends for over 30 years, and Glenn and I are not only great friends, but Glenn worked with me as an assistant coach for 19 years. Jeff is currently the head basketball coach at NCAA Division II Lander University in Greenwood, SC and Glenn is the head coach at NCAA Division III, Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. It was so cool to meet Dave and reminisce about his days coaching both Jeff and Glenn.

As well, as you might have it, Dave played basketball at West Virginia Wesleyan and is a 1969 graduate. Although, he has not been to a game in over 15 years, but he promised me that not only would he come to some games this season, but that he would also become a loyal Bobcat fan once again.

Our goal of winning one fan at time is really starting to multiply – this has been a great week already for Bobcat Basketball, as we have begun the process of generating excitement and enthusiasm for the coming season!

ONE STATE OF MIND FACING A TEST

"There can only be one state of mind as you approach any profound test; total concentration, a spirit of togetherness, and strength."

-Pat Riley

30 DAYS TO A CHAMPIONSHIP: TAKING IN THE CAMPUS BEAUTY

Coach Jim Boone: The Clinic that I was to be a part of this weekend was cancelled at the last moment. As disappointed as I was with the cancellation, it provided me with a tremendous opportunity to spend this weekend on our campus. I really wanted to get a feel for what a weekend, with our football team on the road, would be like at Wesleyan – this is so important in recruiting, knowing your campus and school.

As I have already written, I am so impressed with the collegiate feel and beauty of our Wesleyan Campus. We have the reputation of being the best small college campus in West Virginia, I can certainly see why, this is truly a campus comprised of great architecture and grandeur. But, as we all know, it’s not just about the pretty buildings and top facilities, it’s the people that make a campus and a great college experience.

With that being said, I continue to be amazed with the energy and electricity that exist on our campus – for a small college we certainly have a major college feel and atmosphere – there is always something going on, always! Certainly the number of Fraternities and Sororities on our campus has had a major impact upon the social opportunities that exist for our students at Wesleyan. I was pleasantly surprised to find that our campus is just as active on the weekends, as it is during the hustle and bustle of an academic week.

This will be a monumental advantage for us in our recruiting, for prospective student-athletes to see and experience the vibrancy of our campus, along with the unity and support of our student body – Wow!.

For student-athletes, this is of particular importance – due in large part to the time commitments of practice and the hours spent training, they are always on campus – it’s great to be a part of a college where there is a social life and our kids can truly be college students and not just athletes! I have been at schools that this becomes such a challenge in building a successful program; whether it be a commuter school with very little campus life to offer it’s student-athletes, or a suitcase campus that becomes a ghost town on the weekends. We are so fortunate to have all that we have at Wesleyan, especially our campus life, and I cannot wait to get our first group of recruits on campus.

Of course, we must work really hard as coaches to develop and nurture this atmosphere and student support on our campus, to channel it into one of the best student crowds and home courts in the West Virginia Conference. You don’t have to go to Duke to paint your belly and have a great time at a game, you can do it right here at WVWC in the “Rock” (Rockefeller Center Arena). For our program, doing things like eating in our Café, walking through campus during the busiest times of the day, and making personal visits to our dorms - these are just a few of the things we are already doing to meet as many students as possible. They need to see me and they need to be able to say that they have personally met their men’s basketball head coach!

This was a great weekend to spend time on campus, to learn more about West Virginia Wesleyan and to build the culture of a winning program, which definitely includes our greatest asset, our student body!

NO GREATER EXAMPLE OF "SERVANT LEADERSHIP" THAN FROM THE MANY HEROES OF 9-11

It is not lost on me that earlier this week I had the opportunity to listen to a coach, a courageous coach, speak about the importance of "servant leadership."  Coach Don Meyer talks about the highest level of doing for others.  And now, on the anniversary of 9-11, let us not forget those who paid the ultimate price 10 years ago.  Let us especially not forget the number of stories of courage and supreme sacrifice and the many who took "servant leadership" to the ultimate level!


"To give without any reward, or any notice, has a special quality of its own."
-Anne Morrow Lindbergh


"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal."
-Albert Pine


“Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness - great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation, and great joy.”
-Jim Rohn


“You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
-John Wooden


“You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.”
-Unknown


“I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
-Nathan Hale


"It is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich."
-Henry Ward Beecher


"Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"
-Martin Luther King Jr.


“Many persons have the wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”
-Helen Keller


"Not he who has much is rich, but he who gives much."
-Erich Fromm


"Only a life lived for others is worth living."
-Albert Einstein