The following comes from Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson:
Above all, there are two things that we look for at every position: shooting and quickness. Shooting is the key to anything you’re trying to put together. It’s the great equalizer. I try to impress upon my assistants not to talk to me about a kid who has great hang time or can really take it to the hole if he’s a lousy shooter. In the end, if a guy can’t shoot he’s going to keep you from getting where you want to go.
We don’t want a non-shooter. You can help people with their shooting but if they’re not shooters there’s only so much that can be done. Sometimes a bad shooter can improve to a fair shooter, fair shooters to decent shooters, but you are not going to see guys go from bad shooters to great shooters.
Quickness is critical at the three perimeter spots, especially in regards to defense. You can teach a lot of guys defense but if they don’t’ have good feet they’re always going to be limited in how good they can be defensively.
Specifically, with a point guard, we’re looking for the kind of quickness that can break down defenses. We like a point guard who can shoot because it opens up so many other opportunities. A point guard must also possess strong character traits. For instance, is he the kind of guy who’s going to lead by example as well as being vocal?
When we look at wing players we want guys who can run the floor. The same is true for the interior players we recruit.
With big guys it comes down to how well they run the floor. Also, an inside player needs to have good hands. Does he have soft hands? Does he catch the ball well? In my experience in dealing with inside guys, if they don’t’ catch the ball well you’re going to have restrictions on how good you can become. We want the kids with the best hands we can find. Aggressiveness is also an important qualification for our inside guys. Are they aggressive to the ball? Are they quick to the ball? There may be some guys who can jump real high but they have to gather themselves. By the time they do, the quick jumper has the ball.
The following is a passout from Coach Don Meyer.
TOUGH TEAMS…
Win on the road -- Not since 1980 has a collegiate team won a championship with a less than .500 winning percentage on the road. Tough teams win in tough places.
Never get blown out – Only 1 team over the past 25 years has suffered a loss by more than 25 points and gone on to win a championship. Tough teams always give themselves a chance to win.
Set the tone – Tough teams determine how games are played. Tough teams execute and control the tempo.
Always show toughness – When tough teams are down, they do not show frustration. If tough teams are hurt, they do not show pain. The opponent cannot read a tough team.
Are Consistent – Tough teams always show up to play every time they step on the floor. Practice is tougher than games so games become easy.
Respect every opponent – Tough teams understand that every game is important. Tough teams understand that every opponent, no matter what their record or reputation is, can beat them.
Dominate the boards – No team with a negative rebounding margin has won a NCAA Title in the post John Wooden era.
Are identified with toughness – Tough teams play great defense and take pride in it.
Tough teams take charges – Tough teams get on the floor. Tough teams do not turn the ball over. Tough teams believe in the little things.
I've been enjoying reading my friend and mentor's latest book "Getting Over the Four Hurdles of Life." Working for Coach Dale Brown at LSU I have been a part of these teachings. I'm so happy he has put in a book form to share with us all. An absolutle great read for anyone no matter what they do -- but an especially great book for coaches with so many positive and uplifting stories you can share with your staff and team (as well as to help life yourself as well).
THE FOUR HURDLES OF LIFE
1. "I can't" and "You can't" do this or that.
2. Past failures and/or fear of failure -- obstacles that can paralyze us into inaction, and stop us dead in our tracks.
3. Handicaps -- whether physical, psychological, financial or career-based.
4. Lack of self-knowledge -- for many, the most difficult hurdle to get over.
Earlier today I post excerpts from an article I found on CNN that dealt with why we sometimes make the wrong decision in picking a leader. It gave seven fundamental qualities that we should be looking for -- http://bit.ly/wtYexD.
In the context of that article I came across another CNN article -- this one by Dianna Booher called "Want to be a leader? Act like one." The articles deals with characteristic traits held by good leaders. While there are some excerpts below, you can (and should) read the entire article at: http://bit.ly/wtYexD.
Here is part of this wonderful article:
Consider the following habits, attitudes, skills, and characteristics of a leader to see how you measure up and then determine how you can step up:
Act with integrity
Tell the truth. Practice the principles you preach. Be genuine and sincere. It takes just one inappropriate action or comment to uncover the counterfeit. And once credibility vanishes, regaining it becomes a monumental task. People want to see the real you -- the integrity behind your face, the actions behind your promises. In today's economic landscape, trust trumps both price and track record.
Listen like you mean it
Stop whatever you're doing and look the speaker directly in the eye. Tilt your head slightly to one side. The literal message is, "I'm giving you an ear." Ask questions about what the speaker is saying to help clarify thoughts and to verify that you've heard correctly and have drawn the intended conclusions. Answer questions specifically rather than vaguely. Take action to demonstrate that you've heard.
Benjamin Disraeli was right when he observed, "Talk to a man about himself and he will listen for hours." The magic in this mix? He or she will think you are a remarkable person. Listening increases likeability, and likeability leads back to trust in you as a leader.
Commit to what you communicate
Follow through. If you say you'll make an introduction to the potential new client, make the introduction. If you say you'll provide the reference, give the reference. If you say you'll fund the project, budget the money. Show up, own up, and straighten it up. In a marketplace of mealy mouthed moochers, doing what you say will absolutely astonish people.
Be accountable for results
Accountability implies risk and reward. You earn rewards for success; you accept penalties for failure. By the very nature of the risk-reward proposition, others' perception of your position and value increases.
You've heard it said that money is not the most important thing in life. But that's easier to believe when you have enough of it to cover your basic needs. Likewise, people measure competence in different ways, and "enough" competence or "enough" intelligence becomes a matter of degree. At some point, people pull you over the "enough" threshold and begin to judge your performance on degrees of results. Delivering the goods attracts attention and demands respect that translates into others' perception of your leadership and executive presence.
Engage emotionally by being approachable
The combination of both competence and likeability characterizes outstanding leaders with personal presence. You may be credible and have others pick your brain and benefit from your work -- but choose not to be around you if they don't have to be. On the other hand, you may be a likeable, life-of-the-party sort whom everybody wants to hang out with. But people may not consider you credible in challenging times for critical information or competent performance.
The tagline "mover and shaker" comes from a metaphor -- a very visual component of a personality trait or habit. Not only do leaders move through many networks, work a lot of relationships, and shake their share of hands, they literally take the lead in approaching people. People with presence approach others confidently, act as host, make introductions, and connect others in the group. They approach and give attention to others.
Leaders put themselves on the frontline to serve. As a result, others feel their presence because of the attention they give -- not receive. People do pay attention to those with power to reward or punish them. But they enjoy being around those who are humble, willing to serve, and give them the proverbial time of day.
Never whine
Constant complaining characterizes losers. The habit follows those who lack success and feel powerless to improve things for themselves. By their very act of whining, people are admitting that they lack the competence, character, communication skills, or commitment to improve things. Not a good message to send.
Follow protocol in mixing business with pleasure
Because of the heavy demands on their time, leaders blend their social and work lives, often building their personal relationships through business contacts, and vice versa. As the old saying goes, people do business with people they like. Be the liaison who brings people together over lunch, a golf game, committee work, or causes. Understand the rules of etiquette in each of these situations: introductions; timing and appropriateness of business topics; appropriate dress; who arrives first; who pays. It's these little things done right that shout "class."
Act with intention. Communicate with confidence. Lead with clarity.
The following comes from Life Beyone Sports a website operated by my friend Stephanie Zonars. You can also follow her on twitter at @StephanieZonars. Sign up on her website and her blog postings will automatically be sent to you -- they are well worth it!!! Here is her latest:
Last week, I shared a few takeaways from Sports Illustrated’s article about 2011 SportsWoman of the Year, Pat Summitt. Today, let’s glean a few insights from SI’s SportsMan of the Year, Mike Krzyzewski.
Coach K has always been one of my favorites, not just because he wins, but because of how he wins. He understands that winning traditions aren’t built on talent alone. I have a deep appreciation for the way he leads his team and develops boys into men.
These quotes stood out to me (my short comments in blue italics):
"Metaphors are my crutch for a limited vocabulary. I’ve always felt a kid needs to see things, not just hear them or read about them. People remember stories and examples better than words."
Keep in mind the different ways people learn. Use stories and examples to get your point across.
"We have five new managers this season. Do you know their names? If you own the program, you know every person on the bus."
Teach respect for every person around your program who contributes to your success.
"If you lose while believing in one another, you can handle the loss. But in fact you have a really good chance of winning."
Never underestimate the power of unity, whether you win or lose.
"The group that can play as one, with spirit and courage, has the best chance to win."
Talent isn’t enough. Great teams exhibit many other characteristics necessary to win.
"They [Henry Iba, Pete Newell, Bob Knight] told me, ‘Don’t ever try to be like any of the three of us. Don’t try to be like anybody. Take what you like, but don’t mimic.’"
Learn from others, but be yourself! Otherwise you rob the world of your unique gift.
I found the following on CNN.com. It's a story written by Jeffrey Cohn that's titled "Why we pick bad leaders, and how to spot the good ones."
You can read the entire article (and I suggest you do) here: http://bit.ly/yMYqcG
In the beginning of the article Cohn points out the pitfalls of choosing leaders. If you click on the link and read that portion of the article you might find a couple of reason why you made a poor choice for the leaders of your team. It really is worth the read. Here is a critical portion of the article on qualities that we should look for in a leader from Cohn:
There are seven fundamental leadership qualities that the candidate must possess to be effective. Take just one of these away and sooner or later the newly elevated manager will fail. Having studied the careers of nearly 1,000 executives, over the past decade, it is clear to me that failure results when a leader lacks of one, or more, of these seven attributes. So what are these special attributes?
Integrity
It all starts with integrity. Like a foundation for any well-constructed house, integrity is the core foundation for leadership effectiveness. It is a blend of honesty, consistency and ethics. Once integrity is squandered or even thrown into doubt, it is very hard for a leader to regain the trust of his or her troops.
Passion
Yet integrity alone doesn't matter without several other key attributes. Passion, for example, enables a leader to keep moving forward even in tough times.
Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, was ridiculed in 2001 for clinging to a company that many called, "Amazon.bomb." It is now valued at $89 billion. Bezos told me that it was his inner passion that fueled his drive to keep pushing forward even in the darkest days of the dot com crash, when the company was teetering on the brink of collapse.
Courage
Courage, another make-it-or-break-it quality, is necessary to make the difficult decisions when facing conflicts and mediating adversity. Courage springs from a leader's core values and commitment to a vision. Without a compelling vision or destination, how can a boss effectively persuade people to embark upon a new direction? Visionary leaders inspire employees to imagine a better future and work hard to achieve it.
Judgment
Actually achieving this vision, however, requires judgment. Good judgment allows the leader to make solid business decisions and choices. When I assess an aspiring leader, I want to see if she can confront a complex new challenge and quickly zero in on the most important issues.
Does she ask good questions? Can she prioritize and make difficult trade-offs? Does she know where to focus and where not to waste her time and energy? Even when looking at an individual piece of the problem, does she keep the entire chessboard in mind, recognizing the potential unintended consequences of her decisions? Judgment is needed to develop a strategy that will enable the organization to achieve its vision.
Empathy
No matter the organization, diversity of its people is the one constant. Each team member has a different personality, motivation and underlying agenda. Empathy is the attribute that allows a leader to effectively understand what makes other people tick.
Identifying the fundamental drivers of their boss, peers and subordinates is critical. Same goes for getting people aligned and motivated around their common goals. Outside your specific organization it is invaluable that a leader be able to quickly and accurately figure out why an important customer seems dissatisfied, even though they say everything is fine.
If a potential employee doesn't have empathy, they have very little chance of getting these, and many other, important constituents on their side. Lack of empathy is a key reason why otherwise analytically brilliant leaders often come up short.
Emotional intelligence
While empathy is externally focused, another key leadership attribute, emotional intelligence, is internally focused. An emotionally intelligent leader habitually takes a hard, honest look at himself and accurately discerns his strengths, weaknesses and blind spots. Putting personal pride aside, he actively solicits the input of others and incorporates the team's best ideas into the overall action plan.
Without emotional intelligence, hubris sets in and a leader will overestimate his own ability and alienate others. Even though the hubris may convince him that he can bite off more than he can chew, subordinates will not be so blind. A leader that continuously lets down his or her team won't stay in the organization's good graces for long. From my vantage point, a lack of emotional intelligence is probably the top derailer of previously successful managers moving into fundamentally new and ambiguous roles.
These seven leadership attributes -- integrity, vision, judgment, passion, courage, empathy and emotional intelligence-- are all the hallmarks of great leaders, regardless of industry or geography. By gearing any candidate assessment towards these traits -- and away from false predictors of success, like a sparkling personality, a polished resume, or good interview skills -- you will be one big step ahead of the rest of the crowd who are still scratching their heads wondering why they are so bad at picking good leaders.
As Simple As One, Two, Three: My coaching mentors were by my side in spirit during this time. By the early 1960s, I had a devotion to the following three principles and knew how to teach them:
1. Condition. Supreme physical condition accompanied by mental and moral conditioning is foremost. Performance diminishes immediately when condition is insufficient.
2. Fundamentals. Players must have the ability to properly execute the basics of the game instantaneously without having to stop and think. This concept is taught through relentless repetition of details (and I was the one who determined which details would be perfected).
3. Team Spirit. Most important of all, each young man must be willing and eager to sacrifice personal glory for the good of the group. “One for all and all for one” is a phrase that still sends a chill down my spine. The college teams that bring me so much pride are those that demonstrated the highest level of team spirit—the 1948 Indiana State Sycamores and the 1949, 1964, 1970, and 1975 UCLA Bruins. They exhibited a unity that even Coach Piggy Lambert would have admired.
From "My Personal Best: Life Lessons From an All-American Journey" by John Wooden with Steve Jamison
I have been re-reading "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey -- what an amazing book! Habit #2 is "Begin with the end in mind." In other words, you must have a detailed vision of what you want before you can start building it. The best coaches are the ones that have a specific vision of their program and share that vision with those on their team. Having the vision is critical but you must be able to help those involved see and believe in that same vision. It is true with coaching each individual. You must have a vision as to what you see here becoming as a player and than articulate it to her and help her see the same vision. Only then, can special things start to grow.
Here is a wonderful, short video from Covey talking about the 2nd Habit:
Picked up the following from "Chris LoCurto's Blog" and believe it really hits home I think for coaches this time of the season. We are so caught up in game-to-game grind of preparation, coupled with recruiting and everyting else in our job do that we may not take the time to show appreciation to people whoe help us achieve success. As a coach it could be the behind the scenes work of your managers, the tireless effort of your secretary, possibly an administrator who is working to help your program....or even a role player that has quietly been making a difference in your team. It's very important to make sure those people feel appreciated. Here is a portion of that article from Chris' blog (you can read his entire outstanding post at: http://bit.ly/wURjt0)
Recognition is a funny animal. Author Ken Blanchard says, “The last applause most people got was at their high school graduation.” How sad is that? I mean, think about it. When’s the last time someone applauded you that didn’t involve tripping over something and landing on your face?
The truth is, we all want to be accepted for who we are and recognized for our talents and abilities. Nobody likes the guy who recognizes you by checking it off the task list in his head. Instead, we all would like someone to put their arm around our neck and tell us how amazing we are. We want a person to tell us that we’re special and just how proud they are of us. Okay, I can hear the tough folks out there saying, “I don’t need that sissy stuff!” Oh yes you do … and it’s not sissy.
It’s called affection. And if you don’t recognize it, you probably haven’t received it in a while. What’s sad is that so many people haven’t felt that pat on the back, heard the sincere voice of appreciation, or heard applause that didn’t require them eating 10 tacos in under a minute for so long that they don’t realize how many people around them haven’t either.
There are people on your team, in your leadership and within your family and friends who are starved for recognition. And while it’s highly possible you’re not receiving the recognition you deserve right now, you have the choice to break that cycle. Spend a few moments thinking of some of the amazing things your team members, spouse and children have done lately and go tell them about it. Who knows—they might just recognize you back.
Question: What’s your favorite way someone showed appreciation for you??
The following comes from Jon Gordon email newsletter. If you haven't subscribed, it's easy -- go to http://www.jongordon.com/ -- register in the top right hand corner
1. THE BEST KNOW WHAT THEY WANT
I think a lot of people spend their life being average or good at something, but they don't strive to be great. The best of the best not only know what they want, but they want it more.
2. THE BEST WANT IT MORE
We cannot measure desire in terms of merely thought and wishes. The best not only do the things that others won't do and invest the time others won't invest, but they do so with passion and intent to get better. The best are never satisfied with where they are.
3. THE BEST ARE ALWAYS STRIVING TO BE BETTER
If you are striving to get better, then you are always growing. And if you are always growing, then you are not comfortable. To be the best, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable, and embrace it as a part of your growth process. The best see where there is room for improvement and their humility and passion drives them to improve. The average ones however, don't see it or don't want to see it. The fact is past success does not determine future success. Future success is the result of how you work and prepare and practice and how you strive to improve every day. It's a commitment that the best of the best make every week, every day, every hour, and every moment. Force yourself to be uncomfortable.
4. THE BEST DO ORDINARY THINGS BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE
Work hard on the right things. It means you must identify the very "little things" that are fundamental to your success, and then you must focus on them, practice them, and strive to execute them to perfection.
5. THE BEST ZOOM-FOCUS
There is no secret recipe. If you incrementally improve each day, each week, each month, by the end of the year you'll see remarkable results and growth. When you zoom-focus on the process, the outcome takes care of itself. Master the fundamentals.
6. THE BEST ARE MENTALLY STRONGER
Being mentally strong means you stay positive through adversity. It means you are resilient when facing pressure, challenges and change. Weed and feed: Each day you need to weed out negativity and feed it positivity. You need to weed out the self-doubt and negative talk and feed it positive thoughts, memories and visuals.
7. THE BEST OVERCOME THEIR FEARS
Those that succeed, those that reach the pinnacle of greatness, are able to face this battle (overcoming fear) and win.
8. THE BEST SEIZE THE MOMENT
When the best are in the midst of their performance they are not thinking ‘What if I win?’ or ‘What if I lose?’ They are not interested in what the moment produces, but they are only concerned with what they produce in the moment. Rather than hiding from pressure, they rise to the occasion. As a result, the best define the moment rather than letting the moment define them.
9. THE BEST LEAVE A LEGACY
You leave a legacy by living and working with a bigger purpose, you leave a legacy by making your life about more than just you. You leave a legacy by moving from success to significance.
10. THE BEST MAKE EVERYONE AROUND THEM BETTER
The point is to strive to be your best and inspire others to be their best, because it's in the striving where you find greatness, not in the outcome.
