A Coach's Diary

When the leader is clear and consistent about his philosophy's core values, it frees everyone up to do their best.  It frees top leadership to treat its middle managers in a whole new way.  When everyone understands the vision, the goals, and the overall system, they don't need the top boss always telling them what to do.  They can figure it out for themselves.  And for the middle managers, the is means that instead of being mere instruments for relaying instructions delivered from on high, they can get creative and share their own ideas.  Once they have the chance to find their own voices, their identity is now at the forefront.  The door then opens to competing not merely for the next promotion but to maximize their own potential.  Imagine how much energy this generates.  When everyone gets to contribute his maximum effort, it is transformative for the whole organization. Taken from Win Forever by Pete Carroll

The following article was taken from Pete Carroll's book, Win Forever.   At USC  Pete Carroll introduced "Three Rules," which became foundational elements for our program. Rule 1:  Always protect the team Rule 2:  No whining, No complaining, No Excuses Rule 3:  Be Early Rule 1: Protecting the Team This rule is about each individuals conscience and it holds everybody in the program accountable to the program and to each other.  Every decision is important and every decision can either hurt or help you, your teammates, and the team. Rule 2:  You Either Do or You Don't - There Are No Excuses Self-talk can be powerful and ultimately can create anticipated outcomes.  The language of the culture reflects the attitude of the culture.  If you're a culture of complaining and excuses, your actions and performance will reflect it. Rule 3:  Being Early Requires Being Prepared Being early is all about being discipli...

This article is an excerpt of an interview with Sharon Sloane , C.E.O. of Will Interactive , was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant . In the interview, she talks about the importance of: -  Understanding what makes the people you work with tick -  Being able to walk in other people's shoes -  Seeing yourself through the eyes of others -  Looking for ‘Beam Holders’ -  Finding your passion and following it -  Being patient and earning your stripes -  Examined experience is the best teacher -  The importance of daily reflection You can find the complete article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/business/corner-office-sharon-sloane-of-will-interactive-see-yourself-as-others-see-you.html In approaching difficult conversations,  a chief executive says,  “you’ve got to  get ‘on the balcony’ —  you have to take  yourself out  of the situation and look at  it as ...

The following quotes are from an interview with Dr. Kevin J. Tracey, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research of the North Shore-LIJ Health System and was conducted by Adam Bryant. Get the entire interview at: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/06/business/corner-office-kevin-tracey-on-putting-it-together-after-taking-it-apart.html?_r=0 But I do think that kids today are growing up with computers and technology that don’t need to be fixed or can’t be fixed, and they’re missing out on something.   I think you have to take apart something. I also think you want to figure out how things work, because that gives you the power to innovate. Innovation has to start with creativity, and creativity means making something. The best way to make something, if you don’t know how to do it, is to take something else apart. … But I think that when your mother dies when you’re young, you approach life differently. You realize nothing’s guaranteed to last ...

Getting guys from all different walks of like to buy-in to one common theme is what makes him a genius of the game. During a broadcast of the USA Basketball Men's National Team's practice, Grant Hill was asked where the 'greatness' of Coach K comes from. Grant says that, along with his great mind and understanding of the game, his ability to connect and build relationships with the guys allows him to build a trust and get a buy-in from the guys.   Grant says that Coach K has a way of selling himself and making you feel special within that relationship. We can have all the knowledge in the world, but if we can't get a group of guys to buy-in to a common theme and come together as one, we will struggle to find success.  Use your relationships to do so.

How Can We Make This Thing Right Here Personally Meaningful? The most powerfully motivating condition people experience at work is  making progress at something that is personally meaningful . How can you make what your team/school/class/business is doing personally meaningful? - Understand what drives each person - Help build connections between what drives them, their individual work, and the mission of the organization - Provide timely feedback - Help each person learn and grown on an ongoing basis Regular communication around development – coaching conversations – is the single most important managerial competency that separates highly effective managers from average ones (or great coaches from average ones) Many managers think they don’t have the time to have these conversations, and many lack the skill. Yet 70% of employee learning and development happens on the job, not through formal training programs. So if line managers aren’t supportive and actively invol...