A Coach's Diary

An article written by Mike Myatt at Forbes.com inspired the article below.   You can see the article in its entirety here . Managers tend to blame their turnover problems on everything under the sun, while ignoring the crux of the matter: people don't leave jobs; they leave managers.   “Employees don’t quit working for companies, they quit working for their bosses.” Regardless of tenure, position, title, etc., employees who voluntarily leave, generally do so out of some type of perceived disconnect with leadership. Here’s the thing – employees who are challenged, engaged, valued, and rewarded (emotionally, intellectually & financially) rarely leave, and more importantly, they perform at very high levels.  Below are Myatt’s top 10 reasons talented people leave their organizations.   Below each reason, I have reworded it to match athletics and being a part of a team. 1. You Failed To Unleash Their Passions : Smart coaches align employee passions ...

The following article is an exerpt from Forbes.com .  It compares the characteristics of mental toughness needed to be a successful athlete with thr characteristics needed to be a successful business leader.  You can get the full article here . Flexibility If something isn’t going well or doesn’t turn out as expected, they remain flexible in their approach and look for new ways to solve the problem. Being Present Game-ready leaders are able to remain engaged, alive and connected with a situation when under pressure. They are constantly identifying the opportunities, challenges, and threats in the environment. Strength They find the strength to dig deep and garner the resolve to keep going, even when in a seemingly losing game. They focus on giving their best and fighting hard until the end, with persistent intensity throughout the game. Courage and Ethics Game-ready leaders do the right thing for the organization and the team. They suppress the temptation t...

Motivation Students Who Don't Care is a book written by Allen Mendler for educators of 6-8 grade math students.  While it was written for the classroom, I found some of its topics and techniques applicable to coaching as well. Emphasize Effort In trying to motivate the unmotivated student, you should first start with motivating effort.  Effort is where growth comes from which leads to success.  Without effort, growth is stagnant, and so is motivation.  This chapter addresses the importance of addressing effort first in unmotivated students and some tips on how to do so. - Most students who appear unmotivated or who have inappropriate behavior do not see themselves as capable and attribute success to ability rather than effort. - According to Carol Dweck’s research, many students believe that intelligence is a fixed entity and is the factor responsible for success or failure (cited in Azar, 1996). - Many students who fail just don’t try because they bel...

This is a great article talking about the importance of knowing who you are as a coach and a leader, finding your voice, and knowing what you want to get out of your team.  Steve Kerr, upon taking over as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, watched the Seattle Seahawks and met with their head coach Pete Carroll.  He admired their energetic style and the way that they mixed having fun with making competition part of everything that they do. Below are some of the highlights and takeaways.  You can find the article in its entirety here . As The Article States, Only 20% Is X's And O's.  80% Is Relationship, Atmosphere And Culture. PLAY HARD | HAVE FUN BELOW ARE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ARTICLE: Find Your Own Style It's no secret around Seattle, and the NFL for that matter, that Pete Carroll's coaching style is unique in a lot of ways. Music plays over the loudspeakers at practice, there's a basketball free-throw competition amongst players a...

One of my favorite quotes about hard work was said by one of the greatest coaches of all time, John Wooden. He said, "Nothing will work unless you do." In other words, you can have the best plans, the most perfect offensive and defensive schemes, and even a great amount of talent. But if you and your team are not willing to put in hard work, your plans will never be realized. Another quote I often share with my players was by NBA legend Jerry West. He said, "You don’t get much done if you only work on the days that you feel good." Hard work cannot be sporadic. It cannot take place only on the sunny days. If you want your best to become a habit, you must engage in intensive, intelligent, and persistent practice. I believe you play like you practice, so when you practice hard every day, playing hard will seem natural when the game is on the line. A final quote about work that I share with my team is Roger Staubach’s: "Spectacular achievements are a...

The following notes are from the Detroit Pistons Training Camp, taken and shared by Steve Finamore. Tuesday September 29, 2015 10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. Notes by Steve Finamore Boys Head Varsity Basketball Coach East Lansing High School - Huge sign on the wall at the Pistons practice facility behind basket: - “BE IMPACTFUL!” - Championship and division banners hang from the rafters. - Pistons team and coaching staff walk onto court together at 10AM. (Many players were at practice facility at 8 A.M. getting in extra shooting with coaches)                                                         Coaching staff: Stan Van Gundy, Brendan Malone, Bob Beyer, Malik Allen, Tim Hardaway, Charles Kl...