A Coach's Diary

The following article is borrowed from AskMen.Com covering MehKeflezighi , an Eritrean-born American  long distance runner who has won multiple Olympic medals for the United States. What especially resonated with me from the article was the resilience that he showed in not knowing if he would ever have another shot at making the Olympics, resilience in dealing with sponsorships, and the fact that he knew and felt that he was ‘born’ to run. "Breath a little bit harder. If you breath harder, the competition will think you are hurting and decide to make a move. And then when they make a move and have exhausted themselves, since you're faking it, you can take over." Meb Keflezighi has come a long way since fleeing East Africa. When he arrived in the U.S. and ran his first race, his teacher asked him if he wanted to go to the Olympics one day. He couldn’t answer because he didn’t speak English and didn’t know what the Olympics were. Now, he’s prepping for his ...

The article below was borrowed from the blog of Coach Greg Brown of Lipscomb University.  It can be found here. This fall Jason worked with our team, directing us through a day of leadership and physical training. During the classroom portion of the day, Jason made the statement mentioned above. The “Find One” quote stuck with us. We’ve used it as our theme this season for a reason. It is how we break every huddle. The “Find One” thought is more than just a phrase or marketing theme. We want it to be a part of our mindset. We want it to be ingrained in our team’s thought process. There’s always a way to serve, to lead, to step outside of a comfort zone. There’s a way to fight the voices that tell us we can’t do something. We just need to focus on the ONE thing we can do to carry us forward. Please share with others to “Find 1”.

When Saban came to Alabama, he immediately began to talk about "the process." As if it were some sort of long-lost biblical passage. What the process actually was became quite the mystery at Alabama. Now, even though there's no official definition, it's clear that Saban's "process" is a team building tool that envelops every Crimson Tide football player both on and off the field. The moment a freshman recruit walks onto campus in Tuscaloosa he becomes a part of the process . It is every player's responsibility to prepare himself, both mentally and physically, for any obstacle that might come his way. His militant approach has become a source of pride for Alabama. To help institute and maintain this philosophy, Saban brought in strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran—one of the most intense and vocal personalities in college football. He's both the athlete's best friend and worst nightmare. Cochran maintains his intensi...

Sub schedules are something I am always thinking about.  This blog is borrowed from HoopThoughts  and its Tom Crean talking about how he utilizes subs during the season. Turns out that Indiana and Coach Tom Crean took a page from baseball's Tony La Russa in utilizing your bench to prepare them for the post season. “I learned something from Tony La Russa a long time ago.  He said he tried to get his back-ups, his subs, a game a week, whether an inning here on Monday or an inning on Tuesday. You know what? The same thing applies to basketball. You know when you get guys minutes, quality minutes in the duration of the season, when they get in pressure situations, it doesn’t feel like pressure."

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...