// archives

Archive for April, 2011

The NFL Draft and the Royal Wedding

What do the Royal Wedding and the NFL draft have in common? Neither one can be judged by the early hoopla. Success is determined only over the long haul, and after adversity. This is true is every area of life. A big splash is nothing compared to a deep pool. Anyone can be successful over […]

Deciding to Be Great

“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Those words of Abraham Lincoln came to mind last night in the gym as I watched practice. Except I would like to paraphrase the famous president. What if we put it this way: “Most people are about as skilled as they […]

How Do People Improve?

Two things help any performer improve: First is properly designed activity, the more game-like the better. Second is appropriate feedback. If your team is not improving, then look carefully at what you’re doing and how you give feedback. My friend Kevin Reilly sent this sensational article on “The Five Feedback Traps.” Written by Brian McCormick […]

Is Jim Tressel a Good Coach?

Jim Tressel’s case should remind all of us that there is more to coaching than winning. Tressel, football coach at Ohio State, is the head of a tainted program. In the latest development in an eligibility scandal, the NCAA has accused Tressel of failing to conduct himself with “honesty and integrity.” It also said he […]

What the NFL Draft Can Teach You

This week the biggest game in town is the 2011 Mock NFL Draft. Teams are getting ready for the real event, Thursday at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Everyone wants to do well at the draft table. But not everyone does. Why? I remember an article that linked success in the business world […]

Choosing Hope

Happy Easter! It’s about more than colored hard-boiled eggs, pineapple upside-down cake, and Easter baskets. It’s about rebirth, renewal and hope. No matter what your religious faith, you can relate to these themes. I recently heard from an old friend who has been on the difficult road of alcoholism. He now attends Alcoholic Anonymous meetings […]

Words Every Leader Should Know

The other day I ran into an official at a girls high school. She is busy planning a reunion, and she’s running into problems. Rivalries that existed back then are still in play. One student wanted to know why another student had received her invitation first. Another student wondered why she hadn’t received credit for […]

Taking Care of Essentials

Gas prices are causing more than pain in the wallet. They’re putting drivers in danger. AAA Mid-Atlantic says in the last month, calls from stranded drivers who’ve run out of gas are up 20 percent. That can happen in the fast lane or anywhere else, leaving cars, and the people in them, in danger. It […]

The First Step in Improving

If you’re looking for a way to raise your game — no matter what that game is — get a hold of “Winning the Big One,” a video by former LSU baseball coach Skip Bertman. You’ll find plenty of great information on how winners think. In particular, Bertman says that winning the big one is […]

What Failure Says About You

Marge Schott, former owner of the Cincinnati Reds, once fired some of her scouts, famously saying that “all they do is watch baseball games.” Yes, and once they watch those games, they must answer this question: Which young players have the best chance of becoming a big-league star? It’s a tricky question in which scouts […]