Anson Dorrance
Competition in Practice
Three factors — the NHL’s recent Winter Classic, the cold wave in the Northeast, and a conversation with mental toughness guru Craig Sigl — made me think of the Canadian game of shinny.
Shinny is a simple variation of ice hockey in which one player tries to keep the puck, and all the others try to [...]
Getting What Others Want
Yesterday we talked about the biggest addiction, namely, the addiction to comfort.
There’s no question that comfort feels good. The trouble is that everything you want in terms of skill and achievement lies outside of this zone.
To become better at anything, you must leave the comfort zone. And to become the best at what you do, [...]
Herb Brooks’ Gold Medal Secret
Feb. 22 marks 31 years since the U.S. Olympic hockey team upset the Soviet Union en route to the gold medal.
Those of us old enough to remember saw the jubilation and the celebration on the ice. But no one saw the hard work behind the feat. Except the players. They will never forget. After [...]
Measure and Post
Expect the restaurant kitchens in New York City to get cleaner.
That’s because the city’s Board of Health has voted to publicly post the cleanliness grades where customers can see them.
These grades have previously been available online or at the Department of Health and Mental Hygeine. But now they must be posted in the window or [...]
The Simplest Detail
Anyone who thinks that success is complicated should look at the Grey Cup final — the championship of the Canadian Football League.
Montreal won because Saskatchewan received a penalty for having 13 men on the field. Damon Duval missed a field goal that would have won the game, but got a second chance because of the [...]
What Big-Leaguers Talk About All the Time
This year’s baseball Hall of Fame ballot is on its way to the voters. No matter who gets voted in — if anyone — you can be sure he passed the test of consistency.
No one gets in on a fluke. One or two great seasons aren’t enough. To even be eligible, a player must have [...]
Excellence from the Mundane
Remember the other day, when chef Thomas Keller was saying that the steps in cooking are not particularly difficult?
Well, today we have legendary soccer coach Anson Dorrance saying the same thing in a different way.
Dorrance, whose team plays in the NCAA quarterfinals today in pursuit of the program’s 21st national championship, discusses excellence this way:
“Excellence [...]
Being a Finisher
Nothing quite matches the excitement of Day One of training camp.
Seeing old faces, learning new ones, getting ready for all the challenges, facing the unknown … it sounds a lot like New Year’s Eve, just without the bad driving. It’s got more buzz than Kourtney Kardashian’s pregnancy.
Only one thing takes away from the good feeling. [...]
Using Humor
Last night comedian Don Rickles was a guest on Craig Ferguson’s talk show.
Rickles is a legend who gained fame through his good-natured insults. Sure enough, the minute he got on the stage, he jabbed everyone in sight: the host, the audience, everyone.
Pretty soon everyone in the building was in stitches. Rickles’ comedy is a perfect [...]
Who Can Be Excellent?
If you’re like most people, you enjoy hearing stories of greatness. You like to learn about people who overcame adversity and who, against all odds, created success for themselves.
What you may not realize is that those stories need not be about others. They can be about you. And — this is the amazing part — [...]
