My friend Gary Pritchard, whose coaching specialty is helping build unity on teams, sent this quote from Charles Dickens today. “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” Those words capture so much of what coaching should be about. The job of a leader is more than just giving orders […]
“If you have only two pennies left in the world, with the first penny, you should buy rice to feed your family. With the second penny, say the wise Japanese, you should buy a lily. The Japanese understand the importance of dreaming.” We all love to dream. But we also need to make a living. […]
Let’s start with a trick question. Does your team have a culture? Remember, it’s a trick question. And the answer is yes. Whether in sports, in business or even in your family, your group has a culture. It may be weak or it may be strong, but it’s a culture. It may be positive or […]
In giving his excellent team-building sessions, my friend and fellow author Gary Pritchard always says that there are three things you can control: your effort, your attitude and your response to failure. He calls it EAR. Now billionaire sports owner Mark Cuban is echoing Pritchard. In this article from Business Insider, Cuban, owner of the […]
This article from US News sheds some light on what motivates children and adolescents. It compares and contrasts pupils in the United States and China. It says that up to a certain age, pupils in both countries are motivated by a desire to please their parents. Then things change. As they move into adolescence, according […]
Peak performance coach Dave Cross taught me about reframing. It’s a mental technique in which you simply look at a familiar landscape in a different way — a way that’s better for you. Cross told the story of bringing his team into a hostile gym for a crucial game. The fans were making lots of […]
A coach just asked for recommendations on a book to help him mold his philosophy. What a great question! Here are three for sure: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell. Talent Is Overrated, Geoff Colvin The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle All three discuss the subject of human potential, and how anyone can pursue excellence and success. Another must […]
When you play the lottery, do you get the feeling that you’re going to win? Of course! Otherwise, why would you play? Here’s the hard reality: The odds can range from 18 million to 1 to as much as 120 million to 1. Not very good. But this is not really about the lottery. It’s […]
Let’s say you’re fortunate enough to have reached your “Big Dance,” whether it’s the NCAA tournament or your state final. Many coaches make the fatal mistake of believing they must do something special because of the occasion. Dave Cross can help you avoid that. Dave is a nationally known coach, an expert on mental skills […]
This quote popped up on a Web site and made me wince. It took me back to practices I’ve run. Bad ones. It’s from Phyllis Hunter, a Houston-based consultant. “Teachers do not have a right to do whatever they think best in the classroom. It’s not about teachers or what the teachers need or the […]