When you’re picking talent, there are things you can control. These things can give you an edge — sometimes a decisive one.
Sometimes a rule is more than a rule. The Boston Red Sox have banned beer in their clubhouse this year, and the edict reminds them that they have only one job: to win games. That’s something they neglected to do at the end of last year, when the team went missed the playoffs in what […]
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 […]
If you’re looking for insight into leadership, check out the recent Sports Illustrated profile of Baltimore Orioles Manager Buck Showalter by writer Tom Verducci. Showalter is trying to turn around a franchise that has not had a winning season since 1997. So he is talking to his players about the approach to success. In one […]
W. Somerset Maugham said, “It is a funny thing about life: If you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it.” Last night there was a special about high school bands on television. One of the band directors remarked that each season involved at least two dynamics: the ninth-graders learning the […]
“A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skill of the others.” – Norman S. Hidle What makes the difference between one successful season …and a successful program? The answer is culture. What are the shared values in your locker room? The standards? Is the […]