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Showing posts from 2016

Aboard The Energy Bus

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Coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami gave his team the book, The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy. Spoelstra said he chose the book, authored by Jon Gordon, because the team could learn from the motivation principles. According to Gordon many other college and professional coaches have given their team the book. Here are some key takeaways from the book: You are the Driver of the Bus. Move your bus in the right direction. It should be moving toward your desire, vision and f Fuel your ride with positive energy. Only invite those people on your bus who share your vision for the road ahead. Don’t waste your energy on those who don’t get on your bus. Keep energy vampires off your bus. Those who suck the life out of your group. Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and keep them energized throughout the ride. Show love toward your passengers. Always drive with a purpose. Have fun and enjoy the ride.   The Energy Bus: 10 Rul

Leadership Philosophies and Principles From Jim Rohn

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Jim Rohn, the man many consider to be America's Foremost Business Philosopher, shared his success philosophies and principles for over 46 years, with more than 6,000 audiences and over 5 million people worldwide. Here are some of his terrific teachings that can benefit any leader. Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job . If you work hard on your job you’ll make a living, if you work hard on yourself you can make a fortune. The greatest gift you can give somebody is your own personal development.  I used to say, “If you will take care of me, I will take care of you. Now I say, I will take care of me for you, if you will take care of you for me.” Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you become. Rather than thinking about what you need to do in order to be successful, why not ask yourself what person do you need to become to be where you want to be? If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someo

Mike Krzyzewski's Thoughts On...

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On Competition: I think your focus should always be on yourself, being the best that you can be. Your competition shows your flaws, your weakness. I'm into beating my opponents, not crushing them. Without competition, you don’t know how people are looking to beat you. So you welcome that. But if you’re committed to excellence, it’s not about one game, you have to be there all the time. You’re never at the end, you’re always "becoming." On Loving To Win Or Hating To Lose: Both! I would say for me, the thought of losing is a bigger motivator than the thought of winning. But the hatred of losing causes you to prepare to win. Everybody wants to win, not everybody wants to prepare to win. You have to love the process of preparing to achieve that goal of winning. People who are less talented can beat you if they are more together, tougher and more unselfish. On Coaching Egos: People always ask “How do you get these big egos together?” If you have a good comm

Sports Legends And What They Teach Us About Leading Others

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Magic Johnson – Enjoy your work.  Over a 10-year period, Magic's Lakers' team appeared in eight NBA Championships, winning five. Best known for his no-look passes and charismatic style of play, what some remember most about him was how he smiled, grinning ear to ear, during the game. People often refer to work as a “four-letter word,” as if it’s a bad thing. While we all have good and bad days, Magic reminds us all to enjoy what you do for a living. Michael Jordan – Make other people better.  Jordan is the widely recognized as the greatest basketball player in the history of the game. There are probably numerous reasons for his success. His outstanding work ethic. His intense desire to compete. His dedication to the game. But the lesson we ca learn from Michael's' reign is the fact that he recognized that in order to win it wasn’t enough to be the best player on the court. In order to win, he needed to make his teammates better. And that’s true leadership. Jerry

In The December 2016 Issue Of The Coaching and Leadership Journal

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Here is some of what you will find in the December 2016 issue of The Coaching and Leadership Journal: Life lessons from Bob McKillop One of the most successful coaches in NCAA history, Hank Janczyk Gettysburg College men’s lacrosse coach talks about the 2015 season where his team finished 20-1. Things mentally strong people do Leadership profile—Mike Neighbors, Washington Women's Basketball What togetherness looks like Buying in and the rule of threes  Coaching tips from Doc Rivers Andre Agassi's analysis  Life lessons from Bob McKillop Coach K on fostering a championship culture Attributes of the ultimate athlete  Gifts from The Grinch Recruiting and the multi-sport athlete Napoleon Hill's 17 keys to success Tony Dungy on integrity And much more! Joining the growing list of impressive subscribers that already includes both the NCAA's men's and women's all-time winningest hockey coaches, Illinois all-time winningest high school footba

The Greatest Quotes From The Greatest Talker--Muhammad Ali

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Muhammad Ali was not only a boxing champion, he was a championship talker. He knew that if you changed the way you look at things the things you look at would change. He knew of the power of belief and that you have to believe it before you see it to see as opposed to seeing it before you believe it. Here are some of the Greatest's quotes: On Being Humble: “At home I am a nice guy: but I don’t want the world to know. Humble people, I’ve found, don’t get very far.” On His Achievements: “I’ve wrestled with alligators; I’ve tussled with a whale; I done handcuffed lightning; and throw thunder in jail.” On Victory: “The will must be stronger than the skill.” On Greatness: “If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.” On Aging: “A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” On Fortitude:  “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

Learning From The Greatest Salesman In The World

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The Greatest Salesman in the World is a book, written by Og Mandino, that serves as a guide to a philosophy of success. It tells a story of Hafid, a poor camel boy who achieves a life of abundance. Mandino composed The Legend Of The Ten Scrolls. They are: Scroll I - The Power of Good Habits Scroll II - Greet Each Day With Love In Your Heart Scroll III - I Will Persist Until I Succeed Scroll IV - I am Nature's Greatest Miracle Scroll V - Live Each Day as if it Were Your Last Scroll VI - Master Your Emotions Scroll VII - The Power of Laughter Scroll VIII - Multiply Your Value Every Day Scroll IX - All is Worthless Without Action Scroll X - Pray to God for Guidance His primary message was to "do it now". In the marking of Scroll IX, "I will act now" is written 18 times. While his messages did have Christian undertones (by referring to Paul as the greatest salesman in the world), it was still a message of repetitive actions to build good habits. A

Always Fail Forward

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The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure. Here are some examples of those who failed only to become a huge success later.  Sigmund Freud was booed off the stage the first time he presented his theories to a group of scientists in Europe. He went on to win the Goethe Award for his work in psychology. Winston Churchill failed sixth grade and lost every public election he ran for until he was elected Prime Minister of England at the age of 62. Albert Einstein didn’t speak until he was 4 years old, couldn’t read basic words until he was 7 and was expelled from school. He eventually revolutionized physics with his Theory of Relativity. Henry Ford failed at farming, at being an apprentice and as a machinist, and went bankrupt five times. He modernized mass production. Stan Smith was rejected as a ball boy for a Davis Cup tennis match because he was “too clumsy.” He won eight Davis Cup championships and is consider

Lying With Statistics

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Written by a non-statistician in hokey language and illustrate by humorous line drawings, How To Lie With Statistics is as relevant and enjoyable as when it first appeared in 1954.Indeed the book is a best seller even though some examples are out of date, like the salary of Yale graduates and the price of bananas. Likewise the tricks described by Darrell Huff, from misleading charts to misuse of averages, are still used today. "Many a statistic is false on its face. It gets by only because the magic of numbers brings about a suspension of common sense," Huff says. The purpose of this book is about explaining how to look a phony statistic in the eye and face it down by asking some of these questions: 1. Who says so? 2. How does he know? 3. What's missing? 4. Did somebody change the subject? 5. Does it make sense? Remember:statistics don't lie, people do. Here are a few more things we can take from the book: "Proper treatment will cure a cold in seven

Motivating Athletes by Frank Lenti

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The following was written by Frank Lenti, the all-time winningest football coach in Illinois state history. Going into this season he had complied a 357-68 record at Mount Carmel High School. He is also one of our Coaching and Leadership Journal subscribers.  One of the hardest parts of coaching is motivating young athletes to practice. To do this effectively, the coach has to foster an understanding of the relationship between training, practice and peak performance. He must encourage the athletes, provide structured training, and help them gain the self-discipline necessary for success and excellence on the field. BUILDING THE COACH-ATHLETE RELATIONSHIP Effective motivation flows from the partnership between coaches and athletes. As coaches, we must understand our athletes as individuals and as a team gain their trust and respect. We must remember that we're coaching people, not machines. We must teach youngsters the mechanics of a sport, but we must also assist in bu

In The November 2016 Issue Of The Coaching and Leadership Journal

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Here is some of what you will find in the November 2016 issue of The Coaching and Leadership Journal: Leadership lessons from the Boss (Bruce Springsteen) Leadership advice from SNL’s creator Lorne Michaels Training the Navy SEALS  Focus on being productive Leadership Profile—Barbara Stevens, Bentley University Women's Basketball  Signs of great leadership Defining Self-Talk 13 ways to build culture Leadership and the 4e’s Team USA’s fight song Tough minded research Turn your shoulds into musts And Much More The Coaching & Leadership Journal is written specifically for busy leaders. Our journal gives you the latest strategies in a concise, quick-read format. Published Monthly! We have a terrific team of subscribers and are always looking to add to our roster! Subscribe Now Learn More 

Who Moved My Cheese? Lessons Leaders Can Learn From Mice

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Who Moved My Cheese? was published on September 8, 1998, and is a motivational business fable. The text describes change in one's work and life, and four typical reactions to those changes by two mice and two little people, during their hunt for cheese. A New York Times business bestseller upon release, Who Moved My Cheese? remained on the list for almost five years and spent over 200 weeks on Publishers Weekly's hardcover nonfiction list. It has sold more than 26 million copies worldwide in 37 languages and remains one of the best-selling business books. Here are some lessons leaders can learn from the mice: Old beliefs do not lead you to new cheese.  Being complacent leads to extinction.  Embracing change and being flexible leads to survival. Don’t over-analyze or over-complicate things. Embrace the thrill of the hunt, be curious, and push the envelope. This is your job as a leader. Let go of old behavior instead of letting go of the situation: A different view

Meet CLJ Subscriber Pearl Sinn-Bonanni

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Pearl Sinn-Bonanni, a three-time All-American at Arizona State and a member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association since 1990, wrapped her seventh season as the head coach of the women’s golf program at Cal State Fullerton in 2015-16. There’s technique. There’s focus. There’s athleticism. But for Pearl Sinn-Bonanni, succeeding in an individual sport like golf comes down to one ingredient. “You literally have to just outwork somebody,” she said. “That’s the bottom line. No excuses. And if you don’t work at it, then it shows in your scores. You can’t hide it.” “My parents were immigrants, and they had to work very hard to put food on the table. They sacrificed a lot. So it wasn’t so much that they were telling me to work hard, but it was how they worked that really inspired me.” She applied those principles to golf, spending hours developing her swing with her sister. She was one of the few Asian athletes competing as a junior golfer. Once she told her dad that a rules of

Walt Disney's Three Types Of People

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According to Walt Disney, there are 3 types of people: The Well Poisoner. The Well Poisoner discourages you, stomps on your creativity and tells you what you can't do.  The Second type is the Lawn Mower. The Lawn mower is well intended but self absorbed. They are more concerned with their own needs, their own lawns and never leave their yard to help someone else.  Finally, there is the Life Enhancer . They reach out to others and lift them up. They encourage others and inspire greatness.  Leadership guru John Maxwell suggests we ask ourselves: "Am I different things to different people?" In other words are you a life enhancer to a recruit but a lawn mower to your staff? Perhaps you are life enhancers to those you agree with but well poisoners to those who think differently. Worth thinking about! Thought for the week: When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do. --Walt Disney A Season In Words by Dan Spainhour $19.95

Takeaways From As A Man Thinketh

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James Allen's book As A Man Thinketh is  one of the top 10 motivational books of all time.  The book's intention is to motivate the reader to believe that, "They themselves are makers of themselves." Most people labor under the misconception that their life is the result of fate, luck, or circumstances. This book explains that your life is what you make of it, and the only way you'll be successful in life is if you're first successful in your mind. Here are some terrific thoughts taken from the book: A man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind. Self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power. The outer conditions of a person's life will always be found to be harmon