The Team Leadership Report

Builders devote years to structures that can be destroyed in minutes. Your people are much the same. When you honor someone’s contributions in front of their peers in a dignified way, you build people. When you criticize them in front of their peers, you destroy them. Trust and confidence are built over time and with great care. Recognition moments can help you build solid relationships. Take care to reserve sharp criticism for one-on-one meetings. Recognition is public; criticism is private. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Paperback 6 x 9; 124 pages $24.95 Instant Download $19.95

Winners brighten a locker room just by entering. They’re full of energy, passion, and enthusiasm. They make a point to talk about the good things that have happened and what others are doing well. They encourage their teammates and refuse to speak poorly of others. Whiners brighten a room by leaving. Whiners are draining as they suck the energy from those around them. They often gossip about others and complain about how bad things are. Their negative tone and overall self-pity destroys motivation. —Adapted from Championshipcoachesnetwork.com ____________________________________________________________________________   The Athlete's Responsibility Manual

The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule but to schedule your priorities. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Live out of your imagination, not your history. Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships. Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important. I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good." I teach people how to treat me by what I will allow. Love is a verb. Love – the feeling – is the fruit of love the verb or our loving actions. So love her. Live, love, laugh, leave a legacy. ____________

The Bronx, N.Y. native is also a voracious consumer of management books. The New York Times writes he “would seem right at home at a TED conference, exchanging innovative management ideas.” He loves Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, which he appears to quote from relentlessly. He’s a devotee not only of the guru’s ideas but of the Franklin Covey daily planners. In his office, Larranaga keeps two decades’ worth of the binders carefully tracking every goal, every practice and every appointment. That kind of meticulousness carries over into the way he coaches the team, relying heavily on numbers to guide his thinking. He uses stats-driven analytics  to track each player down to each possession, using that data to help him coach. His defense-driven style instructs his players to limit opponents to 12 points per position. He breaks down practices into minute-by-minute increments that players say are so strategic and organized that they’re able to guess what the

We know all about icebergs already and how what you see floating around in open waters is only a small fraction of the entire iceberg. For what is visible above the waterline there is a much larger part hidden beneath. This is an excellent metaphor for success. Every one of us can see the outcome of success and accomplishments. This is the visible part of the iceberg that floats majestically out of the water. On the other hand, the efforts, what is necessary to achieve such an outcome, remain hidden and unnoticed like the larger section of the iceberg that is beneath the water line. The majority of people tend to only focus on the fabulous outcome and the successes of others, rather than recognize the intangible effort. But what about what people do not see such as... Sacrifice Success always comes with some sort of sacrifice. Failure The iceberg illusion would have you believe those that made it, never went through failure. But time and time again we are proven that’s not t

Relationships: "The number one key of building a relationship is to be honest to your players. Don’t skew the numbers or statistics. If they need the truth, level with them. They may not like it, but they’ll respect you because of it." Failure: "Learn the most by failing. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Experience is the best teacher, but I learned the most from my failures." Facing Obstacles: "It’s all about working around obstacles. You can’t let others’ opinions bring you down. People would always say, ‘Oh why is he coaching? He looks like he’s 12’, or ‘He’s gonna get fired if he doesn’t win a championship’." Commitment: "We made every team member commit to certain goals and sign it with a gold pen. It made it certain that we were traveling the same road winning a championship." Teamwork: "Don’t brush anything under the rug. Don’t point fingers or do the blame game. A team is a family, and we’re in this together."

Time doesn't fill me; I fill time. Average people allow time to impose its will on them; remarkable people impose their will on their time. The people around me are the people I chose. Successful people are naturally drawn to successful people. I have never paid my dues. Dues aren't paid, past tense. Dues get paid, each and every day. Remarkably successful people never feel entitled. Experience is irrelevant. Accomplishments are everything. Successful people don't need to describe themselves using adjectives like passionate, innovative, driven, etc. They can just describe, hopefully in a humble way, what they've done.   Failure is something I accomplish; it doesn't just happen to me . Embrace every failure: own it, learn from it, and take full responsibility for making sure that next time, things will turn out differently. People who pay me always have the right to tell me what to do. The people who pay you earn the right to dictate what you do and how y

I’ve learned very quickly to never search your name on social media. After my first couple of games here (UNC) my freshman year, I’ve never done it again. I’m pretty sure I have my name muted on Twitter. If you play bad, everybody is going to let you know about it. People don’t care about your feelings on social media.They can hide behind a computer screen and they can literally say whatever. If you respond you're the bad guy; if you don’t, you’re just reading it and trying to take it all in. Social media can definitely be detrimental to someone if they’re dealing with something. Taking a break from social media helped me a lot. I became free--care-free. ___________________________________________________________________ Paperback 6 x 9; 124 pages $24.95 Instant Download $19.95

Lebron James is a huge proponent of quiet time. It's commonly said that sports are 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. A lack of focus can result in a missed three-point shot, nerves can cause a gymnast to fall out of her landing, and a momentary lapse in confidence can easily make the difference between gold and bronze. So it's no surprise that some of the best professional athletes in the sports world turn to meditation--which has been shown to reduce stress and improve focus -- to boost their game and ease the anxiety of high-pressure performances.  Several top-level teams, from former Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks, NCAA football powerhouse Alabama Crimson Tide, and last year's final four participant Michigan Men's Basketball use mindfulness training to help them succeed.  Past athletic greats Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Joe Namath, and Arthur Ashe all spoke out about the benefits of meditation as a tool for their success. Hi

What will they think of me?  Those 6 words are by far the greatest challenge people face when going after a dream. What will my friends think...will they disapprove? What will my parents think...will they be upset if I decide to move away? What will my siblings think….will they judge me? What will the people on social media think...will I get made fun of? The need to belong--to not get kicked out of the tribe--is almost always at the root of why we forfeit our dreams. The need to gain approval and avoid criticism.  The truth is, the pursuit and achievement of dreams is more about self-esteem than anything else. It is about having the courage to be disliked, and recognizing that the people who are really on your team only want what’s best for you--unconditionally. If the consequence of your growth and the achievement of a dream results in the loss of someone’s approval then they were really always acting with their best interest in mind rather than yours. So go for it!  Wi

The late Herb Brooks was a great leader. He led a group of college kids to the 1980 Winter Olympics Gold Medal beating the heavily favorite Soviet Union team. The win is considered one of the greatest sports moments in history. Herb Brooks wasn’t afraid to push his players, to help them believe they had what it takes. The best leaders push people out of their comfort zone.  One of the best ways leaders can impact people is by helping them believe they have what it takes to be successful. Here are several quotes from Herb Brooks that can have a positive impact on leaders. Risk something or forever sit with your dreams. My recruiting key--I looked for PEOPLE first, athletes second. I wanted people with a sound value system as you cannot buy values. You're only as good as your values. I learned early on that you do not put greatness into people...but somehow try to pull it out. Success is won by those who believe in winning and then prepare for that moment. Many want to win, b

I've got the reputation for being baseball's bad boy and I don't deserve it. But I know I am a good manager. For one thing, I know how to handle men. That's the secret of managing. For another, I know enough about the game, not fundamentals, but executing. I think I get the most out of players with common sense and psychology. I'm fiery enough that I'd have their respect.  I believe if God had ever managed, he would have been very aggressive, the way I manage. I've always said I could manage Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Hirohito. That doesn't mean I'd like them, but I'd manage them. Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. I get fired because I'm not a yes-man. The world's full of yes men. The first year that I became manager, 1969, with the Twins, I won a division championship. And got fired. The Tigers hired me. I had made $35,000 and the Tigers

Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered. Learning is a daily experience and a lifetime mission. I truly believe in the saying "We work to become, not to acquire. If you really have integrity, there are very few people who can insult you, or honor you. If a guy pays you five dollars, you give him seven dollars worth of work. The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot. To love someone is nothing, to be loved by someone is something, to love someone who loves you is everything. My most prized possession was my library card from the Oakland Public Library. What distinguishes a great player is his presence. When he goes on to the court, his presence dominates the atmosphere.   Russell Rules: 11 Lessons on Leadership from the Twentieth Century's Greatest Winner

  The Importance of Goals Nothing happens, no forward steps are taken until a goal is established. Without goals individuals just wander through life. They stumble along, never knowing where they are going, so they never get anywhere. Goals are as essential to success as air is to life.   The Ten Year Plan We can and should plan at least ten years ahead. You must form an image now of the person you want to be ten years from now if you are to become that image. The Importance of Deadlines As you press forward to success, set deadlines, target dates, self-imposed quotas. You will accomplish only what you plan to accomplish.   Take Action Now Now is the magic word of success. Tomorrow, next week, later, sometime, someday, often as not are synonyms for the failure word, never. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just Released! Leading Narratives:  The perfect collec