Leadership

,

One Word 2016: PERSISTENT

,

I began choosing One Word in 2014 after being challenged to do so by Jon Gordon & Dan Britton through their book, "One Word That Will Change Your Life."  In 2014, I chose the word Immediacy in hopes to discipline myself to complete tasks as soon as they came up and limit my procrastination.  In 2015, I chose the word Serve with the desire to humble myself in order to help others so they could see Jesus reflected through me.  Both years have proven to be challenging and rewarding by focusing on my One Word.  

FOR 2016, I CHOSE THE WORD PERSISTENT.

[per-sis-tuh nt]

adjective

1.persisting, especially in spite of opposition, obstacles, discouragement,etc.; persevering:

2.lasting or enduring tenaciously:

3.constantly repeated; continued:

I've always been someone who is motivated to push through obstacles, so I am familiar with the attributes that go along with persistence.  However, I've struggled recently with doubt, anxiety, and self-discipline both at home and work.  I want 2016 to be a year that I remember for giving everything I had into becoming the best husband, father, and coach that I could be.  Regardless of what God has planned for my future, I desire to thrive and overcome due to an ongoing mindset of persistence.  Not only do I want to be persistent through discouragement and disappointment, but I want to be consistent in setting myself up for success through my daily habits and disciplines.  I truly believe that 2016 has many great opportunities in store for myself and my family and I'm looking forward to see God's plan unfold one day at a time!  Please pray for me and encourage me to continue with persistence throughout the year!    

Winners vs. Losers

When a winner makes a mistake, he says, "I was wrong;" 

When a loser makes a mistake, he says, "It wasn't my fault."

A winner works harder than a loser and has more time;

A loser is always "too busy" to do what is necessary.

A winner goes through a problem;

A loser goes around it, and never gets past it.

A winner makes commitments;

A loser makes promises.

A winner says, "I'm good, but not as good as I ought to be;"

A loser says, "I'm not as bad as a lot of other people."

A winner listens;

A loser just waits until it's his turn to talk.

A winner respects those who are superior to him and tries to learn something from them;

A loser resents those who are superior to him and tries to find chinks in their armor.

A winner feels responsible for more than his job;

A loser says, "I only work here."

A winner says, "There ought to be a better way to do it;"

A loser says, "That's the way it's always been done here."

- Pat Williams; Senior Vice President of the Orlando Magic

Photo courtesy of patwilliams.com 

*Taken from the book, "The Edge" by Howard Ferguson.

Confident Faith

“Confident faith” is a characteristic that we as coaches need to embrace every day of our lives.  Acts 6:1-7 is a great demonstration of “confident faith,” as the apostle Paul writes about discipleship.  The church was upset with numerous things involving widows and therefore, the 12 disciples gave them a talk and told the congregation to pick seven men of good reputation to lead them.  The people liked what they had to say and decided to choose seven men to lead them.  The chosen seven were: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus.  You may have never heard of them before, but we read that the reason they were so special was because Paul tells us they were, “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”  We see at the end of the passage that the Word of God continued to be preached, the number of disciples multiplied, and even priests were being obedient to this faith!  How did this core group of seven chosen leaders accomplish this calling?  They were full of “confident faith,” and these are the characteristics that it displays.

1.    Confident faith sees every failure as an opportunity to get better.

James chapter 1 tells us to, "count it all joy..."  Through both failure and trials, we need to see them as an opportunity to become better.

2.  Confident faith spends its time doing what it's called to do.

Don't get discouraged if you are not an expert in your calling right away.  Despite the lack of experience, it is essential to stick to what you're called to do!

3.    Confident faith chooses the right people to tackle the problem.

The congregation chose 7 men who were full of the spirit and wisdom.  The people that they chose were already in the church, but they just needed to be noticed.  Find somebody who is passionate about fixing the problem even if they aren't experts.

4.    Confident faith trusts the team to come up with the solution. 

Have faith in your team.  Don't try to do everything on you own.  The 12 disciples could have tried to fix everything on their own, but instead they allowed the church to pick their own leaders to find a solution.

Can You Do It?

Success is something that all of us want to obtain.  Hard work, long hours, and an undying determination to be the best are all components necessary to achieve it.  However, what do you do once you reach a certain level of success?  How do you maintain your foothold at the top?

HOW DO YOU HANDLE SUCCESS?

One of the worst things that can often happen to a team and/or a business is success.  Elation overcomes team members and it's a natural tendency for people to boast about what they've done.  They focus on their recent efforts and forget to pursue continual growth.  Social media also presents an easy and tempting platform to showcase pride in our accomplishments.  If boasting and arrogant pride isn't the proper way to handle success, then what is?

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
— Proverbs 16:18

KEEP GROWING

Handling success is a constant battle.  It takes a conscious effort to fight off pride when it tries to creep into your heart and mind.  Team members need to understand that their success is the byproduct of trusting each other to do their jobs.  The pathway to success requires individuals to put away their selfish ambitions for the greater good of the team.  Each person is required to fulfill a specific role to make the team great.  Unfortunately, once success is obtained, it isn't unusual for individuals to think that they did something special. The best teams will understand that they still aren't perfect and success actually drives them to focus more.  They strive for continual growth and look to improve in all aspects.  They continue to lift each other up and perform their role to the best of their ability as a service to their teammates.  When praise is deserved, they allow others to build them up as opposed to lifting themselves up for the world to see.  

The key to handling success is maintaining a humble spirit with confidence and trust.  Fight away prideful and arrogant thoughts before they penetrate your heart, or they will bring you down in an instant.  The best teams only become the best after they learn how to handle success!  Can you do it?

Do This Every Day!

DIE TO YOURSELF.

That's right.  Die to yourself.  This isn't a phrase that we usually say to someone, but it should be one of the first things to cross our mind each day.  I'm talking about the ability to humble our hearts by intentionally getting rid of the selfish desires we have.  The apostle Paul is a great example of this discipline in humility.  In 1 Corinthians 15:31, Paul makes it known to the church at Corinth that, "I die every day!" 

HEAR ME OUT.

Dying to yourself may be the most important thing you do each and every day.   As humans, our tendency is to be self-centered and focused on how we can make our own lives better.  In fact, our basketball program has been focused on dying to ourselves and placing others first so that Christ can be glorified.  Serving others and humbling ourselves is what we're talking about!  It's an imperfect process, but one that we are all in together.  We need to die to self so that we can be alive in Jesus.  

““For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.””
— Philippians 1:21

As a basketball coach, it is vital that I wake up every morning and remember to die to myself.  Having a spirit of humility is what will allow me to make the greatest impact on those that I'm surrounded by.  It's not easy, but I'm ready to fight it!  When I sense by heart becoming selfish and arrogant, I need to die to myself and pursue Christ.

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends of faith - and that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
— Philippians 3:8-11

Leaving Your Comfort Zone

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
— Benjamin Franklin

Oddly enough, I am a very quiet person.  I sometimes don't like to be around large groups of people and when I am, I'm not always the most outgoing person.  When people ask me questions I am always more than happy to engage them and answer, but I don't naturally seek out conversations with everyone in the room.  I don't like speaking in front of people because I frequently feel uncomfortable and inadequate.  I force myself to succeed in these situations, but it's not always easy.

BUT, I AM A COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACH.

The profession I am called to serve in requires me to do a lot of things that, naturally, I do not like to do.   I need to engage people in conversations and sincerely show interest in who they are as a person.  Speaking in front of people on a daily basis will be necessary and they will expect me to be an expert in everything I am talking about.  It's always intimidating to perform outside of my comfort zone,  but I'm thankful for these opportunities to face my fears.  Although these things aren't natural for me, I always remind myself to thrive in these uncomfortable situations.  When these moments arise, I try to keep in mind these three absolutes:

I AM NOT PERFECT

I always need to remind myself that I'm not perfect and I will make mistakes.  If I am fearful of making mistakes I will never grow.  Instead, I need to embrace my faults and failures and use them ignite a greater passion for what I do.  My motives need to be directed towards doing MY best, not trying please everyone else.  

I CAN INSPIRE OTHERS

I'm inspired by imperfect people.  When I see someone overcome their mistakes and make something out of nothing, it inspires me to do the same.  By getting out of my comfort zone and doing something that I never thought I could do, I can have the same impact of inspiring others and changing their lives.  When I decide to make a difference is when success will find me.

I WILL LEARN MORE BY DOING

The best way to learn is to teach, by doing.  When I make myself do hard things I gain valuable experience that I couldn't learn any other way.  I can watch videos, read books, and write articles all day long, but until I actually put what I've learned into action I won't get very far.  Getting out of my comfort zone is necessary if I want to be great.

,

Connecting With Players

,
“The difference between a pest and a guest is an invitation.”
— Joshua Medcalf

My desire as a coach is to connect with our players and build genuine, lasting relationships. I want to be a trustworthy mentor so that when something happens in their life and they need advice, I can be counted on.  

EASIER SAID THAN DONE.

Our job as coaches is to push players to become better both on and off the court.  Sometimes this requires us to say things to our players that they don't want to hear.  Although we  constantly encourage and applaud our players successes, we also criticize and point out their flaws quite a bit, too.  And which one do you think most players dwell on and remember?  

Well, that depends.

“Connect before you direct.”
— Jamie Gilbert

As coaches, we need to pour our hearts into our players.  We need to invite them into our lives and make an effort to be transparent with them.  We need to be willing to share our experiences because we have been there too.  It is foolish of us to expect our players to feel a connection with us if the only interaction we have with them is on the court or during required team meetings.  There needs to be more.  We need to get into their world and be vulnerable.  They are going through a lot and it is our responsibility to be there for them.  We are only able to do that when we establish a sincere connection with them as people.  

I'm convinced that if I can authentically connect with our players off the court, they will respect me and listen to me on the court.  Now, the applause and encouragement means so much more to them and they know that when I criticize and correct, I am doing it because I believe in them.  

THERE IS POWER IN CONNECTION

“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Bootcamp Week

“It’s a week that requires our players to grow as leaders and develop character. A championship mentality needs to be established by the end of this week. ”
— Andrew Wingreen (@CoachWingreen)

We officially begin every season with a week of bootcamp.  This is a week of grueling workouts that not only challenge our players physically, but more-so it challenges them mentally.  We want to finish the duration with a better focus and more awareness in the face of fatigue and adversity.  Most guys come into this week ready to show the coaches and their teammates how prepared they are physically, but they soon realize that they can't do it alone.

EVERYONE QUICKLY REALIZES THAT THEY MUST LEAN ON THEIR TEAMMATES FOR ENDURANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO OVERCOME EVERY CHALLENGE.

By the end of this week something amazing happens.  Leaders step up and their teammates follow.  They slowly begin to realize that the pain their bodies feel is actually the fuel that is bringing them closer together as a group.  They can no longer rely on themselves and they must continue to strengthen their relationships with their teammates.  The more they struggle, the more they cry, and the more they overcome - the more they become a family.  

“As freshman, they simply try to survive. As seniors, they make sure everyone else survives.”
— Tony Miller (@tonywmiller)

During the season when challenges arise and adversity strikes, the week of bootcamp will be in the forefront of our minds.  We will remember the lessons we learned and the importance of relying on each other for strength.  There will come a time when someone wants to throw in the towel, but his teammate won't let him.  We've been through too much together to give up.  Teams come and go, but families are forever.

#CHAMPIONSTODAY

Follow our men's basketball program on Instagram and Twitter @BJUBruinsMBB.

,

More Than A Team

,

EVERY COACH HAS A COMMON DESIRE THAT HIS TEAM WILL BE MORE THAN JUST A TEAM. 

WE WANT TO BE A FAMILY.

That all sounds good on paper and when we talk about it, but it’s not so easy to actually do.  Families have unique qualities that bond them together and there is an immeasurable amount of trust among them.  Each person needs to be willing to sacrifice their own comfort for the overall health of the team.

1. SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH EACH OTHER

This may seem like an easy one.  Our teams spend every day together at practice, workouts, and on the bus to games.  But there is a big difference between “being with each other” and “investing in each other.”  There needs to come a time when each person realizes their role in the investment.  We can’t be halfhearted if we want to fulfill our role in the family.  We need to be all in.  Our time with each other can’t be out of requirement, but instead it needs to be because we truly want to be there for our teammate.  If we want to see our teams become family then we need to cherish our inner circle and put them before ourselves.  

2. ENGAGE IN OPEN COMMUNICATION

Every family talks about hard things.  Families aren’t afraid to confront one another, but they do it in a way that is respectful and meaningful.  There is no family that is perfect and we need to understand that we are always under construction.  Our growth from a team to a family is an ongoing project and open communication with each other will allow this growth to occur.  Family member’s mistakes need to be held accountable and everyone involved needs to be willing to take criticism.  When we confront each other out of love and necessity, we are showing humility and care for our family.  Everyone needs to be conscious of when and where communication takes place as well.  Families need to keep communication within the circles of the group and can't spread personal information to those not associated with the team.  Open communication can only occur when there is an established trust with everyone.

3. NURTURE EACH OTHER

Encouragement is essential to any family.  The more we pick each other up the more likely we are to have a positive impact on everyone.  Not only does encouragement boost our morale, but it also gives everyone a sense of security knowing that we can trust one another.  Not everyone on your team will have the same interests, background, or dreams.  In many cases these differences will cause friction, but in families those differences are nurtured and accepted.  We always have each other’s back.  When one or two guys decide they want to take it easy on a certain task, the rest of the family needs to encourage a better mindset and work ethic from them.  When each person does their job, the overall success of the team will increase.  

4. PARTICIPATE IN MEANINGFUL TRADITIONS

What family doesn’t have traditions?  It’s a common theme that is timeless for families and honored without question.  Traditions are celebrated by those who are part of the family and it really doesn’t matter what other people think.  We can’t be afraid to be silly and have fun with this because it’s what makes families special.  Find things that you can celebrate together and is common only to the members of your family.

“Teams will play together and win some games, but they never become special without being a family.”

Families laugh and families cry, but they are never broken and will always be there for each other.  If we want our program to be a family then we need to be willing to do things that make families great.  Trust each other, love each other, and make other's a priority in your locker room.  It’s not always convenient and it’s not always natural, but it’s always worth it.

Time Management For Coaches

As coaches, we always stress the importance of time management to our players.  We tell them they need to balance their daily schedules of classes, study, homework, meals, weightlifting, practice, individual workouts, rehab, etc....and we expect them to do all of these things to the best of their ability.

But what about the coaches?  How are we doing with time management in our own lives?

I'm not going to lie.  Being a basketball coach is the greatest job in the world.  Not only do we get to wear t-shirts and sweatpants to work, but we are able to watch a lot of basketball and get paid for it!  Seems like easy time management to some.

However, there are a lot of responsibilities that come along with being a coach.  Our players, teachers, media, and family are all constantly grabbing for our attention.  We all want to lead and impact the lives of our players and those around us, but sometimes it feels like there is just too much going on in our lives.  If we do not manage our time well, our obligations as coaches can begin to negatively impact our health and our families at home.  We have a responsibility and an opportunity to lead others, but do not take on so much that you will not be able to give your best at everything you do. 

1. Plan your day the night before. 

Set goals and establish a vision for the next day.  Give yourself enough time in between tasks to process thoughts and prepare for the next task.  Sometimes we fail in the preparation category because we don't make time to do it!  Keep a clear schedule of your meetings and allow time to prepare for those meetings.  Make sure not to schedule too much throughout the day so that you leave enough time to build sincere relationships with the people around you.

2. Limit your use of technology.

Our smartphones and tablets are amazing tools that can serve us well, but they are also a hindrance to our ability to manage time.  Be conscious of how often you use various technologies (phone, tablet, computer, TV, etc.) throughout the day so that you can properly commit to your other responsibilities.  If I'm being honest, this is one of my biggest struggles in managing my time. 

3. Family always comes first.

Never sacrifice the needs of your family so that you can fulfill the needs of others.  Obviously as coaches we have hectic schedules and are often away from home, but that doesn't mean we should expect our families to be perfectly fine with that.  We need to invest the time we do have with our families and make them a priority in our lives.  Be concerned if your job becomes more important than your family.  If you don't have time for your family then you don't have time to lead effectively.  Sometimes less is more.

Although there is a lot more that goes into effective and efficient time management, I hope these thoughts help you take an honest look at yourself as a coach.  My eyes are opened every time I think about these things.  We expect a lot from our players, but we should expect a lot from ourselves as well.  This is humbling as a leader and I'm going to do my best to work on my time management skills so I can give 100% too every opportunity I get!