Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.
(Originally written on July 1, 2016)July is here. That means one month left until the start of official practices for many athletes. How will you spend this month? Will you be prepared when October and November asks you to pay up for what you did in June and July?
Bobby Knight used to say “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.
The 2016 NBA Finals was one of the most memorable series in recent history. It truly was historic. In fact, last night ESPN re-aired their 30 for 30 entitled “Believeland”, but this time had a new ending. Cleveland has been the poster child for bad luck and hard times when it comes to sports having not won a championship in any sport since 1964.
“Believeland” pointed this out, agonizingly so, for Cleveland fans. But all of that changed on Father’s Day when the Lebron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers completed the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history and won the NBA Championship. The Cavs were down 3-1 to the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. The Warriors were the overwhelming favorite with Steph Curry, the league’s first-ever unanimous MVP winner (that’s right…Magic, Bird, MJ, Shaq…they never were unanimous).
“The education of a man is never complete until he dies.” (Robert E. Lee)
I’m an avid reader of motivational, success and leadership books. I have written about some of the best leadership books and coaching books that I have read.
Each summer, I try to knock out a few new ones. This upcoming summer, I plan on reading the following 16 books to further develop my thinking.
It seems that every high school and college student-athlete is using some form of social media almost constantly. With the advent of smart phones, it is easier now than ever before to communicate and share opinions and thoughts. With this greater opportunity comes a greater responsibility to be wise.
I heard an interview with MVP Steph Curry the other night after Game 6 of the NBA Finals, in which he made a comment that got me thinking about my pre-maritial counseling.
Wait, what?!?
You mean it’s not natural to associate Steph Curry getting ejected and throwing mouth-pieces with pre-maritial counseling?
(Originally posted on May 9, 2016)
Five years ago I was inspired by Mike Neighbors, an assistant coach at Xavier University, to begin a newsletter on leadership entitled THE ENCOURAGING LEADER. Neighbors was doing a newsletter for basketball coaches and I really enjoyed it.
(originally posted on April 1, 2016)
I admit it. I like Geno Auriemma.
On Sunday, Geno will lead his UConn team as they play in the NCAA Women’s Final Four located in Indianapolis this year. The Huskies are going for their 4th straight National Championship.
Many people do not like Geno. Many people do not like UConn. Many people say that their dominance is bad for the game. I say excellence and the quest for perfection is not bad.
The following article appeared in the March 2016 issue of Athletic Management. It highlights Marion High School’s Giant Challenge Alumni Weekend and athletic director Jamy Bechler.
(originally posted on March 1, 2016)
March is finally here. If you are a basketball fan like I am, you are excited because it is MARCH MADNESS. We’ll soon be filling out our brackets. There will be 68 top-notch teams in the NCAA basketball tournament. I heard an announcer on ESPN say that this year’s tournament might be the most even tournament in NCAA history. Half of the field has a shot at winning the whole thing.
Talent alone will not set these teams apart. There are so many teams that have fairly equal talent. Just like our team that has started their quest for an 8th high school state championship. We are talented but so are other teams.
What is going to take us from talented to good? What is going to give us an advantage over other talented teams? What differentiates us from the competition? Successful people do things differently. Here are a couple of ways that we can gain a winning edge:
In our most recent Student-Athlete Leadership Team meeting, a student asked a question that had the rest of the group nodding in agreement and adding their two-cents worth to the conversation.
“How do I get my teammates to listen to me”?
There are many variations to this question, but they all come down to student-athletes wanting to influence their teammates in some way. John Maxwell, the #1 leadership expert in the world, says that “Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less.”