Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.
(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 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:
Has your season been disappointing? Are you frustrated with your results? Do you have a sense of despair? Do you feel that there is little hope? If so, then I want to encourage you today to run the race with perseverance and finish strong. Don’t be discouraged.
I am reminded of the Jacob Riis’ quote concerning rock sculptures…
Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.
“I hope we do better this year.”
“I hope that I start.”
“I hope that we win the championship.”
“I hope that I get recruited by college scouts.”
Have you ever said any of those statements? Have you ever used the word ‘hope’ in describing something about your athletic team or your athletic career? Have you ever wished that something was different but did nothing about it?
(originally published on January 9, 2015)
The Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes will battle Monday night in the first-ever College Football Playoffs Championship Game. Both teams have glaring examples of people who took advantage of opportunities presented to them and didn’t quit or become disruptive to their teams. I will come back to these Bucks and Ducks in a moment.
As a long-time coach and now an athletic director, it pains me every time that I see a student-athlete get disgruntled over playing time or their role on the team. In nearly every case, the player quits. Oh, they might not quit the team and they might not even make a visible show but slowly and surely they cash out mentally. Instead of seeing the opportunity in every challenge, as Winston Churchill used to say, they see the difficulty in every opportunity. Unfortunately instead of persevering, they make excuses and take on a victim-mentality.
(originally published on January 1, 2015)
It’s the first day of the new year. This is a day of new beginnings. It is a day that gets people thinking about change. I went to the gym this afternoon for my normal exercise session. There were a number of new people there that I haven’t seen before. I think this will become the new normal…at least for a month or so. New Year’s resolutions abound. Promises are made. Commitments are revealed.
(originally posted on May 22, 2015)
In the last issue of THE ENCOURAGING LEADER, we highlighted some of the best books to help you become a better leader. This issue’s theme centers around quotes. We asked a number of leaders to write about their favorite quote and what it means to them.
(originally published on December 19, 2013)
Today I read an article by a financial “expert” saying that people should not listen to Dave Ramsey and his financial advice because people’s lives are too complex and important to be boiled down into short cookie cutter answers or platitudes. Unfortunately, many other financial analysts have also had problems with his method of advising people on how to be financially successful.
While watching ESPN’s 30 for 30 entitled “Broke”, I heard Herm Edwards say “Every goal needs to have a plan or else it’s just a wish.” The context was regarding athletes and the way they handle money, but I thought it was a perfect quote for more than just money. [Read more…]
The following excerpt is from Bill Plaschke’s article in the L.A. Times (originally posted on March 31, 2013) about Kirsten Moore, the head women’s basketball coach at Westmont College. She recently led her team to the NAIA National Championship. This story is an amazing example of perseverance and overcoming adversity. Kirsten is a first-class individual and is well-respected in the coaching profession. She certainly has a bright future ahead of her in the coaching world, but as you’ll see from Plaschke’s great article, it is her past which fuels her present and future.