Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.
The Hall of Fame basketball coach Tom Izzo likes to say, “A player-led team is always better than a coach-led team.” The best teams have athletes that step up and take a leadership role. The best teams have athletes that take ownership in the culture and are invested in the process.
This doesn’t happen if the coach is a control freak, micro-manager, or the only voice in a program. The best teams have athletes who are leaders. The best teams have strong leadership.
As a head coach, you can’t be the entire program. You need assistants and you need captains that can help you lead the program towards success.
Great team captains make your job easier as a coach. Everyone knows this, but having strong team leadership is not as simple as a well-meaning wish and a snap of the fingers. Most coaches know what kind of captain and leadership they want, but oftentimes it doesn’t play out that way.
There are no small parts — only small actors!
This phrase has been uttered countless times when it comes to acting, but it also applies beautifully to your team. You could easily say there are no small roles, only small athletes.
A car is made up of many parts, from the chassis to the motor to the tires to the lug nuts. Even though some may appear more important than others, each component of a car plays a vital part to its’ operation. An expensive luxury car doesn’t get very far if the $5 spark plug isn’t working properly.
The leadership expert and author John C. Maxwell says, “We all need someone to help us in our pursuit of intentional growth and the right mentor helps you take massive leaps forward.”
Even coaches need coaches. Maxwell talks about “intentional growth”. This is when you make the conscious decision to make yourself better.
One of the best ways to do this is with a mentor.
Clark Kellogg is one of the most respected voices covering college basketball today. The CBS Sports analyst was once a top college basketball player at Ohio State University, where he earned All-Big Ten Conference honors and won the Big Ten Most Valuable Player award in 1982.
After his junior year at Ohio State, he declared for the 1992 NBA draft and was selected eighth overall in the first round by the Indiana Pacers, and named to the NBA All-Rookie first team in 1983 after averaging 20.1 points and 10.6 rebounds. But his NBA career was cut short after just four seasons due to knee injuries, and he was forced to retire in 1986 at the age of 25.
Clark began his broadcasting journey with ESPN in 1990, and in 1993 he moved to CBS Sports, where he has worked since. In March 2010, Kellogg played a game of H.O.R.S.E. against U.S. President Barack Obama. The game, called “P.O.T.U.S.” for the occasion, was won by Obama.
“Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” (Saint Francis of Assisi)
This winter there was a snowstorm resulting in a 50-car pileup on the Ohio turnpike, which included some fatalities and dozens of motorists stranded in the freezing weather.
Some administrators from a nearby school district didn’t just see the news and feel sorry for all of those people.
No, they saw an opportunity to make a bad situation a little bit better.
This story originally appeared on www.GoRedHawks.com on November 19, 2012Usually, five days is more than enough to prepare until a big game is played, a paper is due, or a special anniversary or holiday.
But how about having only five days’ notice that you will be a first-time dad?
That was exactly the scenario Martin Methodist women’s basketball coach Jamy Bechler encountered three years ago as he and his wife, Tabitha, received the call from Bethany Christian Services, an adoption agency based in Nashville, Tenn., that they would have the opportunity to become parents. [Read more…]
Captain Andy “Grand” Mariner is the Deputy Commander of the historic Carrier Air Wing 11. Previously, he was the Commanding Officer at TOPGUN. The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program is the preeminent training school for naval aviators.
Click here for Captain Mariner’s complete bio.
“Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching you.” (C.S. Lewis)
🔊 Click here to listen to the 2-minute audio version of this article
Have you (or someone that you’ve known) ever said something to the effect of ‘It doesn’t matter if I do what’s right. Nobody notices anyway.’ or ‘Nice guys finish last’.
Well, I have a little story that I always think of when it comes to integrity and character.
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Marc Polymeropoulos served 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before retiring in June 2019. His positions included field and headquarters operational assignments covering the Middle East, Europe, Eurasia, and CounterTerrorism. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the Intelligence Commendation Medal, and the Intelligence Medal of Merit. Marc is also the author of Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA.