As a college basketball coach for nearly 20 years, I had many experiences that I was proud of. But, I also made my share of mistakes, especially early in my career. Now that I have left coaching to work with teams as a leadership trainer and consultant, I look back on my career and offer up five things that I wish I knew when I first started out in coaching.
Champions in the White House
“We don’t have to agree on anything to be kind to one another.” (Toby Mac)
One day while I was a high school student, a bunch of us were playing pickup basketball at a nearby gym. I was playing well and doing my fair share of trash talking that day. Finally, my friend had enough of this as some of my verbal barrage was directed at him.
He told us that he didn’t want to play any more and that we all had to leave. You see, he was the one that had the key to the gym and had opened it up for us to play. He literally took his ball and went home. He didn’t have very thick skin and didn’t react to the situation very well. I, on the other hand, was not very respectful as I acted like a punk.
Most of the time, showing respect to people (even those that you don’t think deserve it) is more a reflection of your character than it is a reflection of theirs.
Contagious Enthusiasm
“In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact.” (Les Brown)
In his book WINNING EVERY DAY, the former Notre Dame football coach, Lou Holtz, tells the story of the Trappist monk who was allowed to say only two words every three years.
After the first three years, he met with Brother Superior and said, “Bad bed!”
Three years later, he came back to say, “Bad food!”
After three more years of silence, the monk said, “No TV!”
Another three years passed. This time, when the monk met with Brother Superior, he handed him his robes and sandals and announced, “I quit!”
Brother Superior said, “Well don’t expect me to try to dissuade you. You’ve done nothing but complain since you got here!”
It was pretty obvious that the monk didn’t add value to his fellow monks or to the atmosphere.
Dead Right
“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know; but when you listen you may learn something new.” (Dalai Lama)One day in high school, I was walking down the sidewalk with my mother. We needed to cross the street. Instead of going to the intersection and crossing at the cross walk, I decided to do it sooner since I figured I could make it before the next car went by. My mother grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
“What are you doing? There are cars coming”, said my mother.“Don’t worry mom”, I replied confidently. “Pedestrians have the right of way”.“Yeah and you’ll be DEAD RIGHT”, she retorted.
Episode 079: Kevin DeShazo from Fieldhouse Media
Best-selling author of Leadership Interrupted: daily inspiration to become the leader you were meant to be, and iAthlete: Impacting Student-Athletes of a Digital Generation, Kevin DeShazo is the founder of Fieldhouse Media. He is a sought after speaker, having presented on over 80 campuses as well is a regular presenter at conferences and conventions, including NACDA, CoSIDA, the NCAA Convention and the Collegiate Athletics Leadership Symposium. He has also been quoted on ESPN.com, The New York Times, USA Today, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sports Business Journal and a variety of other national and local media outlets. Kevin is also the founder of Culture Wins Championships, helping leaders in the sports industry build a championship culture with their team. Kevin was also honored as an Innovator of the Year for FieldTrack, our web-based platform that monitors social media activity of student-athletes and coaches. Oklahoma City is home for Kevin along with his wife Megan and their three boys, Gabe, Noah and Asher.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
- What practical tips coaches need to know about social media
- How student-athletes can use social media as a tool
- Why his new book “Leadership Interrupted” is different than other leadership books
Matter of Perspective
“At Harvard they labeled me a jock. In the NFL they considered me intellectual.”
(Pat McInally, former NFL player)
A story is told of a husband and wife sitting at a table at the husband’s high school reunion. He keeps staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table.
The wife asked, “Do you know her?”
“Yes,” the husband signed, “She’s my old girlfriend. I understand that she took to drinking right after we split up all those years ago, and I hear she hasn’t stopped since.”
“I can’t believe it!” the wife said. “Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?”
Perspective. We all see things differently. Even husbands and wives. Come to think of it . . . especially husbands and wives!
Anyways, moving on . . .
Upcoming Free Leadership Workshop
Podcast host, author, and motivational speaker, Jamy Bechler will be conducting a Free Leadership Workshop that will provide practical tips, strategies, and insights to help you maximize your leadership abilities and your team’s success. This live, online workshop will last around 30 minutes and there will be a time for Q&A at the end of the workshop. Though all leaders are welcome to register for the workshop, it is geared toward athletics. Visit www.FreeLeadershipWorkshop.com to see the date and time for this upcoming workshop.
New Book Released
The author of The Leadership Playbook: Become Your Team’s Most Valuable Leader has released his newest book. Building Champions: Success Principles From A-to-Z has been released on Amazon.com in paperback by author Jamy Bechler. The book will also be available in the Kindle version on Amazon and the Nook version at Barnes & Noble. There are plans to also release the book as an audio book on Audible.
You can get a copy of Building Champions by visiting www.BuildingChampionsTheBook.com. Discounts are also available for bulk or team orders.
The 140-page book is packed full of practical insights and interesting stories that can help readers better understand how to be more successful and maximize their potential. There are 26-chapters containing various character traits that start with a different letter of the alphabet.
Episode 072: Ken Coleman, host of the EntreLeadership Podcast
Ken Coleman is host of The Ken Coleman Show and the top-rated EntreLeadership Podcast, and author of One Question: Life-Changing Answers from Today’s Leading Voices. Ken interviewed big-time people in this book asking them just one question. He talked with President Jimmy Carter, Tony Robbins, Pat Summitt, Malcolm Gladwell, John C. Maxwell, and Senator John McCain to name a few.
An acclaimed interviewer and broadcaster, Coleman equips, encourages and entertains listeners through thought-provoking interviews, helping them grow their businesses, pursue their passions, and move toward a fulfilled purpose. Coleman joined Ramsey Solutions in 2014 and frequently guest hosts The Dave Ramsey Show—the third-ranked nationally syndicated talk radio show in America.
Ken has published articles with The Huffington Post and Success Magazine and has been called a “young Charlie Rose” by legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. Talk radio icon Dave Ramsey has labeled him “one of the best interviewers in the country.” Most importantly, Ken is blessed to be Stacy’s husband and Daddy to Ty, Chase, and Josie.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
- Why asking good questions matter whether you are a radio host or not
- How Ken got connected with Dave Ramsey
- Interviewing President Jimmy Carter about reinventing himself
Just Bring The Ship In
“Don’t tell me how rough the water is, just bring the ship in”.I first saw this quote on Kobe Bryant’s twitter feed a few years ago as a “Mambo-ism”. I don’t know who originally said this but I have said similar things for years. Among them is the one quote that my players always rolled their eyes at ‘Don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby.’
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