Jamy Bechler

Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.

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Sep 10 2024

Honoring Fallen Teammates

“Did you ever know that you’re my hero and everything I’d like to be? I can fly higher than an eagle for you are the wind beneath my wings.” (Bette Midler, Wind Beneath My Wings)

Click here to listen to the 2-minute audio version of this story

Dustin Hale was only a year older than me, but I thought the sophomore basketball player was a pretty cool guy. We didn’t really hang out away from the basketball court, but he meant a lot to me.​

That summer he passed away as the result of a freakish accident.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Personal Growth, Sports · Tagged: 9/11, Bette Midler, Captain, death, Dustin Hale, Funeral, High School, Honor, Influence, Jersey, Jonesville, Legacy, Soccer, student leadership, Teammate, Terrorists, Todd Pelini, Wind Beneath My Wings

Sep 20 2022

The Coachable Coach: Tom Shaw

Today’s guest on “The Coachable Coach” series is Tom Shaw, the men’s golf coach at Abilene Christian University. 

“The Coachable Coach” series on the Success is a Choice Podcast Network goes beyond the X’s and O’s as Jamy Bechler talks with some of the best sports coaches.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Podcast Episodes, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Abilene Christian, ACU, Building Relationships, Coachable Coach, College Athletics, connecting, Culture Matters, Developing Students, Golf Coach, Golfing, Leadership, NCAA, PGA, student leadership, team building, Tom Shaw

Dec 16 2021

Honor Them

“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right in America.” (President Bill Clinton)

Since the Tragic shooting in Michigan on November 30th that took the lives of four Oxford HS students and injured 7 others, political opportunists have wasted little time weaponizing the situation and crafting their talking points.

But my thoughts today aren’t about politics.

Please click here to listen to the 6-minute audio version of this article from the Success is a Choice podcast network.

My thoughts on the Oxford tragedy aren’t about who’s right, who’s wrong, who’s to blame, or even how this could have ever happened in the first place.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Personal Growth, Sports · Tagged: Crisis Management, crisis preparedness, doing the right thing, Education, Football player, Honor, Integrity, Kids, Legacy, Making a difference, Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King Jr., Media Coverage, MLK, Oxford High School, Oxford Strong, politics, Positive leadership, School Shooting, student leadership, Students, Tate Myre, Team Captain, Today's Youth, Tragedy

May 08 2021

3 Ways to be a Verbal Leader

They may take our lives . . . BUT THEY’LL NEVER TAKE OUR FREEDOM!!!

Most of the time when we think of verbal leadership, we think of Hollywood speeches with the hero inspiring countless individuals to follow him into battle like the movies Braveheart, Gladiator, or 300.

We also might think of Tim Tebow giving the “Promise” speech and then backing it up on the way to a national championship.

We may not be Michael Jordan, Tim Tebow, Kobe Bryant, or William Wallace in Braveheart, but we all can be verbal leaders.

In fact, as long as we have a tongue, we should be verbal leaders.

Let me say that again for the people in the back…

Not only can we all be verbal leaders but we all should be verbal leaders.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: 300, accountability, braveheart, captains, collective responsibility, Communication, Culture, Encouragement, Encouraging, gladiator, information, informing, Leadership, reminding, Responsibility, student leadership, Team Leadership, teammates, The Bus Trip, The Leadership Playbook, Tim Tebow, verbal leader, verbal leadership, vocal

Dec 26 2020

Free Leadership Webinars

Start off 2021 on the right foot with these free leadership webinars from author, podcast host, and leadership consultant Jamy Bechler. Listen in as the former college basketball coach and high school athletic director provides insights and tips that can help you create a stronger culture, develop better teammates, and build more positive leadership in your program.

Jamy will be conducting a variety of free webinars during the first two weeks of January culminating with an MLK Day Marathon, in which he’ll do five different presentations that day. Each leadership session will last approximately 45 minutes with an additional 10-15 minutes set aside for questions from those attending the session.

Topics will include “Selecting & Developing Captains”, “Team-Building During COVID”, “Developing Team Leadership”, “Building Culture Through Recruiting”, and “Effective Communication with Players, Staff, and Parents”.

Register today for one of the free leadership webinars at FreeLeadershipWorkshop.com. 

Jamy Bechler is the author of The Leadership Playbook, host of the Success is a Choice Podcast, professional speaker, and trains organizations on creating championship cultures. Bechler spent 20 years as a college basketball coach and administrator. He has worked with businesses and teams, including the NBA. Follow him on twitter at @CoachBechler. To connect with him via email or find out about his services, please contact speaking@CoachBechler.com. You can also subscribe to his insights on success and leadership by clicking here.

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Athletic Director, captains, Coaching, community service, Coronavirus, Covid, Covid-19, high schools, Influence, Social Media, student leadership, Student-Athletes, zoom

Apr 16 2020

Episode 142: Karissa Niehoff, NFHS Executive Director

Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is the executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS, which celebrated its 100th year of service during the 2018-19 school year. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The state of high school athletics (recorded prior to Covid-19)
  • Advice for how parents can help their kids best
  • Challenges & opportunities facing high school athletics
  • Qualities of great coaches
  • … and so much more!!!

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Bob Gardner, Bobby Cox, Coaching, concussions, high school athletics, IHSAA, Karissa Niehoff, Keith Grabowski, Leadership, NCAA, NFHS, parents, student leadership, Student-Athlete Leadership, Student-Athletes, usa football

Jan 04 2020

Team-Building During Covid

“Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.” (John Wooden)

Since March 2020, sports have been different. Covid-19 has made coaches and athletes adjust, adapt, and change the way they approach their sport. I have done countless zoom calls and consultations with teams on how to make the best of these unprecedented and challenging times we are all experiencing.

There is no doubt this pandemic has affected your team in some way – from games or the season being canceled, to quarantining and experiencing isolation, to wearing masks and staying six-feet away from teammates. No matter who you are, you’ve been affected in some way to some extreme.

Here are some ideas for making the best of a bad situation and trying to have a healthy and strong culture throughout this pandemic.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Athletic Director, captains, Coaching, community service, Coronavirus, Covid, Covid-19, high schools, Influence, Social Media, student leadership, Student-Athletes, zoom

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