Jamy Bechler

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

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Aug 29 2022

Telling the Same Joke

“Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining.” (Teddy Roosevelt)

A wise man once faced a group of people who were complaining about the same issues over and over again.

Click here to listen to the 1-minute version of this article.

One day, instead of listening to the complaints, he told them a joke, and everyone cracked up laughing.

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Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Personal Growth, Podcast Episodes · Tagged: Attitude, complaining, Gandhi, Insights, Jokes, Motivational Minute, Moving Forward, Positive leadership, Problem Solving, solutions, Teddy Roosevelt, Wisdom

Aug 09 2021

How to Take a Team from First to Worst

“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing that it doesn’t go into a fruit salad.” (Miles Kington)

After two different head coaching stints, I was presented an opportunity to coach at a dream job. It was the same type of school I was currently at but had more resources, more stability, a much nicer campus, and nearly every key player was returning from the prior year’s Top-25 team. The coach had left to take a big-time Division I head coaching job and they wanted me to replace him.

When you listen to coaches speak at clinics and conferences, they are quick to outline what they’ve done to rebuild a bad program. Most stories present an example to follow or a cautionary tale. In that dream job, I took the program from first to worst. That’s right, I ruined that team in just one year.

Not only did we have one of the worst seasons in school history and a 16-win DECREASE but we also lost twice to the team that I had just left.

#Oops.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Bryan College, coaching mistakes, College Basketball, College Coaching, Culture Matters, Culture Wins, Destroy a Program, first to worst, Jamy Bechler, Knowledge vs. Wisdom, lessons learned, NAIA, Oops, team building, Team Leadership, Wisdom, X's and O's

Jul 22 2020

Knowledge vs. Wisdom

I don’t remember the context but the other day I told my mother-in-law that “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit but wisdom is knowing not to put it into a fruit salad.” She then proceeded to find a magnet that had that saying on it. It is on our refrigerator at home. Hopefully she just thought it was a neat saying and wasn’t trying to tell me something – but, I digress. [Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Personal Growth · Tagged: intelligence, Knowledge, miles kington, politics, Positive leadership, Wisdom

Oct 16 2019

Seeing Turtles

As a college student, I spent my summers as a life guard and camp counselor. During the weekends, the camp director would take the staff for boat rides around the lake. It seemed like every five minutes, he said, “See that turtle over there” or “Look at that turtle sunny itself on that log”. I don’t think I saw a turtle before he saw it at any point during that entire summer. Funny thing is that I also never saw a turtle on my own when I went out on the boat out without him.

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Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Personal Growth, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Abraham Lincoln, boats, Camp Selah, cigarettes, community service, Culture, discernment, Donald Trump, Duane Cross, lakes, Leadership, leadership retreat, lyndon johnson, NCAA, Negativity, open-minded, patience, Perspective, Positive leadership, self-aware, turtles, U.S. Presidents, UAB, Wisdom

Nov 19 2018

Pearl of Wisdom

Have you ever received a pearl of wisdom? You probably have but might not have thought of it in that way. This might be a phrase that you are unfamiliar with. Webster’s dictionary defines the phrase pearl of wisdom as a wise word or statement. It also goes on to say that it is sometimes humorous. The example it gives is “A crowd of reporters gathered around the coach after the game to hear him dispense his usual pearls of wisdom.”

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Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Personal Growth · Tagged: Adversity, annoying, Challenges, conversation, dictionary, effort, Growth, Improvement, irritation, pearl of wisdom, pearls, unicorns, Wisdom

Jul 10 2018

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.

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Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Personal Growth · Tagged: Beth Bechler, Dalai Lama, Growth, Knowledge, Leadership, Wisdom

Jun 25 2018

Simple Yet Profound Career Advice for Anyone

“How do I get a good job one day?” 

“What do I need to do now to start preparing for the ‘real world’?”

“The sports industry is so competitive, what advice would you give?”

“What should I major in if I want to work in sports?”

These are just a few questions that are regularly asked by students or people trying to get into the sports industry.  Harvey Mackay wrote a book entitled “Dig Your Well Before You Are Thirsty”.  It was primarily a networking book but it also brought up a number of good points in regards to getting a job, getting a better a job and getting ahead in your job.

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Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Job Search, Personal Growth · Tagged: Harvey Mackay, Job Search, Networking, Wisdom

Jun 21 2016

Branding Yourself on Social Media

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.
 

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Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Personal Growth, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Choices, College Recruiting, IHSAA, Responsibility, Social Media, Student-Athletes, Twitter, Wisdom

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