Courage

Sixty-one years. That's how long ago it was when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947. Not only was MLB changed forever, so was our country. Robinson went on to win the Rookie of the Year and was the MVP two seasons later. In a sense, he is one of the MVP's of out nation in the 20th century. Robinson showed the courage to fight against discrimination, racism, and the pressure that this role in history threw at him. Kudos also to Branch Rickey of the then-Brooklyn Dodgers to have the guts to sign him.

Do you show that same type of courage in much "smaller" matters? When a player needs to be benched or taken off the team due to discipline or academic reasons, do you have the courage to take the right action? When you have to face an ethical decision with the big game on the line, say playing an injured athlete, do you do the right thing? Do you have the courage to confront unreasonable parents to keep the drama around your team to a minimum?

Jackie Robinson not only is a civil rights hero, he is a great role model for coaches and athletes who want to be courageous.

Dan

Changes coming!

To all you coaches who read my blogs, my apologies for not being a consistent blogger. I am making some changes to my services for coaches and will soon be introducing a web site dedicated to just coaches. This will be out in the next 30 days. I promise you will be the first to hear about it. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Dan

Inspiring even 15 years later - Jimmy V

I recently ran across this video of Jim Valvano accepting the Arthur Ashe Award at the ESPY's in 1993. It was just a few short months before he passed away from cancer. I remember watching it then and it's still as moving and inspirational now 15 years later. I hope you feel the same way...

Dan

Sorry for not posting!

Boy...it's been a long time since I last posted. My apologies. I've been very busy with my business and Rotary Club functions. As chair of our Rotary auction committee, I feel like I'm once again a coach. I spend a great deal of time extolling, ranting, raving, begging, and motivating members to get their donations in. I realize now it's all part of being a team.

Whatever your goals in life, your education as a coach will help you in whatever you do. Business is all about teamwork, regardless of your situation. For instance, I have no employees, but the members of my team are my Rotary friends. Working together as a team wins on the court, the field, or in business.

How well does your team work together? It's your role to make sure they all communicate, respect each other, and work towards a common goal. I guess the same can be said for my Rotary club, too! Seems like I'm back on the sideline again. I hope I have a great halftime locker room speech!

Dan

P.S. If you'd like to contribute and support our Rotary club auction, visit our web site and bid early and often - http://poulsborotary.cmarket.com/. Thanks for your help.

The Last Lecture

I just received an e-mail from a good friend who sent this You Tube video out. You need to see it. I had heard the name Dr. Randy Pausch from my friend Doug Petch, but I didn't know why he mentioned him. I should have asked.

Want to get out of the blues? Want to be energized? Need a pick me up on life or just your day?

Watch this video by clicking here -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tIyt8oSLVs

We do have a choice in how we approach life...thanks for the reminder!

Dan

Happy Valentines Day

Last night, I spent a good portion of my evening working on my Rotary Auction project as I'm the chair of the committee. I came upstairs, bleery-eyed after a couple of hours of working...ready to hit the stack.

My wife Barb was sitting on the coach waiting for me and asked, "Dan, do you know what tomorrow is?"

My reply - "Thursday."

Her facetious response was fitting - "Boy, did I marry the most romantic guy!"

Whoops.

Happy Valentines Day to everyone, especially Barb!

Dan

P.S. Speaking of my auction, you can help support our cause regardless of where you live. We are doing an online auction starting March 4 and running through April 18. To donate an item or register to bid, go to http://poulsborotary.cmarket.com. Help us make a difference in the lives of millions.

The General Retires

Any of you who have been a basketball coach respect Bob Knight for his knowledge. You may not care for all his methods , but his genius is unquestionable. You probably have heard that Knight stepped down yesterday after 42 years as a head coach at Army, Indiana, and Texas Tech. The number of athletes and coaches he has influenced is enormous, assuredly including people he never met. In faxct, I can consider myself one of them.

Certainly, his tactics, antics, and methods were not models for me. His attention to detail, knowledge, and dedication to the game were. His passion for discipline was also important. Even though it may not always be acceptable, you will find his players at every stage intensely loyal to him.

The game will miss him for his personality, his passion, and his skill. College basketball...in fact basketball as a whole...is better off because of him. Happy retirement Coach.

Dan

Game On!

Funny how life works out sometimes, isn't it? The New England Patriots were crowned the best team in the league...the best team of the decade...maybe even the best team EVER midway through the season. They had the golden boy, Tom Brady. They had the revitalized all-pro Randy Moss. They had the genius coach wearing the ugly hoodie. Their destiny would be 19-0 and their claim to the greatest team ever was inevitable.

The only problem was that no one bothered to tell the New York Giants. Even if they did, it wouldn't have mattered. The Giants were a team that started 0-2. The coach was on the hot seat. The quarterback couldn't lead. They couldn't play as a team.

As it turned out, all those assumptions were wrong and they proved themselves the best team in the world on Sunday. Why? Becasue more than the Patriots, they played as a team. They overcame adversity. They didn't listen to their critics. They believed in themselves when no one else would. In the end, they stand on top of the mountains as champions.

What about you? Does your team face adversity? How does it respond? How do you respond? You don't have to be an NFL team to show true character and great teamwork. You don't even have to win the Lombardi Trophy to walk away as a winner. To play the game and live your life as a true champion, you must exhibit all the traits that the Giants showed the world last night - teamwork, passion, confidence, and commitment. And...as Nike so concisely says, "Leave Nothing"!

Dan

Protect Yourself from Liability

Yesterday, I was honored to be a keynote speaker at the Washington State Football Coaches Association convention in Bellevue. I had the opportunity to talk with many coaches and their concern for liability issues is a major issue for them.

As a former basketball coach, I was stunned with the amount of extra work football coaches must do when it comes to equipment. I sat in on a couple of sessions specifically to learn more about the maintenance of helmets, and how important constant fitting is throughout the year. If you are a football coach, did you know that after your initial fitting for a kid at the start of the season, you need to re-fit within 3 days? The reason is actually very simple. As the kid gets into shape, he will lose some fat from his forehead and the chance that the fitting is no longer good is is very high. Not only that, he may go get a haircut because it's so hot and that changes fitting, too.

The bottom line was that helmet fitting must be an ongoing function for a coach throughout the season.

Dan

P.S. That's a good reason to go to conferences like this one. You never quit learning unless you don't make important educational opportunities like this a priority. Kudos to the association for an excellent event.

How valuable is your time?

I once asked a client what he thought his time was worth. He answered without hesitation – “$300 per hour”. Okay. I can buy that. If your time was worth $300 per hour, how much money do you waste a day?

This was never more evident for me than this past week when I had a SNAFU with my e-mail. Seems I was “hijacked” and had a bunch of SPAM spewing from my e-mail out something I learned that is called “port 25”. Well, Comcast didn’t like that, so they shut down port 25. From Wednesday morning on, I could receive e-mail but not send from my Outlook. Big problem.

It would have been nice if Comcast would have advised me. I guess that would have been too easy. After all, how many hours could I have saved had I knew WHY I couldn’t send e-mails?

Fortunately, I had a member of my Toro Team help me get through this hurdle. Without his help, I would have wasted much more time.

As a coach, you spend a lot of time preparing for your next practice and game. Be protective of that time by not allowing distractions to side-track you. Too many things can be thrown your way. Learn to delegate. Your ability to focus your time on the job at hand is critical. That’s why you have assistants. Make sure you learn how to let go of small tasks to focus your time on the more important items.

What’s your time worth?

Dan

P.S. One valuable way to spend your time is at my Panic to Power Boot Camp in Seattle on March 18. Why? Because your ability to inspire, persuade, and improve the condition of your players is directly proportional to your ability to be a dynamic motivator. You will walk away with strategies that will put you head and shoulders above your competition. What could be more valuable than that? To register now, click here…

Hot Pants...

Seahawks kicker Josh Brown has been outfitted with some "hot pants" for Saturday's game at Green Bay. Literally. His legs will stay a toastie 75 degrees regardless of the temperature at the frozen tundra at Lambeau Field.

I wonder what George Blanda must think...

To read the story, click here...

Dan

Amazing Grace...

“Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way…but you can never say again that you did not know.”

- William Wilberforce (1759-1833)

This past weekend, my family watched the 2007 movie, Amazing Grace. Amazing is exactly what it turned out to be.

I’m embarrassed that as a History major I had never heard of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was the leading abolitionist in the early 19th century leading the charge against the British Slave Trade. His pastor, John Newton, was the famed Slave Trade Captain who reformed and penned the song, Amazing Grace. He was Wilberforce’s inspiration for the fight.

The movie accurately characterized the power that Wilberforce conveyed in his ability to speak and present. Though it took over a decade (in large part due to the war with France) Wilberforce never relented and finally won a great battle in Parliament. Had it not been for Wilberforce’s skill as a dynamic communicator and presenter, who knows how many more lives would have been negatively impacted?

What lives do you currently impact? What lives can you impact? Either personally or through your coaching career, your ability to communicate your message carries great weight. Your family, your friends, and your players gain value from you. Make the most of your gifts and change lives for the better, just like William Wilberforce did 200 years ago.

Dan

P.S. Want to get better at your presentations? Now is the time to register for my Panic to Power Boot Camp in Seattle on March 18. For more information, click here…