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…

New Year's Eve Birthday

I've always loved my birthday, especially because it falls on New Year's Eve. Friends used to tell me that it must have been rough to have my birthday so close to Christmas.

Nah...

It's great. I still receive cool presents, everyone celebrates on my day, and I'm very fiscally dated. PLUS...our family gives a birthday week, so I can use it over a two year period!

It's also a great time to reflect on the past year and count our blessings. We are all fortunate to live in a country where we are allowed to state our views freely, to be able to make a living doing what we want, and to raise our families free from oppression.Who could ask for better gifts than that?

Happy New Year!

Dan

Little Things Mean A Lot

Mother Teresa said, "We are not called to do great things. We are called to do little things with great love."

That favorite quote of mine came to mind this morning at my Rotary meeting. During our "Happy Bucks" segment, a fellow Rotarian (Tom) told the story of an employee (Steve) of his who had lost valuable memorabilia from his high school basketball days.

It seems that during our recent flooding, water got in his basement and ruined a video album that included memorable clips from his playing career.Tom went on to recount that somehow word got out and a fellow Rotarian named Michele took action. She had been a cheerleader at the time and also had a copy of this album, so she graciously gave Steve her copy, feeling that it was more valuable to him. Tom's "happy buck" was in recognition of this kind act. Michele also received a small cake as a gift of gratitude as Tom works for a grocery store!

Here is a wonderful example of a "little thing" done with great love. These small acts of charity may not seem significant in the big picture, but I believe in the grand scheme of things, they are simply huge. It makes you wonder what would happen if we all strive to do more "little things" with great love in 2008. My guess is our corner of the world, and maybe the world itself, will be much improved for it.Happy New Year!

Dan

It's a Wonderful Life

“No man is a failure, who has friends”.

These simple words written inside an old beat-up copy of “Tom Sawyer” that were presented to George Bailey speak volumes to us. If you’re at all familiar with the Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life” starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, you remember Clarence the Guardian Angel giving this present to Stewart’s character at the end of the movie. George Bailey had just been shown what life would have been like for his family and friends had he not been born. He came to find out that even though times were tough, he had led a life that impacted countless others.

I love this movie because it truly shows the value of each person. We all create a ripple effect in the world; impacting people around us in so many ways. Regardless of our vocation, the size of our family, or where we live, we are blessed to be able to touch someone else, even without knowing it. You might be a youth coach, a business associate, or even a supportive voice in difficult times. You play an important role to your family and friends and they in return play a great role to you.

Last Saturday, my wife Barb and I went out grocery shopping for the Christmas basket that out local St. Vincent DePaul Society puts together for needy families. It’s one of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season. We certainly don’t know the family of four we just provided Christmas dinner for, or why they are in the situation they are in. It doesn’t matter. What we come away with is the knowledge that in a very small way, we were able to give of ourselves that someone might be better off. It reminded me a little of another Christmas favorite, “A Christmas Carol”, when Ebeneezer Scrooge sends the prize turkey to the Cratchit family anonymously. “Mankind is our Business’, right?

Take a look at your life. See all the people who have made a difference you as well as those you have impacted. We don’t have the same chance as George Bailey to see what life would have been without us. However, we should always remember how fortunate we are, whether in good or bad times, that we have friends and family that love and care about us. Every day we have chances to be a positive source for someone. Let’s take every opportunity we have to accept those challenges.

After all, it is a wonderful life.

Merry Christmas!

Dan

Is it the Truth?

That’s the first question in the Rotary 4-Way test. Having been a Rotarian for 14 years, I’ve come to lean on that question a lot.

Last week, former Senator George Mitchell produced his expose of the steroid and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) scandal that has rocked Major League Baseball. It named names; big ones. Over the weekend, news came out that one of those players, Andy Pettite admitted to taking HGH. Pettite has been a star pitcher for the New York Yankees and Houston Astros for many years. His name being linked to the scandal was a shock. The fact that he’s “coming clean” is very refreshing.

Mitchell’s report included Pettite for just a few pages and never linked him to steroids. Pettite acknowledges that he only used HGH back in 2000 for two days while recovering from injury. He was injected by the man who also “outed” potential Hall of Famer Roger Clemens. Clemens has been implicated in a much larger role for both steroids and HGH, which has put his once lock solid election into the Hall now in jeopardy.

What’s most refreshing about Pettite is that he didn’t waste any time confirming his use of HGH. At the time, it was not a banned substance, so in his mind he wasn’t breaking any rules. His sole purpose was to re-gain his health more quickly, and he had heard HGH could do this. The fact that he came out so quickly and corroborated the story, pledged his allegiance to the integrity of baseball, and issued no bitterness towards the report makes me believe him. That and the fact that Pettite has always been viewed as an upstanding guy only add credence to his statements.

This is in stark contrast to Clemens, who issued a tersely worded statement through his attorney that he never used steroids. The preponderance of evidence, plus the fact that Pettite’s story links the same trainer, makes one lean towards not believing Clemens. “The Rocket” is at an age that seems inconceivable that he his body has held out as it has. He has struggled with injuries over the past years and it makes one wonder what steps he would take to perhaps be considered the greatest pitcher to ever live. Now, regardless of whether you believe him or not, or whether there is any firm evidence, his name has been tarnished and sits alongside Barry Bonds with a mental asterisk next to it.

I don’t know Roger Clemens to judge his character. My gut feeling is he’s guilty. My gut also tells me Andy Pettite is a stand-up guy who wasted little time facing the music. The fact his name surfaced will quickly subside.

Think about the power of honesty in your world – personal and business. Have you ever dealt with people who have been, let’s say, less than forthright? How has that impacted you? The bottom line is that in the relationship driven world we will always live in, honesty is more than just the best policy. It’s the most important one.

Dan

Quitting in the 4th Quarter

Have you ever seen a more blatant "it's all about me" situation than the Bobby Petrino story this week? Signed to a 5-year deal earlier this year to lead the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, Petrino quit after only 13 games ( only 3 wins) to take over the head job at Arkansas. Loyalty has not been a high priority in professional sports over the past decade, but this hits an all-time low. This scenario has more to do with pure character and ethics than loyalty. It's all about greed.

Petrino let down his players, his staff, and the organization that took a chance on him. The Falcons owner, Arthur Blanks accurately told how Petrino didn't commit to playing all four quarters like he required of his players. In the end, people like this shouldn't be in your organization. Arkansas - take note.

Do you have people on your team that are just in it for themselves - players, coaches, parents? If you're a high school coach it's not easy just to cut bait and let them go...but you do need to identify them and find ways to not let their agenda distract from what you're trying to accomplish.

One final note - never let the lure of money or the grass looking greener cloud your better judgement. If Petrino had even left after the season, that would be one thing. To adversely effect so many lives like he did is inexcusable. I hearken to the Rotary 3-Way test I've been saying for 14 years:

Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Is it beneficial to all concerned?

Can you get any better than that?

Dan

Positively Successful

The Seattle Seahawks clinched their fifth straight NFC West Division title on Sunday with a win over the Arizona Cardinals. It was a game they dominated from the start and they finally put to rest all the pre-season talk of another team like Arizona or San Francisco becoming the new “king of the hill” in the division.

What strikes me as special about this team over the past few years is the level of teamwork and unselfishness that they exude. Stories abound about players having to accept lesser or different roles to meet the needs of the team during the course of the season. Shaun Alexander, Bobby Engram and Patrick Kerney were three players named by coaches and teammates. A few years before that, the team had trouble climbing out of mediocrity even though they were loaded with “talent”. What they found was that they had to clean house of some of that “talent” that didn’t have the team attitude and rather the “What’s in it for me”.

Surrounding your “team” with positive and successful people is vital for your success, too. Regardless of whether your “team” is your family, workplace, or a team you coach, attitude is more important than “talent”. Take a look at your relationships. Can you honestly say that the people who surround and advise you are team players? Now, in a family, you may have to work harder at building better dynamics than in a workplace environment. At work, people can be let go, like what the Seahawks did. The bottom line is that for your “team” to function at full strength, the “we” has to be more important than the “me”. When you surround yourself with positive and encouraging people, you will find successes in all aspects of your life.

Finally, take time to challenge your team with this concept. As you know, it can be easy to preach but tough to get them to really believe. Teams like the Seahawks and New England Patriots win because of it. Make it a sports and life lesson for your athletes.

Dan

In Need of Noah's Ark

For the second year in a row, I've been down in Palm Springs when my home state of Washington has been devastated by flooding. I've watched in horror and sadness as many people have had tragedies from the rains and floods. My home is safe and for that I'm thankful. The pictures on the news look straight out of Katrina a few years ago. Let's keep all those adversely affected in our prayers and hope for a quick return to normalcy.

Dan

Who's Number One?

If you are a college football fan like me, you’ve probably been amazed at all the volatility in the BCS standings, especially with the top ranked teams. It seems that on a weekly basis, there has been a major upset and whoever the new #1 and #2 teams are, they have been bounced out by someone else. It happened again this past weekend when Kansas was defeated at home by Missouri, who then claimed the #1 spot themselves. I can’t remember a football season that has been as unpredictable as this one. It makes for a very entertaining time for football fans.

How volatile is your coaching life? Do you go through stretches where things seem topsy-turvy in your world? That may not be as entertaining to you as a college football season. The reality is that change and volatility are part of coaching. How you respond to it will decide your success or failure.

The one constant you always have is how well you present yourself. There’s an old saying that a great salesperson will never be without a job. That’s because regardless of the times, if you are a dynamic and persuasive presenter, you will be highly sought after. The same can be said for coaches. If you are able to motivate your players and communicate with parents, your season will be more successful regardless of wins and losses. Believe me, motivating and communicating are skills, just like dribbling or hitting a baseball. You need to practice them on a daily basis to be good.

Don’t overlook the most important coaching skill that can put you head and shoulders over your competition and make for an enjoyable career. Communicating and presenting will make sure you stay #1!

Dan

P.S. Need some help with your presentation and motivation skills? You’re in luck! My next Panic to Power Boot Camp is scheduled for March 18 in downtown Seattle. Your investment will pay dividends over and over again with highly motivated players and well educated parents. To register and take advantage of great Early-Bird discounts, click here.