Have you ever been accused falsely by a parent of one of your players? If you have, you know the frustration, fright, and anguish you go through. Fortunately, that's never happened to me. If you want to learn how to best protect yourself, I can help you. After 20 years in risk management, you can learn the tools that I used to protect myself. I have a teleseminar starting soon - don't miss it. It may be the best education you will get this year.
To learn more and to register for Sex Lies & Violence: Protecting Yourself from Liability for Coaches, click here. I hope you will join me for this 3-part, 3-hour seminar. Your bonus for registering is a free CD of the entire program. The value of this will be $49.95 after the series is over. Take advantage of this great deal and opportunity. Register today!
Dan
Friday, September 28, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
I read this blog from Dan Coughlin yesterday and loved it. I wanted to share it with you. For all of my friends in positions as athletic directors and school board members, what do you think about it?
Dan
___________________________________________________________________I have a good friend, Alan Weiss, who is a graduate of Rutgers University. I'm a grad of the University of Notre Dame. In 2002, ND played Rutgers and was a 40-point favorite. Alan was willing to bet me on the game as long as I gave him the point spread. I should have taken the bet. ND won 42-0. On August 18, 2006, ND was ranked #2 in the country, and Rutgers was not even in the Top 25. Today, 13 months later, ND ranks in the bottom ten teams in the country and Rutgers is in the Top 10. How is this possible, and what does it mean for your business? Here are a few themes that come to my mind:Leadership & StabilityGreg Schiano, the head football coach at Rutgers, was hired on December 1, 2000. That means he has been there through the bad times and the good times. Here's his record through the first six seasons:2001 2-92002 1-112003 5-72004 4-72005 7-52006 11-22007 3-0Is your organization willing to be patient when your senior manager is struggling through a 1-11 season and four losing seasons in a row? Are you as a manager willing to hang in there and keep believing in yourself?Schiano did, and he never wavered in his goal to win a national championship. He influenced those people that he could at each stage in this seven-year journey. At this point, the story is unfolding for Charlie Weis at ND. Will the university stay patient as he works to build a long-term, successful organization? Will he maintain his patience and confidence in the face of relentless criticism?MomentumWhen an organization begins to win, or lose, on a regular basis momentum is created. It's far easier to sustain momentum than to create it or change it. That's why every play counts. One win that could have been a loss, or one loss that could have been a win, can begin to shift the momentum.In your business, what small detail or seemingly unimportant project can you propel to a higher level of performance that can generate the momentum you want?Talent ManagementI think the biggest story here is the story of talent management. Rutgers held onto a guy they believed in, and gave him the time he needed to build a successful organization. In those same seven years that Schiano has been at Rutgers, ND has been through three coaches, and a lot of people want Weis fired for losing six games in a row while giving up over 30 points in each game.The first step in attracting, retaining, and developing talented employees is attracting, retaining, and developing a talented senior manager. Be patient.The second lesson on talent management is that great players make great coaches, and great coaches make great players. In other words, Schiano became National Coach of the Year when he had the players necessary to win. I doubt he became that much better of a coach in the four years it took to go from 1-11 to 11-2, but I have a hunch his players got a whole lot better.Always work to improve the quality of the performers in your organization if you want to improve the quality of your organization's performance.To read more blogs from Dan Coughlin, go to http://dancoughlin.typepad.com/
Dan
___________________________________________________________________I have a good friend, Alan Weiss, who is a graduate of Rutgers University. I'm a grad of the University of Notre Dame. In 2002, ND played Rutgers and was a 40-point favorite. Alan was willing to bet me on the game as long as I gave him the point spread. I should have taken the bet. ND won 42-0. On August 18, 2006, ND was ranked #2 in the country, and Rutgers was not even in the Top 25. Today, 13 months later, ND ranks in the bottom ten teams in the country and Rutgers is in the Top 10. How is this possible, and what does it mean for your business? Here are a few themes that come to my mind:Leadership & StabilityGreg Schiano, the head football coach at Rutgers, was hired on December 1, 2000. That means he has been there through the bad times and the good times. Here's his record through the first six seasons:2001 2-92002 1-112003 5-72004 4-72005 7-52006 11-22007 3-0Is your organization willing to be patient when your senior manager is struggling through a 1-11 season and four losing seasons in a row? Are you as a manager willing to hang in there and keep believing in yourself?Schiano did, and he never wavered in his goal to win a national championship. He influenced those people that he could at each stage in this seven-year journey. At this point, the story is unfolding for Charlie Weis at ND. Will the university stay patient as he works to build a long-term, successful organization? Will he maintain his patience and confidence in the face of relentless criticism?MomentumWhen an organization begins to win, or lose, on a regular basis momentum is created. It's far easier to sustain momentum than to create it or change it. That's why every play counts. One win that could have been a loss, or one loss that could have been a win, can begin to shift the momentum.In your business, what small detail or seemingly unimportant project can you propel to a higher level of performance that can generate the momentum you want?Talent ManagementI think the biggest story here is the story of talent management. Rutgers held onto a guy they believed in, and gave him the time he needed to build a successful organization. In those same seven years that Schiano has been at Rutgers, ND has been through three coaches, and a lot of people want Weis fired for losing six games in a row while giving up over 30 points in each game.The first step in attracting, retaining, and developing talented employees is attracting, retaining, and developing a talented senior manager. Be patient.The second lesson on talent management is that great players make great coaches, and great coaches make great players. In other words, Schiano became National Coach of the Year when he had the players necessary to win. I doubt he became that much better of a coach in the four years it took to go from 1-11 to 11-2, but I have a hunch his players got a whole lot better.Always work to improve the quality of the performers in your organization if you want to improve the quality of your organization's performance.To read more blogs from Dan Coughlin, go to http://dancoughlin.typepad.com/
Monday, September 24, 2007
The Blondie Rule #2 – Lessons from my dog – The rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated
Last month (August 20), the Blondie Rule #1 dealt with overcoming “analysis paralysis”. This month, you will learn how my dog has taught me about perseverance.
The famous quote by Mark Twain listed in the title surely applies to Blondie. In late December of 2004, she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in her gum. The veterinarian had taken as much out as possible, but sadly reported that she didn’t get it all. At the time, Blondie was 13 years old and all the treatments were very invasive and costly. We opted to do nothing, except make our friend as comfortable as she could be for the remainder of her life. She was given a death sentence of 2 to 3 months.
Fast forward to today and Blondie is 16 ½ and those 2-3 months are almost 3 years. The cancer has come back and spread some. In fact, just a few weeks ago, she was looking so bad and struggling so much; we began mentally preparing for her to pass on over the weekend. She fooled us again. It’s been almost a month since that day and although I can’t say she’s going on strong, she perseveres and lives to fight another day. Sooner than later we will have to make that difficult decision when her quality of life erodes. Based on how she devoured her breakfast this morning, we’re not quite there yet!
Blondie reminds me that not every day is going to be better than the day before. Some days can bring frustration, pain, and struggle. But persevering, “grinding” out the tough days, and living to fight another day should be our mantra, too. Blondie didn’t understand the diagnosis she was given in December of 2004. She just kept living every day, even when some days weren’t as good as others.
I know I have days where I grouse and complain about things. Blondie reminds me that I need to get over myself and realize that struggle is a necessary part of life; it makes us stronger. Instead of trying to be the person my dog thinks I am, I guess I just need to be more like my dog!
Dan
Friday, September 21, 2007
So Long Cy
Do you remember when you met someone who had an impact in your personal and professional life? I’ll never forget meeting Cy Wyse. Cy was a mountain of a man in his early 70’s. He had been an outstanding basketball and football player in his youth and you could tell that although he was older, he had been an imposing figure. He had the biggest hands I’d ever seen and a powerful grip. He introduced himself to me after my first basketball practice at North Kitsap High School. He asked permission to watch practices, not to critique me he carefully stated, but to watch his granddaughter, who was a junior on the team, play. I agreed and that was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Over the course of the next seven years, Cy became a friend and mentor. Now don’t get me wrong, he certainly had his opinions, but he was steadfast in his belief that the coach was the coach, and his or her word was law. Cy was always courtside at our games, even after his granddaughter graduated. He was always available to offer me sage advice, mentor me, and listen when I just needed to vent. He would invite me over to his house for some lemonade that his lovely bride, Alma would fix for us. I don’t think I ever got out in less than two hours! His stories and wisdom were priceless.
Cy passed away on Wednesday (September 19) and he will be missed by a large extended family, including the community he worked so hard to build. He was a champion for the youth, spending countless hours mentoring students, coaching athletes, and lobbying to gain increased parks and facilities. Cy was a good friend and mentor to me and I’m eternally grateful. I will miss him.
So who is that someone that has had an impact on you? Maybe the better question is - whose life have YOU impacted? We’re only on this earth a short time. Being a mentor and friend to someone else is not only a nice thing to do, it’s incumbent on all of us because someone did it for us. The best thing I can do in thanks for Cy’s generosity to me is to give that back to someone else. What about you? Whose life can you impact in a positive way?
Dan
Over the course of the next seven years, Cy became a friend and mentor. Now don’t get me wrong, he certainly had his opinions, but he was steadfast in his belief that the coach was the coach, and his or her word was law. Cy was always courtside at our games, even after his granddaughter graduated. He was always available to offer me sage advice, mentor me, and listen when I just needed to vent. He would invite me over to his house for some lemonade that his lovely bride, Alma would fix for us. I don’t think I ever got out in less than two hours! His stories and wisdom were priceless.
Cy passed away on Wednesday (September 19) and he will be missed by a large extended family, including the community he worked so hard to build. He was a champion for the youth, spending countless hours mentoring students, coaching athletes, and lobbying to gain increased parks and facilities. Cy was a good friend and mentor to me and I’m eternally grateful. I will miss him.
So who is that someone that has had an impact on you? Maybe the better question is - whose life have YOU impacted? We’re only on this earth a short time. Being a mentor and friend to someone else is not only a nice thing to do, it’s incumbent on all of us because someone did it for us. The best thing I can do in thanks for Cy’s generosity to me is to give that back to someone else. What about you? Whose life can you impact in a positive way?
Dan
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Why You Have to Worry About Camera Phones
Have you ever had a talk with your team about camera phones? If you haven't, now is a good time to start. At a recent presentation I gave, a participant told me at a break that camera phones were being taken into locker rooms by players. They would video tape the coach giving his or her pre-game, halftime, and post-game speeches. Needless to say, if there was anything juicy on it, the parents and others soon found out. It might even end up on You Tube for the whole world to see! Make sure you ban all cell phones from your locker room and put it in writing to parents. It's one way to protect yourself from bad stuff happening.
Need more tips on protecting yourself? Then sign up for my three-part teleseminar starting in October called "Sex, Lies, and Violence: Protecting Yourself from Liability for Coaches". You will learn many ways to protect your good name, your family, and your job from false accusations and liability. In addition to being a participant, you will get a FREE MP3 copy just for registering. Don't wait for it to be sold in my store later because you will have to pay $49.95. Take advantage and pay only $29.95 for the entire series AND the MP3! Register today by clicking here.
Dan
Need more tips on protecting yourself? Then sign up for my three-part teleseminar starting in October called "Sex, Lies, and Violence: Protecting Yourself from Liability for Coaches". You will learn many ways to protect your good name, your family, and your job from false accusations and liability. In addition to being a participant, you will get a FREE MP3 copy just for registering. Don't wait for it to be sold in my store later because you will have to pay $49.95. Take advantage and pay only $29.95 for the entire series AND the MP3! Register today by clicking here.
Dan
Monday, September 17, 2007
Are You Prepared for the Unexpected?
I’m teaching my first class for the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research tomorrow in Seattle. The class is for Certified Insurance Service Representatives (CISR) and I’m at the stage of the process to teach the first half of the class. Presenting in front of a group has never been an issue for me; however there are a couple areas that have me nervous.
I’ve got a brand new laptop and projector with great slides that my daughter, Mindy helped me put together. The problem is I’ve never used either in a formal presentation, so I spent all Saturday night making sure I knew how to connect the laptop to the projector and make sure I knew how to use the wireless mouse and laser (I’ve never had control of a little red dot on a screen, but it’s pretty cool). Still, using new gadgets for the first time in a live presentation always makes me a little uneasy. You never know what challenges you will run into with the configuration of the room, the positioning of outlets, or a just Murphy showing up and imposing his law on you.
Being prepared for a presentation is really vital. Remember that for coaches, your presentations may include a locker room speech, a parent meeting, or a keynote address at a clinic. Always be ready with extra batteries, dry erase markers (lots of them), and pens. Guess how I know about all three of these? If you think I’ve been guilty of not being prepared with those items…you’re right!
Not only will you be more professional for your audience (whoever that might be), you will also be more relaxed in knowing you’ve made provisions for the unexpected. Just like in your game plan, planning for the worst case scenario will leave you better equipped to handle it well.
Dan
I’ve got a brand new laptop and projector with great slides that my daughter, Mindy helped me put together. The problem is I’ve never used either in a formal presentation, so I spent all Saturday night making sure I knew how to connect the laptop to the projector and make sure I knew how to use the wireless mouse and laser (I’ve never had control of a little red dot on a screen, but it’s pretty cool). Still, using new gadgets for the first time in a live presentation always makes me a little uneasy. You never know what challenges you will run into with the configuration of the room, the positioning of outlets, or a just Murphy showing up and imposing his law on you.
Being prepared for a presentation is really vital. Remember that for coaches, your presentations may include a locker room speech, a parent meeting, or a keynote address at a clinic. Always be ready with extra batteries, dry erase markers (lots of them), and pens. Guess how I know about all three of these? If you think I’ve been guilty of not being prepared with those items…you’re right!
Not only will you be more professional for your audience (whoever that might be), you will also be more relaxed in knowing you’ve made provisions for the unexpected. Just like in your game plan, planning for the worst case scenario will leave you better equipped to handle it well.
Dan
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Reality Check...
You don’t need to go far in the 2007 NFL season to have a reality check hit you harder than a blitzing linebacker. On the 2nd half kickoff in the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos, Bills backup Tight End Kevin Everett suffered a horrible neck injury after making the tackle. Everett was rushed to the hospital and was announced to be paralyzed with little hope of recovering his ability to walk.
His teammate, quarterback J.P. Losman spoke about the tragedy in an interview and included that all NFL players sign up for and accept the risk of this type of injury. In fact, it seems every year, at least one similar type injury occurs in the NFL.
This article isn’t about the violence of the sport, not on tackling technique. Rather, it’s a reminder to keep things “real” in your coaching. We all are out to win games, but in the end we are all human beings with lives and families. One catastrophic injury like Everett’s will sometimes jolt us back to remember that it is, after all, just a game. There are more important aspects than the final score. That was evident as you watched teammates and opponents in silent prayer and vigil as Everett was being attended to.
As you spend your time coaching, the next time you are ready to blow up at a player or official, keep perspective over the fact that they are there just like you to enjoy the bond of athletics. Whatever has gotten your ire should not be enough to ruin the experience of another. Keep it real.
One postscript to the Kevin Everett story – Last night’s ESPN report indicated that Everett has shown remarkable progress in the few days following surgery. There is renewed hope that he will be able to walk again. Please keep him in your prayers.
Dan
His teammate, quarterback J.P. Losman spoke about the tragedy in an interview and included that all NFL players sign up for and accept the risk of this type of injury. In fact, it seems every year, at least one similar type injury occurs in the NFL.
This article isn’t about the violence of the sport, not on tackling technique. Rather, it’s a reminder to keep things “real” in your coaching. We all are out to win games, but in the end we are all human beings with lives and families. One catastrophic injury like Everett’s will sometimes jolt us back to remember that it is, after all, just a game. There are more important aspects than the final score. That was evident as you watched teammates and opponents in silent prayer and vigil as Everett was being attended to.
As you spend your time coaching, the next time you are ready to blow up at a player or official, keep perspective over the fact that they are there just like you to enjoy the bond of athletics. Whatever has gotten your ire should not be enough to ruin the experience of another. Keep it real.
One postscript to the Kevin Everett story – Last night’s ESPN report indicated that Everett has shown remarkable progress in the few days following surgery. There is renewed hope that he will be able to walk again. Please keep him in your prayers.
Dan
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